Why 1 Little Girl Was "Prancing" in Massive Men's Boots at the Grocery Store

After a surprising encounter in Myrtle Beach, Katie Shuler found herself in a Kroger's parking lot trying to compose herself.

Katie explained that while she was shopping at the grocery store, she spotted a child. "I came upon a little girl prancing down the aisle making a crazy noise," she wrote on Facebook. "I turned around to see this young lady wearing massive boots compared to her tiny body."

Without giving it much thought, Katie just giggled and continued shopping. However, she ended up on the checkout lane behind the little girl and her mom. "As good southerners do, we struck up conversation," Katie wrote. "I told the little girl that I liked her boots."

To this compliment, the little girl responded with a massive grin and then explained why she was wearing such unexpected footwear. "She let me know that those boots belonged to her daddy. Today would have been his birthday, but he was killed last year in 'Afghan Stan,'" Katie wrote. "To feel better about today, she was allowed to wear his boots."

The girl's mom, Katie, and the cashier all began to cry as the girl talked about her dad, and the man standing in line behind them overheard the entire conversation. He gave the child a cupcake out of the dozen he was waiting to pay for and recommended that she always eat a cupcake on her dad's birthday. "He told her that her dad was a hero and that she should be proud to be his daughter," Katie wrote. "Let's stop to think about those who protect the freedom that we often take for granted!"