is sideways a direction?

[cire2]

A CHRISTMAS STORY
It was only five days before Christmas. The spirit of the season
hadn't yet caught up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot
of our Houston area Target Shopping Center. Inside the store, it was
worse. Shopping carts and last minute shoppers jammed the aisles.
Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my
head. My list contained names of several people who claimed they
wanted nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't buy
them anything. Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the
high cost of items, I considered gift-buying anything but fun.
Hurriedly, I filled my shopping cart with last minute items and
proceeded to the long checkout lines. I picked the shortest but it
looked as if it would mean at least a 20 minute wait. In front of me
were two small children-a boy of about 10 and a younger girl about 5.
The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large, tattered tennis shoes
jutted far out in front of his much too short jeans. He clutched some
crumpled dollar bills in his grimy hands. The girl's clothing
resembled her brother's. Her head was a matted mass of curly hair.
Remainders of an evening meal showed on her small face. She carried a
beautiful pair of shiny, gold house slippers. As the Christmas music
sounded in the store's stereo system, the girl hummed along off-key
but happily. When we finally approached the checkout register, the
girl carefully placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as
though they were a treasure. The clerk rang up the bill. "That will
be $6.09," she said. The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand
while he searched his pockets. He finally came up with $3.12. "I
guess we will have to put them back, " he bravely said. "We will
come back some other time, maybe tomorrow." With that statement, a
soft sob broke from the little girl. "But Jesus would have loved these
shoes, " she cried. "Well, we'll go home and work some more. Don't
cry. We'll come back," he said. Quickly I handed $3.00 to the
cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And,
after all, it was Christmas.
Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said, "Thank
you Sir." "What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the
shoes?" I asked. The small boy answered, "Our mommy is sick and going
to heaven. Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus."
The girl spoke, "My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven
are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won't mommy be beautiful
walking on those streets to match these shoes?" My eyes flooded as I
looked into her tear streaked face. "Yes" I answered, "I am sure she
will." Silently I thanked God for using these children to remind me of
the true spirit of giving." Christmas is not about the amount of money
paid, nor the amount of gifts purchased, nor trying to impress friends
and relatives. Christmas is about the love in your heart to share with
those as Jesus Christ has shared with each of us. Christmas is about
the Birth of Jesus whom God sent to show the world how much he really
loves us. Please show this love as we think of the upcoming season.