Learning To Give Up

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.

One day when she and her mother were checking out at the

grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at

$2.50.

How she wanted that necklace, and when she asked her

mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well,

it is 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 chores 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?" Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl

necklace for her.

Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure

enough, her grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her

birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls. How Jenny

loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere, to

kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to

run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the

shower. Her mother had told her that they would turn her

neck green!

Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed,

he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read

Jenny her favorite story.

One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do

you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have

Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me

last year for my birthday. 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, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy

horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is

so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and

everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy, the

little girl said to her father.

"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek

again with a kiss. God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."

Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her

a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was

trembling. " Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand.

She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She

let it slip into her father's hand.

With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and the

other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside

of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had had

them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the

cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.

====================================================

Learning to trust in yourself, to know who to trust and to
know when to give something up as something better
is coming along.