Little Carol came into the
    kitchen where her mother was making
dinner.
        Her
    birthday was coming up and she thought this was a good time
to tell her mother what she
    wanted. 'Mom, I want a bike for my
birthday.'
      Now, Little
    Carol was a bit of a troublemaker. She had gotten
into trouble at school and at
    home.. Carol's mother asked her if she
thought she deserved to get a
    bike for her birthday. Little Carol, of
course, thought she did.
      Carol's
    mother, being a Christian woman, wanted her to reflect
on her behavior over the last
    year, and write a letter to God and
    tell
him why she deserved a bike for
    her birthday. Little Carol stomped up
the steps to her room and sat
    down to write God a letter.


     

________________________________









      LETTER 1:
       
      Dear God:
      I have
      been a very good girl this year and I would like a bike
for my birthday. I want a red
      one.        Your friend, Carol

       
      Carol knew this wasn't true.  She had not been a very good girl
this year, so she tore up the
      letter and started over.

   
       ________________________________






      LETTER 2:
       
      Dear God:

      This is
      your friend Carol. I have been a pretty good girl this
year, and I would like a red
      bike for my birthday.

      Thank you,
      Carol

      Carol knew
      this wasn't true either. She tore up the letter and
started again.

     ________________________________






      LETTER 3:
      Dear God:
        I
      know I haven't been a good girl this year. I am very sorry.
I will be a good girl if you
      just send me a red bike for my birthday.

      Thank you,
      Carol

      Carol knew,
      even if it was true, this letter was not going to
get her a bike. By now, she was
      very upset.  She went downstairs and
told her mother she wanted to
      go to church. Carol's mother thought her
plan had worked because Carol
      looked very sad.

      'Just be
      home in time for dinner,' her mother said. Carol walked
down the street to the church
      and up to the altar. She looked around to
see if anyone was there. She
      picked up a statue of the Virgin
      Mary ,
slipped it under her jacket and
      ran out of the church, down the street,
into her house, and up to her
      room. She shut the door and sat down and
wrote her letter to God.

   
       ________________________________




      LETTER 4:

      I GOT YOUR
      MAMA.


      IF YOU
      WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE.


      Signed,
      YOU KNOW WHO