The
Cost Of A Miracle
Author Unknown
A
little girl went to her
bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the
closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly
perfect. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap,
she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's
Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She
waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he
was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a
scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the
most
disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she
took a
quarter from
her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of
voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't
seen in ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess answered back in
the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick ... and I want
to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head
and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much
does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry, but I can't
help you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I
will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down
and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother
need?"
" I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know
he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my
Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."
" How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And
it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to."
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven
cents --- the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her
mitten and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your
brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle
you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed free
of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led
them to this place.
"That surgery," her Mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder
how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... one
dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.
Copyright
© 2006, Jace Carlton. All International Rights Reserved.
