White Roses (author unknown) from our parish bulletin --
I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself that I would be in her forever and that I had so much to do! Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I made my way through all the people to the toy department. Once again, I mumbled to myself about the prices of all these toys and wondered if my 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 five years old, holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman and call her by name, "Aunt Helen, 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. 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, "Maybe Santa is 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 with 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. The boy looked at me again and said, "I told daddy to tell momma to wait till I got back from the store." He asked me if I wanted to see his picture. "I would love to," I said. He pulled out a picture of himself and held it to me. He said, "I want 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."
I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and grown very quiet. While he was not looking, I reached in 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." I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. It was plenty for the doll! He said softly, "Thank you, Jesus, for giving me enough money to buy this doll so momma can take it with her to give to my sister." Looking at me, the boy told me, "Jesus 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 anyway. She loves white roses very, very much."
In a few minutes, the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about that little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. 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 leaving the mother in serious condition. The family was deciding whether to remove her life support. Surely, I thought, this little boy did not belong to 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. She was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store. In a split second, a drunk driver had changed the life of that little boy forever. I left the funeral home in tears realizing that the love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother had changed my life forever.
I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself that I would be in her forever and that I had so much to do! Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I made my way through all the people to the toy department. Once again, I mumbled to myself about the prices of all these toys and wondered if my 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 five years old, holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman and call her by name, "Aunt Helen, 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. 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, "Maybe Santa is 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 with 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. The boy looked at me again and said, "I told daddy to tell momma to wait till I got back from the store." He asked me if I wanted to see his picture. "I would love to," I said. He pulled out a picture of himself and held it to me. He said, "I want 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."
I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and grown very quiet. While he was not looking, I reached in 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." I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. It was plenty for the doll! He said softly, "Thank you, Jesus, for giving me enough money to buy this doll so momma can take it with her to give to my sister." Looking at me, the boy told me, "Jesus 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 anyway. She loves white roses very, very much."
In a few minutes, the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about that little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. 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 leaving the mother in serious condition. The family was deciding whether to remove her life support. Surely, I thought, this little boy did not belong to 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. She was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store. In a split second, a drunk driver had changed the life of that little boy forever. I left the funeral home in tears realizing that the love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother had changed my life forever.
