_I hurried into the local department store to buy some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at the mass of people and grumbled to myself; I would be in here forever and I had so much to do! Christmas was beginning to become such a drag, and I  wished that I could just sleep through the entire holiday.

I hurried the best I could through all the people to the toy department, and once again I mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys. I wondered if the kids would even play with them.  I eventually found myself in the doll aisle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little boy of about five years, 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 that he called his Aunt, 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."

She told the little boy not to go anywhere; telling him that she had to go and get some other things and would be back in a few minutes. She left the aisle and the boy continued to hold the doll. After a moment, I could not resist my curiosity any longer, and I asked the boy who the doll was for.

He said, "It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She was expecting  Santa to bring it."

I told him that maybe Santa would bring it; just wait until Christmas Day and find out.

"No", he said, "Santa can't go where my sister is; I have to give the doll to my Momma so she can take it to my sister". 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 my Daddy says that Momma is going to have to go to be with her too."

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 he asked me if I wanted to see his pictures, and I told him I would love to.

He pulled out some pictures he had taken at the front of the store and said, "I want my Momma to take these with her so she doesn'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 him, "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. Of course, there was now plenty for the doll. He softly said, "Thank you Jesus for giving me enough." Then he 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 ask Him; 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. I kept remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car; killing a little girl, and leaving the Mother in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether to remove her life support. 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 for the mother of the little girl and I just kept wondering if the boy was somehow connected. Later that day, I could not help myself and I went out and purchased some white roses and took them to the funeral home where the mother was resting.

There she was... holding a single white rose, the beautiful doll, and a picture of the little boy in the store.

I left there in tears, my life changed forever. The love that the little boy had felt for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming, and in a split second a drunk driver had ripped his life to pieces.
  
Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. " Drive carefully.

(Anonymous - Found on the Web)