Once upon a time, there was a young man. It was a little more than a week before his eighteenth birthday when he stopped by his father's
office one afternoon. He hadn't been agreeing with his father on too many things lately, and he walked into his office and said, "Dad, it's gonna be my birthday next week, and if you love me you'll get me a new car for my birthday. And if you really love me, you'll get me the car I've always wanted." Then without giving his father a chance to reply, he left.

The next morning, the boy's father said, "Michael, yesterday when you stopped by my office, you didn't mention what sort of car you've always wanted." Michael replied, "You know Dad, the red Porche 911 turbo Carrera." The boy's father smiled and asked,"And, how much do they cost?" "NInety-two thousand dollars, and if you really love me Dad, that's what you'll get me for my birthday. Don't let me down," Michael replied and left for school.

Tuesday came and as was family custom, they celebrated Michael's birthday with dinner and the cutting of the cake, one by one Michael's brothers and sisters each handed him a gift. He opened the gifts and thanked each of his family graciously, but his mind was elsewhere. Finally, the moment he had been waiting for arrived. Even as Michael's father handed him a rectangular parcel, he hoped he would find in it the keys to a brand new Porsche.

Michael took one rip at the parcel's wrapping and discovered that it was a book- a Bible. Disgusted, he stood up, pushed his chair away from the table and against the wall, and rushed from the dining room. Racing upstairs to his bedroom, he slammed the door and threw the still unopened gift against the wall. It hit the floor, and bounced into the corner.

Michael went to bed without talking to anyone, arose early the next morning, and took himself to school.

Just before lunch that day, Michael's father suffered a massive heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital, and arrangements were made to bring Michael from school to the hospital to be with his father. For seven hours, he sat at his unconscious father's bedside, playing the events of the night before over and over in his head. Then Michael got up to get some coffee and a sandwich, and while he was gone his father passed away.

Michael was devastated. He went home and lay on his bed and cried. He wept and wept for hours, and then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the still mostly wrapped gift over in the corner.

Getting up off the bed, he went to the corner and picked up the gift and finished unwrapping it. For some time he just sat there holding the leather Bible and staring at it. Then, opening the Bible, he discovered an inscription on the inside of the front cover.

"Dear Michael,
Within these pages, you will find
the answers to all of life's questions,
and the secrets to all of life's successes.
With love on your eighteenth birthday,
Dad"

He wept more. The tears streamed down his face, falling to the page and smudged his father's handwriting. To console himself, Michael opened the Bible, searching further for some words to comfort him, only to discover that his father had placed a bookmark in the Bible. He removed the bookmark and stared at it with open-mouthed amazement. It was a check for ninety-two thousand dollars.