Sometimes when helping toddler friends put on their shoes a fun song can help. Here’s a contribution to the toddler playlist.
I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes,
How bout you?
I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes,
How bout you?
So put on your socks put on your shoes
It’s my favorite thing to do
Cause I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes, I like shoes,
How bout you?
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a beautiful story of an elderly man who moves to Golden, Georgia from New York City. When first arriving, he comes across a coffee shop that has portraits hanging on the wall and he is drawn to the skill of the artist and depth of how well he captures each subject. He proceeds to buy them and gift them to the subject of the portraits in deeply meaningful and impactful meetings.
Everyone carries some sadness, pain, discouragement, and emotional wounds from the hardness and brokenness of the world. Theo, in gifting the portraits to each of the subjects, is able to see through the mistakes in life and heaviness in their soul without judgment and to call out the value and goodness of each person he interacts with and encourages. What a gift of being truly seen and heard that goes far beyond a portrait.
Theo is a great lover of the arts and uses this love to connect with others through a shared appreciation of drawings, paintings portraits, music, and literature. One of his gifts is in his ability to see to the essence of someone, listen deeply and with genuine interest to them, ask meaningful questions, and connect relationally with them without expectation of receiving anything in return other than a new friend.
He doesn’t seek recognition or attention and skillfully redirects questions about himself so the focus stays on the other person. We learn bits and pieces of Theo’s backstory throughout the book and gather that he was a very successful entrepreneur with connections across the world having grown up in Portugal and lived in many places but with lots of sadness and pain in his story as well. Keep reading to the end and then maybe read the book again, there’s a surprise that will reshape your understanding of the story in a beautiful way.
While the story is purposeful, has multiple layers, and goes somewhere, there is purity of enjoyment throughout the book that we can delight in Theo, his generosity, kindness, and his mission to be present and connect deeply with the subjects of the portraits and other friends and acquaintances he meets along the way. In Theo we see a picture of what it could look like to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others. He shows that even a man late in his life can have great impact on the world. I highly recommend this book as a character study in how to truly see and make people feel valued for who they are and what they have to offer the world. It is one of my favorite recently read books.
The city of Golden is loosely based on Columbus, Georgia where the author was originally from and has lots of local culture and character. When reading the section about the cello concert, check out the songs performed for a nice soundtrack to the book
There are several interviews on YouTube with the author which give a better sense of how he wrote the story and who he is as a person. He seems like a genuine and likable guy that you’d be glad to have as a friend or neighbor.
If you take the time to go to the author’s website at www.allenlevi.com, there is a recording of The Princess of Titalamish which is an elementary age story in the book that Theo shares with a young girl that he befriends.
If you found this review helpful and want like it on Goodreads, I’d be glad to connect at this link.
