Carolina had
learned to read
and was very
happy. She would
walk down the
street, reading
everything she
saw: the shop
signs, posters,
license plates,
the destination
of the bus, the
headlines of
magazines on
news stands.
Basically, she
would waste no
opportunity to
exercise the new
conquest.
At home, she
would run to her
father's big
bookcase and
would flip
through the
books whose
titles seemed
more interesting.
One day,
Carolina took
the Gospel, and
opening at
random, began to
read. She
suddenly closed
the book,
horrified, and
started shouting:
- Mom! Mom! ...
The mother, who
was tidying up
the house,
replied
frightened:
- I'm here! What
happened, my
dear?
Catching her
breath, the girl
explained:
 |
- Mom, I read a
horrible thing!
… Jesus says
that if we do
something wrong,
we should cut
off our hand or
foot, and even
gouge out our
eye!
Carolina threw
herself on her
mother's lap,
sobbing:
- Do not want to
have my hand cut
off, Mom! I do
not want to!
Kindly, the
mother hugged
her daughter,
reassuringly: |
- Do not cry!
Calm down, dear.
You will not
lose your hand!
Why are you so
scared?
The girl,
embarrassed,
confessed:
- The other day,
at Natalie's
birthday party,
she got a box of
bonbons and I
felt like eating
some. I found
out where she
had put it, and
when she went
outside, I
sneaked in there
and ate some of
them! I am
ashamed, Mom,
and do not want
to lose my hand!
The mother
hugged her even
harder, seeing
the naiveness of
her daughter who
thought she
would lose her
hand for eating
some candy that
did not belong
to her.
- Carolina, your
sister certainly
did not get
angry with you.
Also, when Jesus
said those words,
he meant that,
if we do
something really
bad, it is
better to start
another life,
that is, to be
born again,
without a hand
or foot, or even
without an eye
than our spirit
keep suffering
from the evils
that we caused
our neighbour.
But Jesus refers
to acts of
murder, theft,
betrayal and all
ways of evil.
Got it?
- Oh! Does it
mean that by
eating some of
Natalie's
bonbons I will
not lose my hand?
- Of course not,
dear! But that
also does not
mean you were
right to eat
your sister's
candy. You
should have
respected what
belongs to her,
or had asked her
for some. I'm
sure your sister
would not say no
because she
likes you very
much.
More serene, the
girl sighed with
relief.
- Thank God, Mom!
I was very
scared thinking
of my hand - she
said, looking
and caressing
it.
Now less tense,
Carolina was
silent, thinking,
and then she
decided:
- Mom, I know
what to do! I
have saved some
money and I will
go buy another
box of
chocolates for
Natalie. What do
you think?
- Great, honey.
- Can you take
me to the
supermarket?
- Yes, honey.
Later on, I
really need to
shop for
groceries.
Gladly, the girl
waited with
anxiety for the
time to go
shopping.
Carolina chose
the box and made
sure to pay with
her money.
At home, she
waited for her
sister to come
back from school
and seeing
Natalie enter
the room, she
ran to her.
Natalie had her
back turned to
her, getting
something from
the closet.
Carolina called
her:
- Natalie!
Her sister
turned and
Carolina saw
that she was
holding the box
of bonbons.
Embarrassed, for
surely her
sister had
noticed some
bonbons were
missing, she
said quickly:
- I bought a box
of chocolates
for you,
Natalie! Look,
they are all
yours! I beg you
to forgive me
for having
opened the box
that you got.
The sister
smiled, showing
surprise:
- That was not
necessary,
Carolina. I was
getting this box
to give it to
you!
- To me ?!...
- Yes! The fact
is I can't eat
chocolate. My
face gets full
of pimples! |
 |
- But … but … I
thought … you
were mad at me,
Natalie!
- No, absolutely
not. I just
think you should
not have eaten
them without
asking me. But I
want you to have
my box, which is
already half
empty. And from
this one you
bought for me, I
will accept only
one candy. The
rest is all
yours.
Unable to
believe such
happiness,
Carolina ran and
hugged her
sister.
- Thank you,
Natalie! I
really like you!
- I know. I also
really like you.
Embracing, they
went to the
living room.
Carolina,
smiling, said:
- Mom, you are
right. The best
way is of
understanding.
If I had talked
with Natalie
before, I would
not have
suffered so
needlessly. Now,
I have not one
but two boxes of
bonbons! And I'm
sharing them
with the whole
family!
The mother
hugged her two
daughters with
infinite love.
What mattered,
really, was that
Carolina had
learned her
lesson and that
peace and
harmony were
back to the
family.
MEIMEI
(Psychographed
by Celia X. de
Camargo on
17/10/2011.)
