| PERSEVERANCE An
eight-year-old child heard her parents talking
about her little brother.
All
she knew was that he was very sick and they had
no money left.
They
were moving to a smaller house because they could
not afford to stay in the present house after
paying the doctor's bills.
Only
a very costly surgery could save him now and
there was no one to loan them the money.
When
she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother
with whispered desperation, 'Only a miracle can
save him now', the little girl went to her
bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding
place in the closet.
She
poured all the change out on the floor and
counted it carefully.
Clutching
the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out
the back door and made her way six blocks to the
local drugstore.
She
took a quarter from her bank and placed it on the
glass counter.
"And
what do you want?" asked the pharmacist.
"It's for my little brother," the girl
answered back. "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.
So
how much does a miracle cost?"
"We
don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry,"
the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little
gill.
"Listen,
I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't
enough, I can try and get some more.
Just
tell me how much it costs."
In
the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped
down and asked the little girl, "What kind
of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I
don't know," she replied with her eyes
welling up. "He's really sick and mommy says
he needs an operation.
But
my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my
savings".
"How
much do you have?" asked the man. "One
dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get
some more", she answered barely audibly.
"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 held her hand with
the other.
He
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, specialising in neuro-surgery.
The
operation was completed without charge and it
wasn't long before Andrew was home again and
doing well.
"That
surgery," her mom whispered, "was a
real miracle.
I
wonder how much it would have cost?"
The
little girl smiled.
She
knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one
dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a
little child.
Perseverance
can make miracles happen!
|
