This Valentine's Day, Enjoy the Greatest Gift of All

R.G. LeTourneau told this story . . .

Once, a little boy went to school for the first day, and he found out at school his mother was a tyrant. He found out she made him do twice as much work as all the other kids. So, he went home, got a piece of paper, and made out a bill for all of his services.?

The next morning when he went off to school, he put the bill on his plate. His mother came around to clean off the table, and she picked up the dishes and this piece of paper which said,?A bill to my mother.?She wondered what was on his mind. The bill read:

For going to the grocery store and getting the things you forgot to get on Friday: 5￠.

For hanging up my clothes: 5￠.

For cleaning up my room and helping clean off the dishes: 5￠.

For saying yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am, pardon me, and excuse me: 50￠.”

And down at the bottom was the total:?$1.35.

"Well," she thinks, "I think I know how to fix this little scallywag."

So, she put $1.35 next to his plate and on the bill wrote,?Paid in full, Mother.

The boy could not wait to get home. He had longed to see whether his mother had seen the light and was going to give him the money -- or if he was going to be taken to the woodshed.

Well, he could not believe it. He saw the money. The bill was lying there, as was the money. He couldn’t wait to get back to school and tell the other kids, "My mother’s seen the light. Things are different around here now. I’m going to be paid what I’m worth!"

Well, that night, he rushed home, gobbled down his supper, and noticed when he got up that there was a piece of paper under his plate. He picked it up and he took it to his room. "I will see what this writing says," he thought.

It said,?A bill to my son from your mother.

Well, he never had a bill from his mother before, and he thought, "I’ll see what’s on her mind."

Here is what he read:

For going through the valley of the shadow of death to bring you into the world:?love.

For rocking you to sleep when you were a baby:?love.

For pacing the floors and kissing away the tears and praying over you, never knowing whether you would live:?love.

For teaching you to walk and kissing away the black and blue marks:?love.

For cooking your meals and ironing your clothes:?love.

Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

Paid in full.

Love,?Mother.

Well, he began to read over the bill a second time. Halfway down the page, he began to see how wrong he had been. His heart began to break. His eyes began to fill with tears. He laid down the bill from his mother and he went and got the money. He went around to his mother.

He said, "Mom, here is your money back. You do not owe me anything. I owe you more than I can ever pay you. And I want to tell you I am sorry. And from now on, I want to do something for you — not because you pay me and not because you make me. I would like to do some things for you because I love you. And I love you, Mother, because you so loved me.”

And so, from all of us here at Tremendous Leadership, to you and your family, please have a wonderful and love-filled Valentine's Day.

May God Bless you with Love.

And may you know that Love is God's Greatest Gift to you . . .