Why do I always have to be the one that starts 

to do laundry and there's no detergent? 

Well, I guess it was time for me to do my store

run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, 

trash bags and Clorox. 

So off I go. I scurried around the store, 

gathered up my goodies, and

headed for the checkout counter 

only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a

young man that appeared to be about sixteen-years-old.

I wasn't in a hurry,

so I patiently waited for the boy

to realize that I was there.

This was when he waved his hands excitedly

in the air and declared in a loud voice,

"Mommy, I'm over here."

It was obvious now,

he was mentally challenged, and also startled

as he turned and saw me standing so close to him,

waiting to squeeze by.

His eyes widened and surprise

exploded on his face as I said,

"Hey Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Denny

and I'm shopping with my mother,"

 he responded proudly.

"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name;

I wish my name was Denny,

but my name is Hal."

"Hal like Halloween?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered.

 "How old are you Denny?"

"How old am I now Mommy?"

he asked his mother as she slowly

came over from the next aisle.

"You're fifteen-years-old Denny;

now be a good boy and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny

for several more minutes about summer,

 bicycles and school.

I watched his brown eyes

dance with excitement

because he was the center

of someone's attention.

He then abruptly turned

and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face

and thanked me for taking the time

to talk with her son.

She told me that most people

wouldn't even look at him,

much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my

pleasure and then I said something

I have no idea where it came from, other

than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I told her that there are plenty

of red, yellow and pink roses in

God's garden, however,

"Blue Roses" are very rare and should be

appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness.

You see, Denny is a "Blue Rose"

and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose

with their heart and touch that rose

with their kindness,

then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second,

then with a tear in her eye she asked,

 "Who are you?"

Without thinking I said,

 "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion

but I sure love living in God's garden."

This real life story took place July 12, 2006

Please the next time you see a

BLUE ROSE

don't turn your head and walk off,

take the time to smile and say Hello.

Because by the grace of GOD

this mother could be you.

This could be your child,

grandchild, niece, nephew.

What a difference a moment can mean

to that person or their family.

From another old dandelion.

Contributed By :