Gracie and Norma were sisters, aged fourteen and twelve. They were very much unlike each other than most sisters. Norma, who was younger, was as orderly a young woman as one would wish to see, while Gracie was just the opposite.
Often their mother would say in a despairing tone, “Gracie, I do wish you would take care of your room and clothing as neatly as Norma cares for hers. Why, you go out with your buttons loose or entirely off your dress. Your dresses are not mended and sometimes wrinkled. And your room, it is always untidy. If only you would take an interest in such things it would gratify me so much. Without an orderly mind, no girl can aspire to become a useful member of society.”
Then Gracie would try to make excuses for her shortcomings, pleading this thing or that as the real cause of her negligence. But her poor mother, at her wit’s end to devise some way by which Gracie might be aroused to a sense of her duty, would shake her head and say: “Dearest child, there is no excuse for your slighting your work, either on your clothes or in your room. You have plenty of time for both and should force yourself to perform your share of the labour that falls to you to do.”
And while Mother was thus advising and entreating her eldest daughter to do her duty in such small household matters, Norma was busy tidying up her little room or sewing her dresses, mending lace, ribbons, or putting on buttons and hooks and eyes. She was such a cheerfully busy little girl that Gracie’s laziness was more pronounced in contrast by her industry.
One afternoon, while Gracie was sitting idly in the hammock which swung in the broad, awning-covered porch, the phone rang and Norma answered it. The message which reached her ear made her smile very happily, and she answered, “Oh, yes, indeed, we shall be delighted to go, and thank you from both of us, ever and ever so much. What time shall we be ready—at four o’clock this afternoon? All right. And shall we prepare some lunch? Yes, all right, we will be most happy to do so. Good-bye.”
Then to the porch ran Norma, crying to Gracie, excitedly: “Oh, sister, Mrs. Jackson has invited us—you and me—to go with her and Flora and Tommy for a long car ride. We will stop on the beach—down at Blake Island—and have a picnic supper by moonlight. We’ll return home at about nine o’clock. Won’t that be splendid? I know mamma will be so happy to have us go, so I accepted for both of us. Mamma won’t be home for over an hour. We are to start at four. It is now two o’clock. We’ll have to be preparing if we are to be ready when Mrs. Jackson arrives. And she must not be kept waiting.”
“Are we to bring some food?” asked Gracie, lazily, not making any sign of getting out of the hammock.
“Yes. Mrs. Jackson said we should bring some food. She said she would bring sandwiches, cookies and jelly. We can bring something else. Suppose we have some boiled eggs. And I will run to our favourite baker’s and get a nice cake. Won’t it be splendid?”
“What will you wear?” asked Gracie, now stirring herself a bit.
“My pink dress, I suppose,” replied Norma. “But I will have to hurry, for the eggs must be boiled right away, so as to give them time to get nice and solid. Otherwise, they won’t be fit for the lunch basket.”
And away ran busy Norma to the kitchen to put the eggs on to boil.
Within a short time Norma had the eggs nicely boiled and cooling in the ice box while she was getting her dress, shoes, hat and other accessories for her afternoon attire, laid out all ready to wear.
But Gracie was not quite so energetic. She had left the hammock and gone to her own room to look over her dresses to see which one might be fit to wear. A blue one was selected as being in the best wearing condition, but in looking it over she found a tear in the skirt and two buttons gone.
“Oh, just my luck,” she declared. “I never have a dress in shape to put right on. I do believe I will ask mamma—if she has returned—to sew on the buttons and mend the tear. Let me see—the lace is all torn in places. Yes, this blue dress will be the best.” So taking it in her arms, she went downstairs to the sitting room.
Mother had just returned from making some calls and was listening to Norma’s explanation of the good time in store for Gracie and herself that afternoon and evening. “I knew you would not mind our going mamma,” Norma was saying, “so I just accepted the offer at the moment.”
“No, indeed, I shall not object,” Mother said. “On the other hand, I am delighted that Mrs. Jackson has invited you to go with her and her lovely children. You will have a splendid time, I know. And what about the food? Do you have everything ready?”
“I am just going to prepare the eggs this very minute,” explained Norma. “And,” turning to Gracie, “can you go pick up the cake and some fruit, sister?”
Gracie frowned. “I don’t have the time,” she complained. “And,” appealing to mother, “mamma, will you be kind enough to fix my dress so I can wear it? I have to wash and comb and to do ever so many other things to get ready.”
Mother shook her head. “Gracie, you must have your lesson first or last. Now is a very good time for it. You must fix your own dress, my child. I have urged you time and again to keep your clothes neatly mended. If you let your things go—well, you must suffer the consequences. And, you must assist Norma in preparing the food. It is not fair that she should do most of the work for the preparation. You must do your share of the work.”
Gracie, her face red with shame, went upstairs to fix her dress. Hardly had she begun when mother’s voice called her: “You need to go and get the cake and fruit, daughter, before beginning to mend. If by any chance you should not be ready to go when Mrs. Jackson arrives for you, Norma must not be disappointed and shall have her basket of food ready.”
Gracie began to make excuses, but her mother was firm. “Do as I say, daughter, and start at once to the store.”
Gracie had to obey, but she did it reluctantly. She feared she would not be ready to go when four o’clock arrived, for there was so much preparation to be done. She hurried to the store and bought the cake and fruit. But she saw on the town clock that it was only forty-five minutes until the time to start on their outing.
For a moment she felt very much upset over the fact that she had been told to go out to buy the food, but the longer she thought about it, the more she realized it was her own fault. Yes, she had been very indifferent about her work. And if she missed going on the trip—well, it would be her lesson.
As soon as Gracie gave the food to Norma, she ran upstairs to fix her dress. Norma was all ready, looking as sweet in her fresh pin dress as could be. The food basket was prepared for the picnic, lined with a soft white napkin.
Into the basket Norma put a dozen nicely prepared eggs, wrapped in white paper. Then came the cake, some oranges, and luscious pink peaches and golden yellow pears.
At exactly ten minutes before four, Norma was waiting on the porch. At exactly four o’clock Mrs. Jackson’s car came dashing around the corner, Flora and Tommy in the back seat and their mother in the front beside the chauffeur. Room for Gracie and Norma was in the big back seat beside Flora and Tommy.
“All ready?” called out Mrs. Jackson.
Just as Norma was about to offer some excuse for her tardy sister, her mother came to the porch, and, after chatting in a cordial manner for a few moments with Mrs. Jackson, she told Norma to take her basket and go into the car. “It is Gracie’s own fault that she is delayed this way, and she will have a lesson to learn today that she will be profited by. I am quite sure she will never miss another picnic through her own idleness.”
Then, while Norma was getting into the car, Mother spoke in a soft voice, explaining why Gracie would not be able to go on the outing that day. Although all expressed regrets that Gracie was to be left behind, they knew it was for the best that she be taught a lesson through disappointment.
As the big car rolled off down the road towards Blake Island, carrying the happy picnic party, Gracie, with tears in her eyes, stood looking from the window after them. And in her heart she knew that her disappointment was due to her own shortcomings. And she vowed to turn over a new leaf from that day.
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.” Proverbs 6:6–11
“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10
“Many littles make much in the end. But the greatest loss is sustained by the ones who digress, for they are violating the principles of right and learning to look upon transgression in small matters as no transgression at all.” –Counsels on Health, p. 408
Gracie lost a happy day at the beach because she neglected the little things in life. We are in danger of losing eternal life if we ignore the little things in life also. Little sins that may not seem to have a significant impact on our lives, are enough to undo all the gospel and keep us out of heaven. We need to be determined to do our best always, to the honour and glory of God. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Colossians 3:23.