"For it is in giving that we receive." - Francis of Assisi
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| True Pearls |
Jenny, a five-year-old girl went to the grocery store with her mother when she saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace. "Well, it's a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I’ll tell you what. I’ll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chore that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don’t forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?” They agreed and she got the pearl necklace. Jenny worked on her chores daily, and sure enough, her grandma gave her a dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off her debt. Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere - to school, bed, everywhere. The only time she didn’t wear them was in the shower.
One night when her father finished reading her a story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," she replied.
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny pleaded. "But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that’s okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one." A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, but she refused. Several days later, he came in to read Jenny a story. She was sitting on her bed "Here,
