She devoted herself to her grandparents and sacrificed her future to take care of them, but all they left her was an old umbrella. But there was something hidden in it.
Lesley’s parents, George and Wilson Farrell, had died in a car accident when they were children, and their grandparents took over the responsibility of raising them. George was eleven, Wilson was nine, and Lesley was only five.
Her grandparents had carefully stretched their parents’ insurance money to pay for their eldest’s education, but when it came time for Lesley to go to college, her grandmother became very ill.
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There was no way Lesley was going to turn her back on her beloved grandparents, so she enrolled in the local community college and attended classes when she could.
Sadly, their grandmother passed away, but Wilson and George did not attend the funeral. They sent apologies and flowers, but it was clear that they had no interest in taking responsibility for the man who had raised them.
God’s justice moves slowly, but never fails
So Lesley looked after her grandfather, and when she met William two years later and decided to get married, she moved into a little house at the end of the street. She continued to cook and look after her grandfather until his last days.
At no point did her brothers, now wealthy and successful men, ask her if she or her grandfather needed any help, financial or otherwise. “It’s not that we need it,” Lesley told her husband, “but it’s just ingratitude!”
“My grandparents were in their seventies and took care of three children. Instead of enjoying their retirement, they took on the work and responsibility, and my brothers don’t seem to care!”
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“Honey,” William said tenderly, “what goes around comes around. God’s justice moves slowly, but it never fails.”
Lesley shook her head. “I don’t believe it!” she said. “They are ungrateful and we are fighting, how can that be justice?” But William just shook his head and told her to be patient.
Lesley’s grandfather grew increasingly weaker, until the sad day when she went in to bring him breakfast and discovered that he had passed away in his sleep. Lesley was devastated.
She called her siblings and distant relatives and made arrangements for the funeral. She thought her siblings would not come to her grandfather’s funeral, but they surprised her.
That afternoon, Lesley understood Wilson and George’s desire to attend: they wanted their share of the inheritance. Her grandfather’s lawyer had asked them to meet him at the old house.
Wilson and George looked around appreciatively. “This house will be worth quite a bit on the market!” George said.
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“Yes,” Wilson said. “Especially if we market it as a potential bed and breakfast!”
But the lawyer shook his head. “I’m afraid your grandfather has left the house and its contents to the Children’s Association,” he said. “As a refuge for children at risk.”
“What?” Wilson shouted angrily. “What’s wrong with us?”
“Yes,” said George, “We are of your blood! Did you not care about our welfare?”
“Enough!” cried Lesley. “Grandpa did everything he could for us, everything! It’s his house and he had the right to do whatever he wanted with it.”
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“Your grandfather left some tokens of his affection,” said the lawyer, and placed on the table an ornate silver pocket watch, a silver chain with an antique cross, and an old dark green umbrella.
Wilson grabbed the pocket watch eagerly. “The old man was hiding it from us!” he said. “This watch is from the Civil War era. It must be worth something!”
“According to your grandfather’s instructions, each of you will choose an object according to your age: so George, you choose first, then Wilson and then Lesley,” the lawyer explained.
Wilson frowned as George picked up the pocket watch, then stepped forward and claimed the silver cross. “Looks like you’re keeping the umbrella, Lesley!” he said.
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Lesley picked up the umbrella and lovingly touched the heavy wooden handle. “This was Grandpa’s favourite, you know? He said it was the best for a rainy day!”
George laughed cruelly. “Let’s hope it still works,” he said. “It’s raining now!” Lesley looked outside. It was pouring!
“In that case, this umbrella is perfect,” Lesley said and walked to the front door. She opened the door and unfolded the umbrella, and something fluttered down and got tangled in her hair, and then something else…
Lesley watched in amazement as dozens of bills fell from the folds of the old umbrella. Geoge scoffed. “So that was the old man’s rainy day fund?”
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Lesley picked up a bill and exclaimed, “It’s a thousand dollar bill! I’ve never seen one before!”
“What?” Wilson stepped forward and leaned over to grab the bill, but the lawyer stopped him.
“The umbrella and its contents belong to your sister,” he said coldly. “You and your brother made your choices.”
George was furious. “But there are dozens of thousand-dollar bills! That’s a lot of money!”
Lesley looked at the bills carefully. “They look brand new, like they were just printed!” she said.
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“Your grandfather and great-grandfather collected these notes for decades, Lesley, until they were withdrawn from circulation in the late 1960s,” the lawyer said. “These mint condition notes are collector’s items. Each one is worth between $10,000 and $12,000…”
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Lesley was stunned. After all, her grandfather had left her a valuable legacy. With the money from the ticket sales, she and William paid off their house, bought a new car and set up their own emergency fund.
Meanwhile, Lesley’s grandfather’s old house became a haven and helped many sad and lonely children find happiness. As for Wilson and George, they were outraged and declared that Lesley had cheated them out of their inheritance.
What can we learn from this story?
- Greed can lead to poor judgment. Wilson and George’s greed led them to mistakenly choose the less valuable item.
- God’s justice moves slowly, but it never fails. Wilson and George got what they deserved and Lesley was rewarded for her kindness.
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