Paid in Full with Love

A young boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing dinner and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mum dried her hands, she read it and this is what it said:

For mowing the lawn - $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week - $1.00
For going to the local store for you - 0.50c
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping - 0.25c
For taking out the garbage - $1.00
For getting a good report card - $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard - $2.00
Total Owed - $14.75

His mother looked at him and the boy could see that there were things flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me - No Charge
For all the nights that I've sat up with you when you were sick, held your hand and prayed for you - No Charge
For all the trying times and the tears that you've caused me through the years - No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose - No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is - No Charge

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, 'Mum, I love you.' And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: 'Paid in Full with Love.'

-- Author Unknown