“Jeez…,” Mike breathed when he saw his mother’s latest medical bill and closed his laptop immediately. He couldn’t believe how expensive it was to get sick in this country, and even with insurance, they still had to pay a crazy amount of money. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much savings, and Mike thought of his grandmother Grace again resentfully.
He noticed something strange inside the book that he didn’t see years ago.
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They had a big blowout six years ago because Grace wanted Mike to go to church one particular day. He was too busy and had already made plans with his friends to go out. He was 18 and only had fun in his mind.
But she was adamant, and Mike said no, which turned their conversation into a fight. They never talked to each other again, and Grace died shortly afterward.
When they read her will, Mike was shocked that the older woman left everything to that same church, including her enormous home. They had had such a great relationship up until the quarrel, especially after her son, Mike’s father, had died, and Mike could have used that money as well as her house to stop renting around.
Instead, all he received was a Bible and a note. It read: “Open it when it’s hard.”
He was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Grace had been so petty. Their fight about going to church was such a non-issue for him, but the older woman decided to teach him a lesson.
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Now that six years had passed, he thought of that money again. Yes, they were never entitled to it. It was her money, after all, but it could’ve greatly helped his mother, Kaila.
Mike had used up all his savings, started a GoFundMe for his mother, and even applied for a loan. He was rejected because he didn’t have anything to use as collateral for that bank in Washington. He didn’t know what to do now, but that Bible was in his mind for some reason.
Well, times are hard now. I guess I should open it and read some passages, he thought, standing up from his home desk and going to his closet. Years ago, he had tossed the Bible somewhere in there and never bothered to look for it again. But he found it and opened the first page where he had inserted the note that came with the book
Mike read the note once again out loud. “Open it when it’s hard…” he whispered. “You silly, old lady. I loved you, and you were so petty.”
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Suddenly, he noticed something strange inside the book that he didn’t see years ago due to his anger. The pages seemed to be separated by something. Did she leave any more notes for me to read? he wondered and turned the page.
His eyes widened. There were two $100 bills. He turned to the next page and found two more $100 bills. And as he kept turning pages, he discovered more! There were thousands of dollars inside the pages of the Bible! After collecting them, he placed them on his bed and started crying.
“Oh God, Grandma! Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you say something before passing? I’m sorry for resenting you all these years,” he said to the heavens and started looking back at his life.
As a child, he was raised Catholic and went to church regularly with Grace. He was even part of the choir at some point. But like most teenagers, he lost interest and stopped being involved. Grace pushed and pushed for him to continue, and she always talked about God, Jesus, and the virgins. He began to hate those talks. But he thought of them now with fondness.
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Then he remembered the fight with Grace and regretted all the years he resented her. She had done the right thing. She had taught him a harsh lesson he needed to learn. He was grateful to her, although it was such a cruel punishment for that fight. “You silly old woman,” he uttered once again, but this time, he was laughing.
The money was more than enough to pay for his mother’s treatments. Therefore, he went to the hospital and told Kaila about it. His mother laughed after hearing what Grace had done.
“That sounds like something Grace would do. She was so peculiar in some respects, but wise. I find it odd that we didn’t notice anything back then, though,” Kaila commented with a big smile on her face. “I’m sorry you have to spend it all on me. Maybe you can keep some, and we can sell something.”
“No, Mom. This money is for you entirely. Grandma told me to open the Bible when things got hard. This gift is meant for you,” Mike replied, holding his mother’s hand and assuring her it was the right thing to do.
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When Kaila got better, they started attending church together every Sunday. He would never be the devote parishioner that Grace was, but he went to church to thank her for what she had hidden in that Bible. And every once in a while, he asked her to say hi to whatever higher power was out there.
What can we learn from this story?
- You are never entitled to an inheritance. Mike knew that he wasn’t entitled to Grace’s money, but he still resented her due to his situation. Luckily, he learned that she did leave him an inheritance, even if he thought he didn’t deserve it.
- You can’t force your religious beliefs on others. Religion and faith are personal choices, and you can steer people towards a path but you can’t take it against them if they stray. Grace tried to push Mike so he pushed back. But when she changed tactics, Mike found his own kind of faith.
