No Charge

December 12, 1999

A little boy came into the kitchen this evening while his mom was fixing supper.  And he handed her a piece of paper he'd been writing on. So, after wiping her hands on her apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

   For mowing the grass, $5
   For making my own bed this week, $1.
   For going to the store, $.50.
   For playing with baby brother while you went shopping, $.25.
   For taking out the trash, $1.
   For getting a good report card, $5.
   And for raking the yard, $2.

Well, she looked at him standing there expectantly, and a thousand memoriesflashed through her mind. So, she picked up the paper, and turning it over, this is what she wrote:

   For the nine months I carried you, growing inside me, No Charge,
   For the nights I sat up with you, doctored you, prayed for you, No Charge.
   For the time and the tears, and the cost through the years, No Charge.
   For the nights filled with dread, and the worries ahead, there's No Charge.  
   For advice and the knowledge, and the cost of your college, No Charge.
   For the toys, food and clothes, and for wiping your nose, there's No Charge, Son.

   When you add it all up, the full cost of my love is No Charge.  Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes.  And he looked up at her and he said, "Mama, I sure do love you."

Then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote, PAID IN FULL.

When you add it all up, the cost of real love is No Charge.