RC and I had an incredible experience that I just really wanted to share. We were at a Bees baseball game in Salt Lake. Sitting in front of us was a little boy, his mom, two more boys, a dad and some family friends. I do not believe they were one family but perhaps an attempt to merge families or maybe just friends. The first boy was perhaps 8 years old and maybe the other two were 9 or 10. In the beginning, they were all sitting together, eating cotton candy with incredibly sticky fingers and then as the game progressed, the mom was where I described. Anyway one of the guys
selling the big fingers that you wave in the air came around and one of the ten
year olds stopped him and asked how much they were. He really wanted one. When he went to search in his pocket for his twenty dollar bill, he could not find it. It was a big commotion and we all felt a desire to help. Well it was gone, and eventually the dad gave him more money so he could go buy one. He went up the stairs to the concession stand and returned with two large fingers to cheer with. He immediately said to the boy sitting next to him, look I bought one for you!! He smiled a large smile and they started playing with them fighting back and forth. At the same time that they were laughing and having a great time, the little boy on the end had the very saddest face and asked his mom why he did not get one. She tried to console him. Then the two boys actually teased him and were trying to make him feel worse as they were
playing. It just broke my heart. Immediately RC said “I am going to go get him one!” His mom also was so torn by the display and was getting her wallet out to go get one. RC tapped her on the shoulder and said I am going to get him one. She said, “I have the money, really it is not necessary.” He was already gone and I said: “He really wants to.”
When he brought it back and gave it to the little boy, he had the biggest
smile on his face and was so happy. He did not even seem to mind the other
boys and their teasing. The other boy that had bought the fingers said: “Heh, how did he get one?” Somewhat disappointed that he no longer had something to tease him about. Kids can be so cruel sometimes.
Anyway, that is not the rest of the story. At the end, when they were leaving, the little boy turned and said thank you once more to RC with a great big grin on his face. When he got to the end of the row, he looked down and saw a quarter. He said: “Mom, look I found a quarter!” So excited! He walked right up to RC and gave him that quarter and said this is for you! Of course we said, you should keep it and the mom said he was hoping the whole game that he would catch a Frisbee or something because his plan was to give it to you. So RC said thank you and kept the quarter. It is a special quarter and he has it in a special place. He has pulled it out a few times and looked at it and showed it to me and we both just get the biggest grins on our faces just like the grin he had on his.
Why does this make us feel so good? It is that pure feeling of how
wonderful it is to give and to know that this little boy was happy about his
gift that he received but he also wanted to give.
Sometimes at Christmas time, with all the commercialization, we lose this
feeling a little. There is so much inspiration for me in thinking about
this little boy and this gesture. I think you can feel the Christmas
spirit in May or anytime!
~Katy
selling the big fingers that you wave in the air came around and one of the ten
year olds stopped him and asked how much they were. He really wanted one. When he went to search in his pocket for his twenty dollar bill, he could not find it. It was a big commotion and we all felt a desire to help. Well it was gone, and eventually the dad gave him more money so he could go buy one. He went up the stairs to the concession stand and returned with two large fingers to cheer with. He immediately said to the boy sitting next to him, look I bought one for you!! He smiled a large smile and they started playing with them fighting back and forth. At the same time that they were laughing and having a great time, the little boy on the end had the very saddest face and asked his mom why he did not get one. She tried to console him. Then the two boys actually teased him and were trying to make him feel worse as they were
playing. It just broke my heart. Immediately RC said “I am going to go get him one!” His mom also was so torn by the display and was getting her wallet out to go get one. RC tapped her on the shoulder and said I am going to get him one. She said, “I have the money, really it is not necessary.” He was already gone and I said: “He really wants to.”
When he brought it back and gave it to the little boy, he had the biggest
smile on his face and was so happy. He did not even seem to mind the other
boys and their teasing. The other boy that had bought the fingers said: “Heh, how did he get one?” Somewhat disappointed that he no longer had something to tease him about. Kids can be so cruel sometimes.
Anyway, that is not the rest of the story. At the end, when they were leaving, the little boy turned and said thank you once more to RC with a great big grin on his face. When he got to the end of the row, he looked down and saw a quarter. He said: “Mom, look I found a quarter!” So excited! He walked right up to RC and gave him that quarter and said this is for you! Of course we said, you should keep it and the mom said he was hoping the whole game that he would catch a Frisbee or something because his plan was to give it to you. So RC said thank you and kept the quarter. It is a special quarter and he has it in a special place. He has pulled it out a few times and looked at it and showed it to me and we both just get the biggest grins on our faces just like the grin he had on his.
Why does this make us feel so good? It is that pure feeling of how
wonderful it is to give and to know that this little boy was happy about his
gift that he received but he also wanted to give.
Sometimes at Christmas time, with all the commercialization, we lose this
feeling a little. There is so much inspiration for me in thinking about
this little boy and this gesture. I think you can feel the Christmas
spirit in May or anytime!
~Katy