A Very Great Love

There once lived a farmer and his wife in a far Eastern land. They were not rich farmers, but very, very poor. Very often, their farm could not produce enough food to keep the farmer and his wife satisfied. They had very little money, and had to go without many nice things. Even things that were not nice, but necessary, they could not buy. But the farmer and his wife loved each other very much. One day they realized that their love had started a new life. They soon would have a baby!

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All the months long, they waited for the arrival of their much loved baby. Sometimes during the months there was not enough to eat, and the farmer and his wife were hungry. They worried about how they would feed their baby when there was no food. When the farmer's wife was sick, she had no medicine to take, for they were very, very poor. She worried how she would make the baby well if he were to become sick. Finally, at the proper time, the pains began, and the farmer's wife began to give birth. She could not go to a hospital, for they were too poor. A midwife was summoned to help the baby be born. At last, their long awaited baby would come!

The baby did come, and he was a fine, handsome boy. The farmer held his son in his arms and felt proud and happy to hold someone so dear. But still, the farmer was greatly saddened. His beautiful son, his much loved baby, was not completely healthy. He would have to have many operations before he could have a normal and happy life, and the farmer knew he could not get those operations for his son.That night the farmer and his wife held each other and cried. They so loved their precious son, and yet they knew they could not give him the medical care he needed. They could hardly feed themselves. How could they feed this beautiful child, for whom eating would be difficult? They had no medicines for themselves when they were sick. How could they get the expensive operations that their baby needed? Whatever would they do? Their hearts were breaking as they held each other and cried.The midwife came closer and spoke gently of kind people from the nearby capitol city. "They have a great love for our babies, and can take good care of them." The good people in the capitol city would give the baby the special help he needed. They could find another family for the child, a family that could get the expensive operations that the baby needed to have in order to live normally. The new family would also love the baby. They would make the baby their very own son.

The farmer and his wife talked about this decision. They cried, for it was a difficult matter for both of them. They both knew that their love for their precious child was so great, they could not deny him anything, even if it broke their hearts. They placed the baby between them on the sleeping mat and looked at him for a very long time. They wanted to remember everything they could about their son. They stroked his black hair and felt his soft skin. They quietly, gently told him of their deep love for him. "But, dear son, you will not know us as you grow. We can only hope that you understand the great love we have for you. Your family, and your future, lie elsewhere. With tears in their eyes, and a heaviness in their hearts, they kissed their son. They loved him enough to say, "Good-bye."

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