THE GOLD BOX

THE GOLD BOX

A 3-year-old girl was punished for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Her tiny fingers could not manage the paper and tape. She had hoped to conceal the small box with the beautiful paper.

Money was tight, and her father became frustrated when the child tried to decorate a box to put it under their Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction.

He opened the package and found that the box was empty. Without thinking he protested, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?" The little girl looked up at him her eyes full of tears and said, "Oh daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you Daddy." The father was crushed.

He put his arms around his little girl, and again begged her forgiveness. He kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would 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 parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. No more precious possession could anyone hold...