THE PEARLS

The 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.
"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.  
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. 
If you really want them, 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."
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 Mrs. McJames 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.
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.
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.
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."
"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."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night."
And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.
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."  
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. 
The brand new one I got for my birthday. 
She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."  
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."
And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
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. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
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".  
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 stand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. 
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.
So like our heavenly Father, what are you hanging on to?

Travel to China or Holy Land with Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes  

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

Just Stay

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
'Your son is here,' she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes
opened.
He was heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly
saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. 
He reached out his hand. 
The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around
the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the
bed.All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly
lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love
and strength. 
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move
away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was
oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking
of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging
greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. 
The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. 
The Marine released the now
lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. 
While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. 
She started to offer words of sympathy, but the
Marine interrupted her.
'Who was that man?' he asked.
The nurse was startled, 'He was your father,' she answered.
'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied. 'I never saw him before in my
life.'
'Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?'
'I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son, and his
son just wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.'
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes
Discovering 21 Century/
P. O. BOX 1170
New York, NY 10018
212-244-4778

http://www.discovering21century.com/