Nora's Cents

Nora's got good sense. 

The girl is organized, every Build-a-Bear in his or her customized box, little clothes packed in tightly, ready for wild play at a moments notice.

Nora is a shining example of maturity and planning.

Got a big day of softball practice on Thursday?  Why not get your clothes ready on Monday?

Friends, she did not get this from me.

She's a bit of a bag lady with an eye for anything that holds "stuff" and has handles.

She has seven backpacks.

They are packed.

I don't know what's in the backpacks.

Nora knows.

As you can imagine, she doesn't switch gears easily.

She saves her money.  She has a plan.

She's seven.

She considers her priorities.  Seriously.  Softball over events at the library.  Mommy over almost everything. Except the Daddy-Daughter Dance.  Daddy-Daughter Dance takes precedence over most everything else.

Once she has decided, she is amazingly stubborn persistent.  She once saved up to buy her brother a birthday present.

She had FORTY dollars.

I refused to let her spend FORTY dollars on her nine-year-old brother.  After all, I couldn't let her outdo her father and me.  We had it out all the way to tears right there in the Lego aisle at Target.

A time came when she wanted something.  Probably a trip to Build-a-Bear, which is not something to undertake when you're light in the wallet.

I asked her how much money she had to spend.

Nora brought her little brown purse to me, the one with the red flower clipped to the handle.  She had the biggest smile on her face as she opened her purse to show me.

It was empty.

Her small voice, "Momma, you know how the church was collecting for those missionaries?"

"I've been giving them my cents."

"I gave them all my cents."  And she hopped.


Without a thought, without regret and without involvement or interference from her parents.

Because someone needed what she could give.

Nora's got good sense.  She may, or may not, have lots of cents but that doesn't matter.


and a child shall lead the way,
m

For more on the story that inspired Nora to give all her cents, 
read Luke 21:1-4.

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