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The morning began with a quiet, gentle sense of peace. The air was crisp, the weather refreshing, and I stepped outside for a brief moment—only to find a box sitting at my front door. Inside was a pair of orthopedic sandals my son Jay, all the way in Tennessee, had sent for Father’s Day.

 

A few days earlier, he had pressed me to tell him what I wanted, but I didn’t give him an answer. So he sent me two options from Amazon through KakaoTalk and asked me to choose one. I picked one almost reluctantly, without much expectation. In the past, I had bought similar sandals online, only to discover that the soles were so stiff I couldn’t wear them for long.

But this pair—perhaps because it was more expensive—felt entirely different. The moment I put them on, I noticed the soft cushioning and how gently they supported my feet. I could easily wear these all summer, even on my walks through the woods.

 

Yet what fills my heart with the deepest joy is not the comfort of the sandals but the fact that they came from my son. His financial situation is far from easy. He majored in film directing, and with all his gifts lying in the arts, it’s nearly impossible to find a well‑paying job unless he works in his field. My daughter‑in‑law studied acting, so the two of them must both work just to get by. Now with a baby, their lives are even more stretched. And still, they are unfailingly kind and

generous. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving, they give their niece and nephew gifts far beyond what their budget would suggest. Even though their own income is tight and their responsibilities have grown, they didn’t forget Father’s Day. They chose to send me a gift anyway. How could my heart not be moved?