
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.
He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a
post on the edge of his yard.
As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a
tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy"Mister,"
he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well,"
said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat of the back of his neck, "These
puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then
reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and
held it up to the farmer. "I've got 89 cents. Is that enough at least
to take a look?"
"Sure,"
said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he
called.
Out
from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little
balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link
fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the
fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the
doghouse.
Slowly
another little fur ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the
ramp it slid. Then the little pup began awkwardly wobbling toward the
others, doing its best to catch up. "I want that one," the little boy
said, quickly pointing to the runt.
The
farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that
puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other
dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from
the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his
leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking
back up at the farmer, he said, "You see, sir, I don't run too well
myself, and he will need someone who understands."
With
tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little
pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.
"How
much?" asked the little boy.
"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for
love and understanding."
Like
that special puppy, the world is full of people who need someone who
understands.
As
an advocate, I'm dedicated to assist those whose mission is creating
better policies and more accessible programs to meet the needs of those
who count on us, across the generations.
Thanks for your interest and good works. Never
hesitate to call on me.
Visit
Online
jack@4Gen.org