The Doll and a White Rose

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

that 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 ask the boy who the doll was for.

He said, "It's 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

to 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 ask 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 needs to be with my sister."

I saw that 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 hand full of bills. I ask 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, 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 rather 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. 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.

Written by V.A.Bailey