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's 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, 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)
