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I
hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute
Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself.
I
would be in here forever and I just had so much to do. Christmas was
beginning to become such a drag. I kinda wished that I could just
sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the best I could through all
the people to the toy department.
Once
again I kind of mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys.
And wondered if the grandkids would even play with them. I found
myself in the doll aisle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little
boy about 5 holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he
held her so gently. I could not seem to help myself. I just kept
looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for.
I
watched him turn to a woman and he called his aunt by name and said,
"Are you sure I don't have enough money?"
She
replied a bit impatiently, "You know that you don't have enough
money for it." The aunt told the little boy not to go anywhere
because she had to go get some other things and would be back in a
few minutes. And then she left the aisle.
The
boy continued to hold the doll. After a bit I asked the boy who the
doll was for. He said, "It is the doll my sister wanted so badly
for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it."
I
told him that maybe Santa WAS going to bring it.
He
said, "No, Santa can't go where my sister is. I have to give
the doll to my Momma to take to her."
I
asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest
eyes and said, "She has gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says
that Momma is going to have to go be with her."
My
heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy looked at me again and
said, "I told my Daddy to tell Momma not to go yet. I told him
to tell her to wait till I got back from the store."
Then
he asked me if I wanted to see his picture. I told him I would love
to. He pulled out some pictures he'd had taken at the front of the
store. He said, "I want my Momma to take this with her so she
don't ever forget me. I love my Momma so very much and I wish she did
not have to leave me. But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister."
The
little boy had lowered his head and had grown so very quiet. While
he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out a handful
of bills. I asked the little boy, "Shall we count that money one
more time?"
He
grew excited and said, "Yes, I just know it has to be
enough." So I slipped my money in with his and we began to count
it. And of course it was plenty for the doll. He softly said,
"Thank you, Jesus for giving me enough money."
Then
the boy said,"I just asked Jesus to give me enough money to buy
this doll so Momma can take it with her to give to my sister. And he
heard my prayer. I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Momma a
white rose, but I didn't ask him, but he gave me enough to buy the
doll and a rose for my Momma. She loves white roses so very, very much."
In
a few minutes the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could
not keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping
in a totally different spirit than when I had started. And I kept
remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier
about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and the
Mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether
to remove the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong
with that story.
Two
days later I read in the paper where the family had disconnected the
life support and the young woman had died. I could not forget the
little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected.
Later
that day, I could not help myself and I went out and bought some
white roses and took them to the funeral home where the young woman
was. And there she was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful
doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store. I left there in
tears, my life changed forever.
The
love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother was
overwhelming. And in a split second, a drunk driver had ripped the
life of that little boy to pieces.
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