Almie Rose

By: Michelle Lawrence

It was at least two months before Christmas when
nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me
that she wanted a new bicycle. As Christmas drew
nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade, or
so we thought. We purchased the latest rage, Baby-Sitter's
Club dolls, and a doll house. Then, much to our surprise,
on December 23rd, she said that she "really wanted a bike
more than anything else."

It was just too late, what with all the details of
preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute gifts, to
take the time to select the "right bike" for our little
girl. So, here we were - Christmas Eve around 9:00p.m.,
with Almie Rose and her six-year-old brother, Dylan,
nestled snug in their beds. We could now think only of the
bicycle, the guilt, and being parents who would disappoint
their child.

"What if I make a little bicycle out of clay and write a
note that she could trade the clay model in for a real
bike?" her dad asked. The theory being that since this is a
high-ticket item and she is "such a big girl," it would be
much better for her to pick it out. So he spent the next
four hours painstakingly working with clay to create a
miniature bike.

On Christmas morning, we were excited for Almie Rose to
open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red
and white clay bike and the note. Finally, she opened it
and read the note aloud.

"Does this mean that I trade in this bike that Daddy made
me for a real one?" Beaming, I said, "Yes."

Almie Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, "I could
never trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me.
I'd rather keep this than get a real bike."

At that moment, we would have moved heaven and earth to buy
her every bicycle on the planet!