Many stories have been told and retold about love. Love in action, that is. There are many verses in the Holy Bible too about love. One of the Bible verses says: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
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Let me share with you a story about love. May this story touch your hearts to encourage and inspire you to share your love with others. Especially with the victims of the recent typhoons and floods that recently hit our country one after the other, causing massive destruction to life and property. After all, our supply of love never exhausts, never runs out.
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This story that I am sharing with you was written by J. Hagee, a Christian writer. Titled “Love is Perfume,” it is a story about a teacher of fifth grade pupils.  Setting is in the US. The teacher Mrs. Thompson had a pupil named Teddy Stoddard whom she did not like. Teddy was not well-dressed like the other pupils. Dirty too and did not mingle well with the other pupils. Mrs. Thompson enjoyed placing a failing grade on the papers of Teddy. Complying with the school requirements for teachers to review each pupil’s past record from grade one to grade four,  Mrs. Thompson went through Teddy’s past school records. Teddy’s records showed that he was a bright child with a ready smile. Had good manners and worked neatly. An excellent student. Until his mother died. This was hard on Teddy. Especially with a father who did not show interest in Teddy. Teddy’s personality changed. He became withdrawn. No interest in school. No friends. After reading Teddy’s school records, Mrs. Thompson felt guilty of her shabby treatment of Teddy. She then realized why Teddy was behaving differently from the other children in her class.

One Christmas, Teddy gave a present to Mrs. Thompson. Clumsily wrapped in a heavy brown paper taken from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson opened the gift in the middle of the other presents. The other children laughed when they saw a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But Mrs. Thompson stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on and then dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

A happy Teddy stayed behind school to say to Mrs. Thompson, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to.” The teacher cried. With the teacher’s changed attitude towards Teddy, the mind of the boy seemed to come alive again. She encouraged him. He responded in a fantastic way. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class, and Teddy become one of the teacher’s pets. A year later, Teddy wrote a note to Mrs. Thompson telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. (To be Continued)
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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5th Floor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Roxas Blvd., Manila. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano version that is preferred.

Be joyful and forgiving!