" 'Andreas! Oh, Andreas!' I squealed with delight.
" 'Shhhh! Shhhh!' he whispered. 'I had to come to wish you a happy Christmas and to see about the magic jar.'
"My hand flew to my mouth. I had forgotten to look. But Andreas' first concern was that I keep warm. He closed the window and saw to it that I wrapped myself up in the down comforter on my bed. He told me to sit there while he checked.
" 'Where is it? Show me.' I pointed to the corner by the window. He reached for it and held it up to the whited window, and there hanging on the string were any number of crystals sparkling in the moonlight. Time had brought this to perfection all by itself. I had never seen anything like it. It really was magical!
"Then Andreas sat down on the chair close to the bed and holding the jar told me to look deep into the largest of the crystals. Softly, he told me that the heart of a person is not unlike a jar, and that we can have a string, if we choose, called faith. Then in life you have to be patent, oh so patient! These crystals took only weeks, but the real ones called peace and wisdom could take years and years to form. In life, he said, wisdom grows out of suffering and experience — yes, even things like loss, loneliness, and separation. But if you trust and keep that string called faith, you will find lasting jewels that make you rich and joyful in your heart. 'And do you know what?'
"I shook my head. 'You can share these jewels with any one that needs them and who can accept them. Like you can, I believe. Can you tell me, Lara, why it’s a magic jar?'
"I thought hard. 'Is it because it's something I can never forget?' I ventured.
"Andreas smiled I think because it was not the answer he had expected, but he seemed pleased. 'Maybe God made our earth and our universe so beautiful so that we would not forget Him.”
