He thought of the gifts going to some kid he didn’t know, to some young kid who probably thought he’d been blown off.

Then he thought that in some ways, he probably wasn’t much different from that kid.

I don’t have faith, Lord. I don’t trust You. I’m impatient. And I’m so full of doubt.

He climbed out of the car and dug his hands into his pockets. Kevin took a quick glance around the empty parking lot.

Then it dawned on him.

He was a paper angel just like Thomas. God picked out his name a long time ago and knew exactly what was on his list—gifts that He handed out at just the right time, just when he needed them.

That didn’t mean everything on the list was going to show up at his door. But God knew what his list looked like.

God also held the paper angel in His hand.

In His hand.

He felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. He prayed for the boy he didn’t know and the family the boy belonged to. Then he headed toward the hospital, back to three-fourths of his family, a family whose unknown names he’d once written on a list and hung on a tree and prayed that he would one day have the great fortune to meet.

Kevin couldn’t wait to see those two little new faces again.

To see their random smiles.

In this world, a smile was a beautiful thing. A gift.

The Shoes

It’s twenty minutes till midnight, and Thomas still has every intention of hugging and kissing the host of the party. But first he has Vic to deal with. He has arrived at the New Year’s party smelling like cheap beer and clearly having one thing in mind: payback. Payback for getting kicked out and made a fool of by Thomas.

Thomas laughed at the thought. Some stories might end that way, but not this one.

It wasn’t nighttime yet. There was still the party at Cass’s to go to. As much as he’d like to think that he’d be even near the host of the party, he was just glad to be going somewhere. To have friends to be with.

But the party was hours away. He still had some unfinished business to deal with.

The squeaks and grunts in the gym sounded like heaven to him. Thomas liked to think that there would be lots of ball played up in heaven. Except there would be no hard feelings after the game was over. There’d be no anger and jealousy and silliness.

He sat and waited for the game to be over. It was just five-on-five using half the court while another game happened on the other half. A couple of times Thomas was told to put on the shoes he was holding and join the game. Thomas just smiled. Once it was over, he zeroed in on the guy glancing at him with malicious eyes. He followed him to the water fountain, then as Vic headed back to the seats where their bags were, he said, “Hey Vic.”