SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - My favorite Christmas present of 2010 was neither given to or by me.
It was given by a woman I had never seen to a woman I will likely never see again.
I was volunteering at the annual Christmas dinner for the homeless.
Every year it is organized by Pamela Atkinson, a Salt Lake saint of sorts, who refers to those on the street as her homeless friends.
This year, more than 800 in need got a steak dinner, thanks to Pamela and her generous friends (including the LDS Church).
This, sadly, was several hundred more than last year.
In addition to the dinner, there were also free toys, candy, blankets and clothes for those who need them.
This is the area I usually work in, helping to distribute these items.
Near the end of a busy evening, something extraordinary happened.
A middle aged woman came over to the clothing area and asked for shoes.
I looked down to see what she was wearing and immediately knew why she had asked for a new pair.
She had on high heels which looked like they had seen better days.
They seemed small and rather uncomfortable.
The woman apparently been wearing them all day and, clearly, it hurt her to walk a step further.
Unfortunately, we didn't have many shoes to give out to begin with and, at that point, they were all gone.
When we had to tell this poor woman the bad news, she put her hands on her now bowed head.
It was clearly one more piece of bad news for someone who probably has already had more than her share.
But then it happened, a Christmas gift I will long remember.
One of the other volunteers saw what was happening and came over.
She asked the woman what size shoes she needed.
When the homeless woman told her what size she wore , the volunteer - without a second of hesitation - took off her own shoes and gave them to this person in need.
I was nearly moved to tears.
It was as memorable an act of generosity as I have ever seen.
The homeless woman walked off in a new, more comfortable pair of shoes.
The now barefoot volunteer went home in a pair of white athletic socks.
These socks came from the same pile we had been handing out to those in the shelter.
In years past, when I have volunteered at the homeless Christmas dinner, I have often thought about the quote, "There but for the grace of God go I."
But as I left the darkened dining area this year, the phrase which ran through my head was the one about walking a mile in someone else's shoes.
What I haven't mentioned is that, over the years, some of Utah's heaviest hitters have volunteered at this Christmas dinner for the needy.
Most years, Jon M. Huntsman and his family have been there.
I've also seen Greg Miller and even Marie Osmond.
This year, though, the biggest person in the room was the woman who gave away her own shoes on Christmas.
