Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Write something suitable for CHILDREN (05/31/07)
-
TITLE: JT's Treasure | Previous Challenge Entry
By Angela M. Baker-Bridge
06/07/07 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“Okay,” she said, “don’t you want to play with Granny anymore?”
“No. She’s tired,” he answered, looking bored.
“The baby’s sleeping and mommy has to finish cleaning her room. If you play in here you must be very quiet,” she whispered.
“Okay,” JT answered, smiling.
His mommy bent down and hugged him. “You’re so perfect. Do you know that?”
JT smiled as mommy touched his golden-brown curly hair, pushing it gently to the side. His hair was the same color and just as curly as his mommy’s.
He was a happy little boy. He loved helping with his baby brother, Red. JT tried to be like his daddy and mommy. He already knew what he wanted to do when he grew-up.
“I’m going to drive a Jeep like my daddy, and work at the church with him and mommy. Red can stay in the nursery so Mommy can give him bottles and check his diapers. Me and daddy will tickle him sometimes.”
People would ask, “If you’re going to grow-up, don’t you think Red will too?”
“Nope.” JT would answer. “He’s our baby.”
It was still raining outside as JT raced his cars on mommy’s bedroom floor. Red slept quietly in his crib. Mommy was looking in her dresser for a special key. Finding a small, odd shaped key, she took a beautiful sparkly box out of the closet, and walked to her bed. Looking up, JT saw the box, left his cars on the floor, and climbed up on the bed next to his mommy.
“Mommy, what’s that box? Why do you need a key? Does it have a motor?”
“JT,” said mommy, smiling, “sorry, there isn’t a motor. The key locks it to keep everything inside safe. This is Mommy’s treasure chest.”
“But treasure chests are buried in sand or under boats and water.” Insisted JT.
Laughing, his mommy explained, “Treasure chests are hidden wherever their owners want them to be. Mine stays in my closet.”
JT got closer to peek inside. “What’s in it? Can I see? Please Mommy?”
Mommy explained, “Everything in here's precious to me, they’re my treasures. That means they have special meanings. Here’s a picture of Granny and Gramp’s wedding. This bracelet Mommy wore in the hospital when you were born. Here’s your baby bracelet, and here’s Red’s. This ring your daddy gave to me. It’s taken me a very long time to store up these treasures.”
JT wasn’t smiling any more. “Mommy,” he said sadly, “what about my special things? I don’t have a place for stuff I want to keep, my treasures.”
“JT, would you like a treasure chest of your own?” Mommy asked.
All excited, JT nodded yes.
“Okay, I’ll ask Granny to watch Red while you get an umbrella!”
“Yippee!”
*****
In the store, JT saw so many different boxes. “Mommy, look, this one's perfect. It has a key like yours!”
Mommy bought car stickers to put on the box and colored paints to write JT’s name on it. He was so happy and couldn’t wait to get home.
*****
JT and his mommy used everything they bought on the box. “Wow! This looks like a real treasure chest JT. Now we have to wait for the paint to dry. After your nap, you can fill it with your treasures. Do you know what you’re putting inside?”
“Yup. My t-ball, Gramps’ old pen, my broken tooth, and stones from the beach.”
“That sounds great. Let me check on Red, and then I’ll read to you before your nap.”
*****
Snuggled together on JT’s bed, Mommy picked up the children’s Bible. “Where did we read last?”
JT pointed to the page with the picture of Jesus and the crowd.
“That’s right. Here Jesus talks about the stuff we own. He said we should think carefully about what we buy and save up. Jesus said things can break, get old, stop working, or be stolen. But, there are things that can never be taken from us... the treasures we save in heaven, in our treasure chest.”
“How do we put things there? Who has the key?”
“Jesus does. We just have to be nice to others and do what’s right. God does the rest.”
“Mommy,” JT said, “I’m putting treasures in heaven too. Will Jesus let me paint it?”
________________________________
©06-07-2007
Treasures in Heaven: 19) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal…” Matthew 6:19-20 (NIV)
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
I don't think you need the ***. They're usually used to indicate significant amounts of time, or abrupt scene changes. Not that much time passes here, so they could be eliminated, or replaced with simple transitional phrases.
Little children reading this would certainly want treasure boxes of their own!