The Extra Mile

It had been below freezing all week. Daniel had watched the thermometer ever since last Wednesday when the cousins had talked about going down to the lake. Now the ice was thick enough to go skating and he couldn’t go with them.

“If Dad were home I’m sure he would take you,” Mom said from the kitchen, where she was cooking at the stove.

“Why did Chad and Irene get to go?” Daniel knew the answer before Mom said it. He was one of the younger ones. Daniel stared out the window and tried to hide his disappointment.

“There won’t be any adults along and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Mom said. “If Rosie wasn’t sick today I might have bundled up the little ones and come myself.” She looked at Daniel kindly. “I know it is disappointing to you, but let’s try to have a good day here at home. You could play on that frozen spot in the front yard.”

“It is no fun by myself,” Daniel said.

“Well, I do need a load of wood brought in,” Mom said, cheerfully. She poured a can of broth into a pot. “With this cold weather we are burning more than usual. And if you have nothing else to do, these tin cans need to be flattened and the trash taken out.”

Daniel groaned. “I don’t need more work!”

Mom smiled. “It’s never crowded along the extra mile,” she quoted.

“What extra mile?” Daniel asked with a frown.

“The one that you get blessed for,” said Mom. “You see, it was the law in Roman times that a soldier could make any man carry his pack for one mile. But Jesus said that if someone compelled or made you go one mile, you should go two instead.”

“Why did Roman soldiers make people carry their stuff anyway?” Daniel asked.

“Because they wore heavy packs. I’m sure most people hated it and were glad to drop them as soon as they came to the mile marker,” Mom replied. “Few people will do more than they have to do. But Jesus knew that it is when we voluntarily give that we get blessed. Most people never find that out, so that is why the extra mile is not very crowded.”

Mom filled a cup with broth and went down the hall. Daniel looked at the empty wood box and sighed. It seems like I’ll have to go a mile just to get the wood, he told himself. This isn’t going to be a very fun day.

At that moment Kyle appeared, dragging his toy wagon. “Dan-ny, Dan-ny!” he called when he saw his big brother. “Play wid me!”

“I have to get wood,” Daniel said, starting toward the door.

Kyle followed him. “Hep you!” he cried, jamming the wagon against the doorway in his excitement. “I hep you!”

Daniel was about to say it was too cold outside when Mom’s voice came down the hall. “Take Kyle out with you, Daniel. His coat and boots are behind the back door.”

Kyle danced up and down when he saw the boots. Daniel held back a smile as he helped his little brother get his chubby feet into them. “You’re almost too big for them,” he told Kyle as he gave the boots a final shove.

“Too big fo dem,” Kyle repeated with a grin. He jumped up and started looking for his hat and mittens.

He really is not such a baby anymore, Daniel thought as he zipped up the little jacket. He pulled on his own gloves and smiled down at the short, bundled-up figure.

“Bing my car-car!” Kyle said, grabbing the rope on his wagon.

“Okay,” Daniel said with a shrug. “You can use it to get wood chunks for the fire.” The cold air pressed against his face as Daniel stepped outside. I wish I was at the lake. It must be great fun on the ice, he thought as he looked around at the glitter of frost everywhere. But I guess I have to stay and help at home today. At least Kyle is here, even if he is too small to help much. The frozen grass crunched under their feet as Daniel led the way to the woodpile behind the shed.

“Here, put these pieces in your wagon,” Daniel said, picking up chunks of wood from the scrap lumber pile. Kyle soon had the little wagon filled. Daniel got an armload of logs. “Come on, let’s go take the wood to Mama,” he said.

Kyle grinned. “Wood to Mama—I hep,” he said. Back to the house they went. Kyle’s short legs moved quickly and the little wagon bumped along behind, spilling wood chunks at every bounce. At the porch they stopped.

“Wait here,” Daniel said. “I’ll come back and help you.” But Kyle couldn’t wait. When Daniel returned he found Kyle trying to pull his cart up the steps.

“I’ll take it inside for you,” Daniel said, picking it up.

Kyle looked like he was about to cry. “I hep wood to Mama—I hep,” he said.

“But you can’t carry it.” Daniel looked down at the eager little face and had an idea. “Go pick up the wood that fell off—see over there,” he said, pointing to a wood chunk lying in the grass. The little feet ran quickly and soon Kyle was climbing up the steps, with no less than three blocks clutched to his jacket. Daniel smiled as the little fellow dropped them into the kindling box. “Good job, Kyle! Do you want to play inside now?”

“Wood to Mama—I hep!” Kyle said quickly, turning to go back outside. He was out the back door and scooting down the steps before Daniel could stop him.

Kyle is a big help after all! Daniel thought. We need more wood in the wood box anyway. If I hurry, I could even fill it to the top. Mom would like that. He grabbed Kyle’s wagon and followed his little brother outside.

For the next twenty minutes the two of them worked hard, and Daniel soon forgot all about the lake as he raced Kyle to the house with arm loads of wood. “Hurry! We can do it!” Daniel told his little brother as the wagon was pulled to the steps for the last time. “You bring these wood chunks and I’ll take the wagon.”

Mom came into the kitchen as Daniel was stacking the last of the chunks on top of the pile. “Wow! That was a lot of work,” she said, looking at the full wood box. “Thank you.”

Daniel felt warm inside. “Kyle did a lot, too,” he said.

“I hep!” Kyle cried. “See—I hep!” He showed her his empty wagon.

Mom smiled and gave her littlest one a hug. “You are Mama’s big helper, aren’t you? Do you want to go outside and play now?”

“What about the tin cans?” Daniel asked quickly. “We can flatten those first, and take out the trash. Kyle can help me.”

“I hep,” Kyle agreed.

“Someone is getting blessings today,” Mom said, putting an arm around Daniel’s neck. “Are you sure your not going two extra miles?” she whispered as she gave him a kiss on the ear.