Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face,<BR>walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in<BR>almost humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.<BR>She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work,<BR>they had seven children and they needed food.<BR>John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store.<BR>Visualizing the family needs, she said, "Please, sir! I will bring you the money<BR>just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit,<BR>as she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer<BR> who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocerman that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocerman said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list? Louise replied, "Yes, sir." "Okay,"<BR> he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will<BR>give you that amount in groceries." Louise hesitated for a moment with a bowed head,<BR> then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.<BR> She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.<BR> The eyes of the grocerman and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down<BR> and stayed down. The grocerman staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."<BR> The customer smiled and the grocerman started putting the groceries on the other<BR> side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.<BR>The grocerman stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from<BR> the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer which said, "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands."<BR> The grocerman gave her the groceries that he had gathered and placed on the scales<BR> and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty dollar bill to John as he said, "It was worth every penny of it." It was sometime> later that John Longhouse discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer<BR>weighs.<P>Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for each other.<BR>

Sue, I recieved that in my email a week or so ago, and I love it! Here is another one I got...I thought you all would like this one, too. It brought tears to my eyes.<P><BR>The Doll and a White Rose<BR>I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute<BR>Christmas<BR>gifts. I looked at all the people and<BR>grumbled to myself.I would be in here forever and I just had so much to<BR>do.<BR>Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kinda wished that<BR>I could just sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the best could through<BR>all<BR>the people to the toy department. Once again I kind of mumbled to myself at<BR>the<BR>prices of all these toys. And wondered if the grandkids would even play<BR>with<BR>them. I found myself in the doll aisle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a<BR>little boy about 5 holding a lovely doll. He kept touching her hair and he<BR>held<BR>her so gently. I could not seem to help myself. I just kept looking over<BR>at the<BR>little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman<BR>and<BR>he called his aunt by name and said, "Are you sure I don't have enough<BR>money"<BR>She replied a bit impatiently, "You know that you don't have enough money<BR>for<BR>it. The aunt told the little boy<BR>not to go anywhere that she had to go get some other things and would be<BR>back in<BR>a few minutes. And then she left the aisle. The boy continued to<BR>hold the doll. After a bit I asked the boy who the doll was for. He<BR>said,"It is<BR>the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa<BR>would<BR>bring it." I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it. He said "No,<BR>Santa<BR>can't go where my sister is...I have to give the doll to my Mamma to take<BR>to<BR>her". I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest<BR>eyes<BR>and said "She has gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says that Mama is<BR>going<BR>to have to go be with her." My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy<BR>looked<BR>at me again and said, I told my Daddy to tell Mama not to go yet. I told<BR>him to<BR>tell her to wait till I got back from the store". Then he asked me if I<BR>wanted<BR>to see his picture. I told him I would love to. He pulled out some pictures<BR>he'd<BR>had taken at the front of the store. He said "I want my Mamma to take this<BR>with<BR>her so she don't ever forget me." "I love my Mama so very much and I wish<BR>she<BR>did not have to leave me". "But Daddy says she will need to be with my<BR>sister."<BR>I saw that the littleboy had lowered his head and had grown so very quiet.<BR>While<BR>he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out a<BR>handful of bills. I asked the little boy, "Shall we count that money one<BR>more<BR>time?" He grew excited and said "Yes, I just know it has to be enough". So<BR>I<BR>slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. Of course it was<BR>plenty<BR>for the doll He softly said, "Thank you Jesus for giving me<BR>enough money." Then the boy said "I just asked Jesus to give me enough<BR>money to<BR>buy this doll so Mama can take it with her to give to my sister." "And he<BR>heard<BR>my prayer. "I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Mama a white rose, but<BR>I<BR>didn't ask him,but he gave me enough to buy the doll and a rose for my<BR>Mama."<BR>"She loves white roses so very, very much". In a few minutes the aunt came<BR>back<BR>and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about the little<BR>boy<BR>as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had<BR>started.<BR>And I kept remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper several<BR>days<BR>earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and<BR>the<BR>Mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether to<BR>remove<BR>the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong with that<BR>story. Two<BR>days later I read in the<BR>paper where the family had disconnected the life support and the young<BR>woman had<BR>died. I could not forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two<BR>were<BR>somehow connected. Later that day, I could not help myself and I went out<BR>and<BR>bought some white roses and took them to the funeral<BR>home where the young woman was. And there she was holding a lovely white<BR>rose,the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store. I<BR>left there in tears, my life changed forever. The love that little boy had<BR>for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming. <P><p>[This message has been edited by Gabbie (edited December 09, 1999).]

I love this one....<P>Pearls.<BR>---------<P>A cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.<P>"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.<P>"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from grandma."<P>As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.<P>Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.<P>Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.<P>One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls."<P>"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess--the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."<P>"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.<P>About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" " Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls."<P>"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."<P>"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.<P>A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.<P>"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"<P>Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And, when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."<P>With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of beautiful genuine pearls. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.<P>Just like our heavenly Father. What are you hanging on to?

There is a great little book out there by Amy Carmichael who is one of my favorite authors. She was in a great deal of pain for the last 20 years of her life and min- istered to people through her prayers and letters. This book I am referring to is called "IF". Here are some quotes which help me to put things in perspective:<P>"IF I say, "Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget," as though the God, who twice a day washes all the sands on all the shores of all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love".<P>"IF dealing with one who does not respond, I weary of th strain, and slip from under the burden, then I know nothing of Calvary love."<P>"IF my attitude be one of fear, not faith about one who has disappointed me; if I say, "Just what I expected," if a fall occurs, then I know nothing of Calvary love."<P>"IF I cast up a confessed, repented, and forsaken sin against another, and allow my remembrance of that sin to color my thinking and feed my suspicions, then I know nothing of Calvary love."<P>Lord, evermore, give me this love.<BR>