Once upon a time there was a little boy who was raised in an 
orphanage.

The little boy had always wished that he could fly like a bird. It 
was very difficult for him to understand why he could not fly. There 
were birds at the zoo that were much bigger than him, and they could 
fly. "Why can't I?" he thought. "Is there something wrong with me?" 
he wondered.

There was another little boy who was crippled. He had always wished 
that he could walk and run like other little boys and girls.

"Why can't I be like them?" he thought.

One day the little orphan boy, who had wanted to fly like a bird, ran 
away from the orphanage. He came upon a park where he saw the little 
boy, who could not walk or run, playing in the sandbox.

He ran over to the little boy and asked him if he had ever wanted to 
fly like a bird.

"No," said the little boy who could not walk or run. "But I have 
wondered what it would be like to walk and run like other boys and 
girls."

"That is very sad," said the little boy who wanted to fly. "Do you 
think we could be friends?" he said to the little boy in the sandbox.

"Sure," said the little boy.

The two little boys played for hours. They made sand castles and made 
really funny sounds with their mouths. Sounds that made them laugh 
real hard. Then the little boy's father came with a wheelchair to 
pick up his son. The little boy who had always wanted to fly ran over 
to the boy's father and whispered something into his ear.

"That would be OK," said the man.
The little boy who had always wanted to fly like a bird ran over to 
his new friend and said, "You are my only friend and I wish that 
there was something that I could do to make you walk and run like 
other little boys and girls. But I can't. But there is something that 
I can do for you."

The little orphan boy turned around and told his new friend to slide 
up onto his back. He then began to run across the grass. Faster and 
faster he ran, carrying the little crippled boy on his back. Faster 
and harder he ran across the park. Harder and harder he made his legs 
travel. Soon the wind just whistled across the two little boys' faces.

The little boy's father began to cry as he watched his beautiful 
little crippled son flapping his arms up and down in the wind, all 
the while yelling at the top of his voice,

   "I'M FLYING, DADDY.  I'M FLYING!"

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own 
situations.  Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when 
shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that 
money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the 
present."