Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place

in the closet. She poured all 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

Rexall's 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! 

"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone

of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in

ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," 

"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.

"His 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?"

"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,"

the pharmacist said, softening a little.

"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the

rest. Just tell me how much it costs."

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked

the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"

"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know he's

really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for

it, so I want to use my money".

"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.

"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly. "And it's all

the Money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.

"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents-the

exact price of a miracle for little brothers."

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten

and said "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet

your parents.

Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in

neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't 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.

"That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it

would have cost?"

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and

eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a