The children and I get a boost

So far, my day hadn't been the best. Several calls on clients had proved frustrating. I hadn't had time for lunch; and now, about 2:30 in the afternoon, I was rushing back to my office for another appointment.

Traffic was fairly heavy as I approached the center of a small town. A policeman suddenly ran from the curb and whistled all traffic to a stop. To my chagrin, I saw a grammar school on my left with, it seemed, hundreds of small children racing out to the street. Tired and hungry, I gasped, "Deliver me!" This delay would keep me from my next appointment.

Then an amazing thing happened. Joyfully screaming, arms wide, each child ran to the officer in the middle of the street. He heartily grasped each wriggling youngster, waved him or her high above his head, and spun him down to dash to the other side. The little girls he kissed; the boys he patted.

I could hardly believe my eyes. All traffic on both sides waited patiently till every last child had his turn. Two or three stragglers were hollered at and quickly raced into the game.

A mother walked by my car on her way to meet up with her child. I called to her, "Does he do this every day?"

"You'd better believe it!" she shouted back.

I didn't seem to be hungry anymore, or very tired. I was late for my appointment, but it really didn't matter. The love in the middle of that busy street changed my whole viewpoint. I felt warm inside, as if there was hope, after all, for a world full of laughing children and love.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society