“Above all, love each other deeply, for love erases any sins."
~ I Peter 4:8
As chilly fall winds returned, a
traveling carnival set up near the edge of town. A small operation with a several adult rides
and dozen more for kids, it boasted a gaudy supply of unhealthy food.
Hayden was ready! On
his eleventh birthday, he couldn’t wait to play the various carnival
games.
The crowds weren’t too bad yet for a Saturday as Hayden and
his sister Beth made their way toward the midway. The air was already vibrating with calliope
music as they made their way past the concession stands stuffed with giant
turkey legs and elephant ears. Bags of
cotton candy in delicate shades of mint green and pale blue twirled in the cool
breeze.
But Hayden wasn’t distracted by lollipops swirled of crimson
and saffron or candied apples behind glass cases. He’d talked incessantly for days about
winning enough tickets to buy a life-sized stuffed bear.
His excitement grew with each step as they approached the
carnival game booths where ‘barkers’ promoted showy prizes of little value as
if they were rare treasures. When Hayden
spotted the milk bottle game, he was elated. Three bottles across the top, then two and one on top. Easy enough he thought.
“This one!” he shouted emphatically, “I can beat this one.”
Beth’s smile lacked confidence for two reasons. First, the game’s a scam. When the ‘carnie’ arranges the targets, he
puts heavier bottles on the bottom row, slightly toward the rear. A pitched ball will hit the lighter bottles
first, but won’t have enough energy to knock the heavy bottles off.
Second, because he had Down’s syndrome, Hayden lacked good
eye-hand coordination. Last year after a
bucket-full of dollar bills, they walked away with only a Chinese finger trap
as a consolation prize. His
disappointment nearly crushed her. But
she’d promised her brother another chance.
Hayden’s first pitch missed the bottles completely, as did
his next $5 worth. Beth struggled to
look nonchalant as Hayden continuously failed to clear the table. After an agonizing half hour of mostly
misfires, he’d earned only a few tickets; nowhere close to the 750 needed to
buy the bear.
They retreated; flat broke and frustrated. Then something amazing happened.
A group of teenage boys nearby must’ve overheard Beth
mention that it was Hayden’s birthday, and that he didn’t win enough
tickets. They all pitched in and gave
him the tickets they’d earned that morning.
After cramming into a photo booth for a hilariously friendly picture
with Hayden, they wished him a Happy Birthday.
Brother and sister headed home relishing the warm embrace of
a 5 foot stuffed panda, filled with joy, triumph, and the promise of new
friends.
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity; be fair in my judgment, and guarded in my speech. Help me be the soil of the human heart, and a
fruit upon the tree of humility. Amen
