The yard sale I had this last weekend
 went much better than I expected.
I made a fortune!
And not once did any of my family members
throw themselves on an item screaming,
"No!  Don't buy that!  I need it!"
Mostly they just stood around,
sighed a lot and looked very pained.

It turns out it was me that had
a problem selling some of the items.

But  it wasn't until a woman offered me a nickel
for one of the children's book that I lost it.

This wasn't just any old book you see.
This was Green Eggs and Ham!
I must have read that book a thousand times
to each of my children over the  years.
Sometimes I would even fix them
that very thing for dinner

(with the help of a little green food coloring.
My cooking is not that bad!)

This book was priceless!  Without even realizing
I was going to do it I heard myself say,
"I'm sorry, I have decided not to sell this one."

"I'll give you ten cents for it and not a cent more!
It's only a kids book," she told me curtly.

Looking into her scowling face I could not resist asking,
"Have you ever eaten green eggs and ham?"
"Of course not!" she sputtered.
"What a stupid question!"
And with that said she made a final,
less than kind comment and stormed out of the garage.

As I sat there feeling a bit silly about the whole thing
I heard a small voice next to me say,
"I have never eaten green eggs and ham but I would!"

Turning I looked into the smiling face
of a little girl of about four.
"Would you eat them in a box?" I asked her.
She grinned, "I would eat them in a box and with a fox!"
Then her little hand opened to reveal one shiny penny.
"Is this enough for the book?"

"Well there is a small problem," I told her. "If I sell you
Sam-I-Am,  then Horton and the Cat in the Hat
and all the others would be so lonely and sad.
Do you think you could take them too?"

"Oh I could take them all!  I really could!"

Her mother thanked me profusely as she helped her daughter
gather up the books. Asking her to hold on a minute,
I dashed into the house and returned
I handed the mother a small bottle.
Laughing as she gazed at the small green bottle,
she told me, "Looks like I will have to stop at the store
and get some ham and eggs."

The penny now sits in my memory box,
forever a reminder of the true cost of something priceless.



[[[ See, I told you I made a fortune!  ]]]

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