Bobby was getting cold sitting
out in his back yard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots;
he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any. The
thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they
did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in
his backyard for about an hour already. And, try as he
might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's
Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, "This
is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't
have any money to spend."
Ever since his father had passed
away three years ago, the family of five had struggled.
It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there
just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the
hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could
only be stretched so far.
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What the family lacked
in money and material things, they more than made
up for in love and family unity. Bobby had two
older and one younger sister, who ran the
household in their mother's absence. All three of
his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for
their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here
it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. |
Wiping a tear from his eye,
Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the
street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy
being six without a father, especially when he needed a
man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop
to shop, looking into each decorated window.
Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of
reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby
reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his
eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays
reflecting off of something along the curb. He
reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never
before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt
at that moment. |
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As he held his new found
treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and
he walked into the first store he saw.
His excitement quickly turned cold when the salesperson
told him that he couldn't buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line.
When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby
presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower
for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at
Bobby and his ten cent offering.
Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him,
"You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for
you."
As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers and
even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and
girls liked flowers.
The sound of the door closing as the last customer left,
jolted Bobby back to reality. All alone in the shop,
Bobby began to feel alone and afraid.
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Suddenly
the shop owner came out and moved to the
counter. There, before Bobby's eyes, lay
twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves
of green and tiny white flowers all tied
together with a big silver bow. Bobby's
heart sank as the owner picked them up
and placed them gently into a long white
box. |
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"That will be ten cents
young man." The shop owner said reaching out his
hand for the dime.
Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime.
Could this be true?
No one else would give him a thing for his dime!
Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added,
"I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten
cents a dozen. Would you like them?"
This time Bobby did not
hesitate, and when the man placed the long box
into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out
the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he
heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas,
son." |
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As he returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out.
"Who were you talking to back there and where are
the roses you were fixing?"
Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his
own eyes, he replied, "A strange thing happened to
me this morning. While I was setting up things to open
the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set
aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't
sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but
I set them aside anyway."
"Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into
the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with
one small dime."
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"When I looked at
him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a
poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a
Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew,
stopped me on the street and told me that he
wanted to give me ten dollars." |
"When I saw that little boy
tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a
dozen of my very best roses." The shop owner and his
wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out
into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold
at all.
May this story instill the spirit of Christmas in you
enough to pass this act along.
The Song is "Let
There Be Peace On Earth"
Performed by Vince Gill & Friend
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth,
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me.
Let this be the moment now.
With every step that I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on Earth,
And let it begin with me.
Have a Joyous and Peace-filled season!
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