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 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 mumbled
to myself at the prices of all these toys and wondered if the grandkids
would even play with them. Soon I found myself in the doll aisle.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy, about 5 or so, 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 call his aunt by name, saying, "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, that she had
to go get some other things and would be back in a few minutes.
She then left the aisle while 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 would bring it. He said, "No,
Santa can't go where my sister is. I have to give the doll to 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 and
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 until I got back from the store." Then the boy 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
and said, "I want Momma to take this with her so she won'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."
I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and had grown 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 your
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. 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 Momma
a white rose, but I didn't. But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a
rose for Momma! She loves white roses so very very much." In
a few minutes I saw the aunt coming back so 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, where the
mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether
to remove her life support. Surely this little boy did not belong
to that story.
Two days later I read in the news 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 newspaper indicated
the young woman's body 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!
This holiday season, and throughout the coming years, PLEASE,
don't drink and drive!
Written by V.A.Bailey
The More I Laugh, The More
I Think!
