The Best Holiday I was unbelievably prou...

The Best Holiday

I was unbelievably proud of my nine-year-old daughter, Emily.  36  to buy a mountain bike, she’d been saving her pocket money all year, as well as doing small jobs to earn extra money.

By Thanksgiving , she had collected only $49. I said, “ You  37 have your pick from my bicycle  38  ”. “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old. ” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1950s models, not the kind a kid today would   39 choose.

As Christmas  40 near, Emily and I went bike shopping . As we left one store, she  41 a Salvation Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” She asked. “Sorry, Em, I’m out of   42    . ”

Throughout December, Emily continued to work hard. Then one day, she made a  43 announcement. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily handed her total savings of $58 to a volunteer who was really very  44   .

45  by Emily’s selflessness, I decided to contribute  46 of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children.  47 I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow. Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t  48  the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later  49 the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very  50  , sir . Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re   51  away one chance to win a girl’s mountain bike. ”

Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket proved to be the 52   ? I like to think it was God’s way of  53  a little girl for a sacrifice  54  her year--while giving her dad a lesson in the  55  .