Angel's Craft
A MIRACLE
Tess
was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about
her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were
completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month
because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor bills and our house. Only a
very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no one
to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with
whispered desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."
Tess
went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the
closet. She poured all 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 is
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 kind of miracle you need."
That
well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in
neuro-surgery.
The
operation was completed without 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.
* * *
A
miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher
law...
This
is a true story!
Courtesy
of Jolene
A COURSE IN MIRACLES [excerpt]
THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM
Check
out my web links page to see where I got my neat new
backgrounds.