Joe Willie On The Shrimpbox: "The Price of A Miracle"

"The Price of a Miracle"

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
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
aiting 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 miracle you need."

That 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 higher law.