When Mandy was only 5 years old, her dad started giving her a gold dollar on each of her birthdays. She would get other presents, dolls, skates, a bicycle, but the present that she always looked forward to the most was that moment when her dad would pull her aside, reach into his pocket, and then place a shiny new gold dollar in her hand. With a twinkle in his eye, he would wink and whisper to her, “Mandy, you are as good as gold.”
When she was fourteen, Mandy’s dad became seriously ill. He was in the hospital for her fifteenth birthday, but everyone gathered around his bed to celebrate her birthday with cupcakes and balloons. At one point, her father asked everyone to leave the room except for Mandy. He called her close and produced a shiny new gold dollar, looked her in the eye, winked, and whispered, “Mandy, you are as good as gold.” He passed away the next day.
For all of her life, Mandy held onto that gold dollar. It was her most valued treasure. She kept it with her wherever she went and would have sooner died than ever part with it.
One day, Mandy was in the store to pick up a few items and found herself behind an elderly man in the checkout lane. The man was struggling to check out. When told his total purchase for the milk, bread and water that he wanted to purchase was $5, he dug into his pocket and pulled out all of his cash and coins and after carefully counting it out, there was only $4.15. Mandy figured that she would help him out by just paying for his groceries, but suddenly realized that she had left her billfold at home.
And then she remembered that she had the gold dollar in her pocket. As much as that gold dollar meant to her, she did not hesitate to pull it out and help the man pay for his groceries. It is what her daddy would have wanted her to do. It pained her so to part with the coin, but she watched as the stress left the old man’s face as he realized that his purchase had been made complete. He thanked her and slowly wobbled towards the exit, groceries in one hand, cane in the other.
Mandy apologized to the clerk for having forgotten her wallet and let her know that she would go home, get her wallet and then return for her groceries. She passed the elderly gentleman on the way to her car. He whispered something as she passed by him. “Mandy, you are as good as gold!” She paused because she did not know if she had actually heard it or just imagined it. She turned to ask the old man if he had actually whispered something to her. But to her astonishment, he was gone.
