Michelle was eight years old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Jack, now only an infant(婴儿). He was very sick and they were completely out of money. Only a very costly operation could save Jack the baby now but there was no one to whom they could turn for the money needed. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mom, “Only a miracle can save him now.”

At the words, Michelle went to her bedroom and took out all the coins from her little moneybox. After counting the coins three times, she slipped out the back door and made her way to the drug store six blocks away . . .

She waited for a long time before the pharmacist(药剂师）turned around and asked her. “And what do you want?”

“Well, it's' about my brother,” Michelle answered . “He's really, really sick . . . and 1 want to buy a miracle.”

“I beg your pardon?”said the pharmacist. “His name is Jack and he has something very bad growing inside his body and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don't sell miracles here, little girl .I'm sorry but I can't help you, ” the pharmacist said. “Listen, I have money to pay for it.” And with these words, Mich poured out all the coins from her pockets. At this time, a well-dressed man behind Michelle stooped down and ask the little girl. “I'm selling the miracle you want. Tell me how much money you have.”

“One dollar and eleven cents, ” Michelle answered in a low voice. “And it's all the money I have, but I can some more if I need to.”

“Well, ” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents— the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. Show me the place where your brothers lives.”

Holding the man's hand firmly , Michelle took him home.

When asked why he chose to help the family, the man detailed,

There was something in the elderly woman’s grace that caught my eye. Although slow and unsure of her steps, the woman moved with deliberation (从容), and there was no hesitation in her gestures.

It was a few years ago, and I had taken a part - time holiday - season job in a video. store at the local shopping mall. From inside the store, I could see the people outside rushing by.

The elderly woman entered the store, along with her daughter, who was displaying a serious case of impatience, rolling her eyes, sighing and checking her watch every few seconds. I guessed if she had possessed a rope, she would have fastened it to her mother to drag her along to keep step with the rush of other shoppers.

The elderly woman separated from her daughter and began to seek through the DVDs on the nearest shelf. After the slightest hesitation, I walked over and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a title written on an old piece of paper.

Rather than rush off to locate the DVD for the woman, I asked her to walk with me so I could show her where she could find it. Looking back, I thought I wanted to enjoy her company for a moment.

Something about her deliberate movements reminded me of my own mother, who’d passed away the previous Christmas. I missed my mom and still felt regretful about the moments when I’d used my impatience to make her life unhappy.

As we walked along the back of the store, I introduced its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed company and casual conversation.

We found the DVD and she thanked me, saying that it was the one she’d enjoyed when she was her daughter’s age. Unwillingly, I accompanied her to the cash register, realizing I had to return the elderly woman to her daughter, who was still tapping her foot at the front of the store.

Sara Savick remembers one special Easter when she was nine years old. Her parents gave her a baby duckling in a yellow basket.

“Mom said later that she bought the little duck because she felt sorry for it,” recalled Sara. The people at the pet store colored the feathers pink for Easter. Sara named the duck Pinky.

Sara’s mother really didn’t think the baby duck would survive very long. But to her surprise, Pinky grew and got stronger and stronger. Soon, the little duckling was a healthy, hungry duck with white feathers.

“We fed Pinky oatmeal, cooked and uncooked, and small pieces of vegetables,” said Sara. Pinky lived inside the house with Sara and her family. She specially fancied taking baths with Sara. Everyone treated Pinky as a family member.

But just when everything appeared to be perfect, the night of the “talk” came. Sara’s Mom and Dad sat her down, explaining that the best thing for Pinky was to live a normal duck life, with other ducks. It was not natural for ducks to live indoors with a family, her father told her. He added Pinky needed to swim in ponds and do all the same things that ducks in the wild do.

Sara started to cry, knowing what was going to happen. Sara’s parents decided to take Pinky to a park, which was two miles away. There was a pond with a lot of other ducks. Pinky would have the chance to live a natural life and Sara could still visit her.

The big day came, Sara and her parents put Pinky in a box and drove to the park. Sara said that Pinky did not look happy; maybe Pinky was convinced that she was a human, not a duck.