Grown-ups

"Sister, may I have this one for my mom?"
"Of course, honey."

A few minutes later.
"Sister, may I have this one for my aunt, my uncle, and my two cousins?" Stella's four-year-old eyes opened with anxious waiting.

"Why yes!" I answered with a choked smile.
"Sister, I don't need one for my grandma and grandpa. They're away. But I can't give one to my mom and my dad and not have it for everyone else. They'll be sad," Stella explained.

The sisters were watching me choke on my giggles.
Stella had no idea it took us over an hour to make each paper bracelet.
And we needed at least 200 to be prepared for the upcoming conference.

Her dad had stopped by to help us install a storm door.
We had given her and her sister a bracelet as a memento of their visit.
We were unprepared for her reaction.
More specifically, her generosity.

"Unless you turn and become like little children... you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: "What does his voice sound like?" "What games does he like best?" "Does he collect butterflies?". They ask: "How old is he?" "How many brothers does he have?" "How much does he weigh?" "How much money does his father make?" Only then do they think they know him. (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Oh how I was thinking that I was "losing" 8 bracelets that day when I was actually gaining a reminder in generosity. And that is I had just finished reading de Saint-Exupery's book.

I realized I didn't read it well enough.
It was one of those books everyone should read through at least twice.