To Whom Much Is Given, Much Will Be Required

It was a sad Tuesday morning for Tiffany White. She had just received a call that her grandmother Beverly had passed away. Grandma Beverly was 90 years old and had been sick for quite some time. Tiffany was devastated because she was close to her grandma. Beverly had practically raised her and taught her everything she knew. This was due to Tiffany’s mom being a workaholic and barely ever home. They did not have a strong relationship at all. Tiffany was a real-estate broker and loved her job. However, that day was just not going to be productive given the circumstances so she called off.

Two weeks later proceeding the funeral, the family attorney, Mr. Matthews contacted Tiffany to have a meeting with her. She met him at his office that afternoon and he gave her a small black notebook that Beverly had left for her. Upon returning home, Tiffany opened the small black notebook. The first page had a Bible scripture written in it from Luke 12:48. It read, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” She flipped through the rest of the pages and there were names, addresses, and phone numbers of a few of her grandma’s friends. Tiffany was completely lost. She wondered why Beverly would leave her a notebook of her friends’ contact information. What exactly was she supposed to do with it?

A couple of months later things were starting to get back to normal again and business was picking up! Tiffany could barely keep up with all the listings her office was receiving. One day after work, Tiffany was home freshening up to meet up with some friends for happy hour. As she was about to grab her lipstick off the dresser, she noticed the little black notebook lying in the corner. She vowed that she would finally do something about it tomorrow. The following day Tiffany called the first contact written in the notebook. It was the number of Ms. Rose Langston.

“Hello, Ms. Langston this is Tiffany White, Beverly’s granddaughter. How are you?”

“I’m doing fine sugar and it’s about time you called me too. I’ve been expecting you!” said Ms. Langston.

Ms. Langston invited Tiffany to come over the following Sunday after church for brunch. Tiffany agreed and then hung up the phone. Meanwhile, she overheard her mother talking loudly on the phone in the family room. Her mother was complaining to the person listening on the other end about Beverly not leaving her much in her will. She felt she was entitled to grandma’s pension because she took care of her medical bills and the upkeep of her house which she inherited. The house was really old and although it was paid off, it wasn’t worth much until some work was put into it. Tiffany tried to ignore her mother’s remarks and grabbed the leash to take her dog Asher out for a walk. It was a beautiful spring day; the sun was beaming brightly and there were no clouds in sight. She wasn’t about to let anyone ruin it for her.

Sunday came quickly and it was time to go over to Ms. Langston’s house for brunch. Tiffany checked her reflection in the rearview mirror to make sure she looked ok then pulled out into the street. When she arrived, she saw a small brick house with a light blue paint job and white shutters. She pulled into the driveway then walked up to the door. The welcome mat read, “Miracles happen every day.” When she knocked on the door a short, full-figured brown-skinned woman answered. She looked a bit older than grandma Beverly but she was beautiful for her age. The woman was dressed in her Sunday’s best which was a maroon top with a matching skirt, black kitten heels, and a big black floral hat. It was the type of hat the old ladies wore to church and obstructed everyone’s view behind them.

“Hello, Tiffany. I’m glad you made it. Come on in,” she said.

You could smell the beautiful aroma of the food as soon as the door swung open. As Ms. Langston led them towards the dining room table, Tiffany admired all the beautiful artwork that was hanging on the walls. Ms. Langston had quite the taste and those paintings did not look cheap. The dining room table had so much food on it. There were dishes of mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted chicken, Caesar salad, buttered dinner rolls, and an apple pie.

“Wow!” Tiffany exclaimed. “Is all this for me?”

“Why yes, it is sugar,” Ms. Langston laughed. “Now go wash your hands so we can sit down and pray. The bathroom is just down the hall to the right.”

Tiffany went to wash her hands and then returned promptly to her seat. They held hands and Ms. Langston said grace and they both began to fill their plates up with food. Ms. Langston told Tiffany about the memories she had shared with her grandma and they both laughed and cried.

