Subject: The Cost of a Miracle
> Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding
> place in the closet.
> She poured all thechange 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 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...... (A TRUE STORY)
> I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes. Throw it back to
> someone else who means something to you!
