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. 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 house hold 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.
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. 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.
"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,"
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.
"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.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bobby's Dime, by Thomas Pucci
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My friends, my family has been blessed many times over, especially
this year. Amongst other things my girlfriend and I married. To cut
to chase, the money we'd normally spend to get each other presents
this year we are giving to our less fortunate brothers and sisters.
If you are blessed with abundances please consider giving something
to those folks that struggle to live each day. We can make a difference.
Merry Christmas all,
Michael
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