I Was Ashamed of Grandpa's Broken Shoes... Until I Found the Shoebox

Grandpa Wore the Same Broken Shoes for Ten Years My grandpa wore the same broken shoes for ten years. And I was ashamed of him. The sole was taped. The leather was cracked. Kids at my school called him the tape man. Every birthday, I begged him to buy new ones. He always smiled and said, these still walk. When I got into university, I thought I had won a scholarship. Every semester, the fees were just paid. Four years later, the night before graduation, I found an old shoebox under his bed. Inside were receipts. Every single one of my university fees, paid by him. There was no scholarship. He skipped new shoes, new coats, even meals, for ten years. The next morning, I gave him a box. Inside was a pair of new shoes. He wore them only once. To walk me across the stage at my graduation. I keep those old shoes by my door now. Because my grandpa wore the same broken shoes for ten years.