Little boys need toys

Yesterday at the doctor’s office, the waiting room was full, it was standing room only. There was a father with a little boy, about 2 years old or younger. I don’t know how long they had been there, but the little guy was definitely ready to leave. He was whining and Dad was doing his best to keep him occupied, but he hadn’t brought any toys or anything else to entertain the boy.

Being the dutiful crocheter that I am, I had taken a project with me. So an idea struck me. I would quickly make a little toy for him. My mind ran through all the options I could think of; I settled on a snake.

Quick Snake Pattern
I used yellow yarn. Chain the length, about 5 inches. Dc twice in each ch st. In the last ch, work 4 dc bobbles to create a head. Leave a long end to pull through the bobbles for a tongue. I used a red marker to draw eyes and to put red on the end of the long tongue.

The father and son had gone back to see the doctor before I finished, so I asked the nurses to give it to him. They said that the sweet little guy even smiled when he took it. That made it all worthwhile.

It was so funny how everyone in the waiting room watched as I crocheted as I worked on the snake. I had talked to the father from where I was sitting and asked if it was okay to make a little toy for him. So everyone knew what I was doing. All eyes were glued to my hands. It was a little intimidating to have others watching me make up a pattern as I worked. Luckily it turned out okay. I which I’d had a camera with me. It feels good to do something to brighten someone’s day.

Have you ever seen the TV commercial that starts with a delivery boy pulling a woman out of the street so he doesn’t get hit by a car? There is a man watching who later does something nice for another person, who in turn does a nice thing for someone else. It repeats about 6 or 7 times and ends with the woman pulling the delivery boy out of the street. What goes around, comes around. That’s what I’ve always been told and what I have tried to do. It seems to be the best way to live life.

I have never understood not helping when you can. That seems a closed way to live. Why not share a smile or a hand when you can? Just the act of doing so opens you up and it gives a warm feeling to someone else.

I remember a story about Spencer W. Kimball that shows this perfectly.

Stranded in an airport because of bad weather, a young mother and her two-year-old daughter had been waiting in long lines for hours trying to get a flight home. The child was tired and fussy, but the mother, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage, did not pick her up. A doctor had advised the mother to avoid lifting the two-year-old unless absolutely necessary. The woman overheard disapproving comments from people around her as she used her foot to slide her crying daughter along in the line. Nobody offered to help. But then, the woman later recalled, “someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, ‘Is there something I could do to help you?’ With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be the one person who helped when others wouldn’t? That is what Christ would do!