In His Father’s Shoes

One Sunday morning when I was serving as Primary president in the Palmyra New York Ward, a new ward member asked me if I could arrange for rides to Primary for her four children. She said, “I especially want Harvey to have a ride. Primary means so much to him.” Then she told me his story.

“A few years ago, before the current Sunday meeting schedule, I was helping with the pre-Primary activities in our ward. One Primary day we were getting ready to go when I remembered that eight-year-old Harvey would have to stay home. He had athlete’s foot so bad that his whole foot was swollen, cracked, and bleeding. I told him he would have to stay home because he couldn’t get his shoes on, and he certainly couldn’t go barefoot.

“Harvey was disappointed, but he seemed to accept his plight. Just then our ride came, and we hurried off to Primary.

“After pre-Primary was over, I walked into the chapel and received the shock of my life. Who should be sitting there, reverently listening to the prelude music with his arms folded, but Harvey! He had put on a pair of his father’s shoes and walked the eight blocks to Primary on the heels of his feet.”

Many times since hearing that story, I have thought of Harvey, and I have determined that I will meet my obligations with the same desire and dedication he showed.

Illustrated by Mark Buehner