Maddie and the Love Note
"Wait, Maddie!" Tommy Tucker yelled as Maddie was about to step on the bus with her friends, Hilary and Ginny.
"Go on", she told her friends, rolling her eyes. "I need to see what Tommy wants." Tommy, Hilary, Ginny, and Maddie had all become good friends since their trip to the zoo, but Maddie was still impatient with Tommy sometimes. Tommy slowly made his way over to Maddie who stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. He reached her just as the bus was getting ready to pull out and shoved a note into her hand.
"Thanks, Tommy," Maddie yelled as he began walking away, the bus driver closing the door behind her.
Maddie sat down in the only available seat. Ginny and Hilary sat together four rows behind her. As Maddie opened the note and began to read, she was glad she wasn't sitting with her friends. She knew her face must be three shades of red.
When they got to the bus stop, Maddie dashed toward Mommy's car, not waiting for Hilary and Ginny.
"Bye guys. See ya tomorrow", she hollered over her shoulder. Her friends waved back with puzzled looks on their faces.
"Ok, Maddie, what's up?" asked Mommy as they walked into the house. "You could barely sit still in the car." Maddie handed her the note.
"Look what Tommy Tucker gave me after school, Mommy". Mommy's eyes widened a little as she read: DO YOU LOVE ME? YES OR NO. CIRCLE ONE.
"Do you love Tommy, Maddie?" Mommy wondered aloud.
"Oh, yes, Mommy. He's one of my best friends."
"I know you like him a lot", Mommy explained. "But do you LOVE him?"
"I don't know, Mommy", Maddie answered honestly. "What's the difference?"
"The Bible has the best definition of love I've ever seen. Shall we look at it together?" Mommy suggested. Maddie nodded. Mommy got down the big family Bible and turned to I Corinthians, chapter 13. "Here it is. Verse 4. Love is patient, love is kind..."
"Oh no", groaned Maddie. She remembered how she rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for Tommy by the bus. She wasn't very patient, and she wasn't very kind. Maddie shook her head sadly. "No, Mommy. I guess I don't love Tommy Tucker." With her head hung low, Maddie walked into her room and shut the door.
The next morning, Maddie found Tommy and handed the note back to him. He opened it, frowning at first, then breaking into a smile. Maddie had circled NO. But underneath she had written, "But I like you a lot. Maybe I will love you tomorrow." Maddie was determined to spend all day being patient and kind to Tommy. Tomorrow she would be able to circle YES on the note.
Maddie was patient all day. At recess she saved a swing for Tommy for nearly 10 minutes while he talked to Suzie. Maddie didn't roll her eyes, cross her arms, or tap her foot. She just waited. But as she waited, she thought, Why is Tommy talking to Suzie? He loves ME! When Tommy came to join Maddie on the swing, she was very kind. She smiled and didn't ask him what took so long. They walked in from recess together and as they passed Suzie, Maddie lifted her chin and looked the other way. She overheard Suzie telling Annie that Maddie was stuck-up. But Maddie didn't care. Suzie shouldn't have been talking to Tommy! After school, Tommy handed Maddie another note. She smiled. She knew what it was going to say.
When Maddie got home, she grabbed Mommy's arm excitedly. "Get the Bible, Mommy. I got another note! I know I love Tommy now." Maddie rattled breathlessly. The new note said: DO YOU LOVE ME NOW? YES OR NO. CIRCLE ONE.
Mommy opened to I Corinthians 13:4 and began to read, "Love is patient, love is kind..."
"I was patient, I was kind", Maddie interrupted.
Mommy continued. "Love is not jealous, or haughty..."
"What's haughty?" Maddie asked.
"It means stuck-up", replied Mommy.
"Oh no", Maddie groaned. She was jealous when she saw Tommy talking to Suzie and Suzie had told Annie that Maddie was stuck-up when she had ignored her after recess.
"What's the matter, honey?" Mommy asked tenderly.
Maddie sadly replied, "I guess I still don't love Tommy, Mommy. This love stuff is harder than I thought." She walked slowly down the hall and into her room.
The next morning, Maddie found Suzie and apologized to her for her behavior the day before. They hugged and everything was ok again. They had been best friends at one time, after all. Then Maddie found Tommy and handed him his note. She had circled NO, but had added, "I'm sure I'll love you tomorrow though".
At recess, Maddie waited patiently while Tommy talked to Suzie and Annie. She was kind. She wasn't jealous, and she didn't ignore her two girlfriends.
When Tommy joined her, he said he wanted to swing, but Maddie wanted to play on the monkey bars.
"We swung yesterday", Maddie pouted. Tommy said he wanted to swing today too.
"Fine, swing by yourself then!" Maddie replied stomping toward the monkey bars. She noticed with satisfaction that Tommy was following along behind her. Tommy gave Maddie another note that day after school. Maddie was happy. She knew what it would say and how she would answer.
Mommy was already waiting with the Bible open when Maddie approached with Tommy's note. "Love is patient, love is kind...", she read. So am I, thought Maddie. "Love is not jealous or haughty..." Neither am I, thought Maddie. "Love does not insist on getting it's own way. Love is not easily provoked."
"What's it mean, Mommy?" Maddie asked.
"It means if you love someone you don't get angry if you don't get your way. Sometimes you do what they want to do."
"Oh no", groaned Maddie.
"Still don't love Tommy?" Mommy asked.
"I guess not", Maddie replied with a sigh.
"Do you want to hear the rest?" Mommy asked.
"Ok", Maddie whispered.
"Love thinks no evil, rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
"Wow!" Maddie exclaimed. "It's a lot of work to love someone, isn't it Mommy?"
"It sure is", Mommy agreed.
The next day at school, Maddie didn't return Tommy's note. She handed him one she had written instead. It said: DO YOU LOVE ME? YES OR NO. CIRCLE ONE. Tommy looked at Maddie and said, "Of
course I love you. You're one of my best friends."
"I know you like me a lot, but do you LOVE me?" Maddie insisted.
Tommy shrugged. "I dunno. What's the difference?"
"Boy, do you have a lot to learn", Maddie chuckled. "Can you come over to my house? There's something I want Mommy to read to you."
Tommy listened to Mrs. Miller as she read I Corinthians13:4-8 from the Bible. "See, Tommy", Maddie explained, "there's a lot more to love than liking someone a lot." Tommy understood. He reached into his backpack, pulled out a sheet of notebook paper and a pencil and wrote a quick note to Maddie. It said: CAN WE ALWAYS BE BEST FRIENDS? YES OR NO. CIRCLE ONE. Maddie smiled. This was one note she could answer by circling YES.
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