One Dollar and Eleven Cents

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 he r 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 cleare 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 s ays only a mirac le 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
th rest. Just tell me ho w 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---th e exact price o f 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.'

Tha well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specializing in neuro-surgery. 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.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a h igher law.
UNTIL YOU BY SHAYNE WARD

Time to study~