The Gold Box

The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her five 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, has 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.
Author Unknown