Blue Water Navy

A dear friend sent this to me. Enjoy and forwardi if you like.

Bob




My Son





This is
great. Take a moment to read it; it will make your day!




;

The ending
will surprise you.






Take my Son.....










A wealthy
man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything
in their collection, fromPicasso to Raphael. They would often sit together
and admire the great works of art..






When the Vietnam
conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous
and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified
and grieved deeply for his only son.









About a month
later, just before Christmas,






There was a
knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package
in his hands..










He said,
'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave
his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety
when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly...
He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held
out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist,
but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'










The father




Opened the
package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He
stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of
his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that
his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered
to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your
son did for me. It's a gift.'









The father
hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his
home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them
any of the other great works he had collected.










The man died
a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.
Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings
and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.










On the platform
sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will
start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for
this picture?'










There was
silence...






Then
a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous
paintings. Skip this one.'










But the
auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will
start the bidding? $100, $200?'










Another voice
angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van
Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'








But still the
auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'








Finally, a
voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener
of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor







'We have $10,
who will bid $20?'






'Give it to him for $10.
Let's see the masters.'








The crowd was
becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.










They wanted
the more worthy investments for their collections.








The auctioneer
pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'








A man sitting
on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'










The auctioneer
laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'








'What about
the paintings?'









'I am sorry.
When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret
stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation
until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.
Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including
the paintings.










The man who
took the son gets everything!'








God
gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like
the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The Son, the Son, who'll take
the Son?'




Because, you
see, whoever takes the Son gets everything!










FOR GOD
SO
LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH,
SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

I enjoyed reading this and thanks for the post.

What a wonderful story. Thank you so much for posting it. I will pass it on.