A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.Â
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 Rexallâs 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!
âAnd what do you want?â the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
âIâm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I havenât seen in ages,â he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
âWell, I want to talk to you about my brother,â Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.
âHeâs really, really sickâŚand I want to buy a miracle.â
âI beg your pardon?â said the pharmacist.
âHis 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?â
âWe donât sell miracles here, little girl. Iâm sorry but I canât help you,â the pharmacist said, softening a little.
âListen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isnât enough, I will get the rest.
Just tell me how much it costs.â Â The pharmacistâs brother was a well dressed man.
He stooped down and asked the little girl,
âWhat kind of a miracle does your brother need?â
âI donât know,â Tess replied with her eyes welling up.
âI just know heâs really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation.
But my Daddy canât pay for it, so I want to use my money.â
âHow much do you have?â asked the man from Chicago .
âOne dollar and eleven cents,â Tess answered barely audibly. âAnd itâs all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.â
âWell, what a coincidence,â smiled the man. âA dollar and eleven centsâthe exact price of a miracle for little brothers.â
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten  and said âTake me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Letâs see if I have the miracle you need.â
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it
wasnât 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.
âThat surgery,â her Mom whispered. âwas a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?â
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle costâŚone dollar and eleven centsâŚ.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.