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 you 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 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 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.
Claimed to be a true story ~ Author Unknown
Your faith, your love, your beauty,
your truth is a hundred times more powerful than doubt. Have faith in
yourself and be kind hearted. It helps.
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