The Box
The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her 5
year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money
was tight and she became even more upset when the child used the gold paper
to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning
and said, "This is for you, Momma." The mother was embarrassed by
her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she opened the box
and found it was empty.
She spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner. "Don't you know, young lady,
when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the
package?" She had tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Momma, it's not
empty!
I blew kisses into it until it was full."
The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little
girl, and she begged her forgiveness for her thoughtless anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and it is told
that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life.
Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the
box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had
put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden
box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends
and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.