Bobby's Dime, A Real Florist Story
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.
May this story instill the spirit of Christmas in you enough to pass this story along.
Have a Joyous and Peace-filled season.
~"Bobby's Dime" by Thomas Pucci~
Sent to me and posted for my brother Mark out on the Left Coast...BOSS
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.
May this story instill the spirit of Christmas in you enough to pass this story along.
Have a Joyous and Peace-filled season.
~"Bobby's Dime" by Thomas Pucci~
Sent to me and posted for my brother Mark out on the Left Coast...BOSS