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 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 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..
