These games would still be fun, right?
February 25, 2026
Tim Richards
The joy of helping
While many believe ice cream cones were invented at the Saint Louis World’s Fair in 1904, that is unlikely. According to Wikipedia, an 1807 illustration shows a girl from Paris eating something that looks like an ice cream cone. Edible cones were first mentioned in French cookbooks around 1825. Still others suggest the earliest definite evidence of ice cream cones dates to 1887, when Agnes Marshall produced a cookbook, Mrs. A. B. Marshall’s Book of Cookery, featuring a recipe for “Cornet with Cream.”
Although ice cream cones appear to predate the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair, this is when many believe they became widely popular. When an ice cream vendor at the fair ran out of paper cups in which to serve his delicious dessert, a Syrian concessionaire, Earnest Hamwi, rescued his friend’s business by creating a curled waffle cookie container to hold his ice cream. The Ice Cream Sandwich or Ice Cream Cornucopia was registered with the state of Missouri in 1904.
A few years later, Hamwi established a company that made ice cream cones. In 1912, inventor Frederick Bruckman developed a machine that could produce ice cream cones very quickly, which set the stage for their wholesale distribution. He sold his company to Nabisco in 1928. According to GoErie.com, Nabisco’s Joy Baking Group produced over 2.5 billion ice cream cones in 2025.
It is very unlikely any of us will start something that will impact millions for more than a century; however, everyone can do something to bless others. This is what the Apostle Paul encouraged us to do when he wrote, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone…” (Galatians 6:9-10, NLT) Paul makes the point that helping others often ultimately helps us.
Our decision to help others should not be motivated by how it may help us, though this is often simply how being kind works. However, everyone has some talent, and using our abilities to help others is both appropriate and worthwhile.
I will readily admit my kitchen skills leave much to be desired, so I am unlikely to help someone by cooking for them or creating something new to eat; however, I can help others. You can too. Each of us should serve others by doing what we can, when we can. We may never know the full impact of serving this way, but I am convinced God often uses our kindness and service to others in surprising ways.