“Beverly thought that you might be able to help me with a little gardening. I bought some flower seeds to plant in my front yard but it’s too difficult to do all that work by myself now since I’m older. I’m just not as energetic as I used to be, you know. Would you mind coming over once a week to be my assistant? I would appreciate it.” Ms. Langston asked.

“Gardening? I don’t know anything about that,” Tiffany laughed. “However, if you’re willing to teach me then I’ll be happy to help. How do Saturday mornings work for you? I have a late start at work and can come over before I head in.”

Ms. Langston agreed then they continued talking about Beverly as they delighted themselves in a slice of apple pie. Shortly after they said their goodbyes and Tiffany promised to return next Saturday to help plant the flowers.

The next few Saturdays were hard work. Ms. Langston taught Tiffany everything she needed to know about the flowers they were planting. They found the perfect spot that was away from the shade, made sure the soil was good, dug the holes, planted the seeds, added fertilizer and then watered them. Now all they had to do was water the soil regularly. During this time Tiffany and Ms. Langston grew very close. They spoke to each other almost every day. Two months later, Tiffany’s 28th birthday was approaching and Ms. Langston invited her over to see the first blooming of her flowers. Tiffany went to Ms. Langston’s house as she had done many times before. Ms. Langston was sitting on the porch when Tiffany arrived.

Tiffany parked the car and stood in the driveway. She was waiting for Ms. Langston to come down so they could walk around to the front yard. However, Ms. Langston did not move. Tiffany was puzzled as she walked up the steps onto the porch.

“Is everything ok Ms. Langston?” Tiffany asked. “I thought we were going to look at the flowers.”

“We are but first there is something I have that belongs to you,” she said.

Ms. Langston pointed to a small red shiny box that was decorated with a matching red bow. Tiffany untied the ribbon and quickly opened the box. Inside it, she found a beautiful white gold chain with a key pendant. The key looked odd and was definitely not a jewelry piece. This made Tiffany curious.

Ms. Langston stood up from her seat, walked over to Tiffany, and grabbed her by the hand.

“Your grandmother Beverly loved you very much. She was so proud of the woman you’ve become and all your accomplishments. So, she left you this necklace with a key to receive on your 28th birthday. On your birthday tomorrow go to the branch of your grandmother’s old bank Royal Gate. When you show them your ID and this key, they will give you your birthday gift,” Ms. Langston said.

Tiffany began to cry; she couldn’t believe that her grandmother had left her an inheritance. Ms. Langston hugged her until she was calm then they walked over to the front yard to admire the purple and white crocuses that had just bloomed.

The next day Tiffany got up early to get ready to drive to the bank and retrieve her birthday gift. She had not told anyone about the necklace or what Ms. Langston had told her. After the conversation she had overheard her mother having a few months back, she knew that once word got out her mother wouldn’t be happy about it. She had no idea what her grandmother could have left her. So, Tiffany finished getting dressed then headed downstairs to the kitchen.

“Happy birthday Tiffany! We made you your favorite breakfast,” shouted her mother and two siblings Promise and Jordan.

Tiffany sat at the table and enjoyed her Belgian waffle with berries and whipped cream.

“That was delicious. Thank you for the breakfast guys. I have an appointment I need to get to so I’ll see you guys later,” said Tiffany.

As Tiffany walked into Royal Gate bank, she was nervous. She strolled over to the personal banker’s desk and showed him the key. The personal banker motioned for Tiffany to have a seat.

“You must be Tiffany White. You look just like your photos. My name is Wesley James. Nice to finally meet you,” he chuckled as he extended his hand.

“What photos?!” Tiffany asked. “I have never been to this bank before in my life.”

Mr. James asked for Tiffany’s ID as he proceeded to tell her how her grandmother would always show pictures of her when she came into the branch to make her deposits. Then after a few minutes of watching him type some information into the computer, he asked her to follow him to the back.

Mr. James exchanged some words with another man who took over for him and led Tiffany into a room full of numbered boxes. He was tall, with broad shoulders, short dark hair, and very well dressed.

“Hello Ms. White, you can call me Eric. Please follow me to your safety deposit box. It is box number 222. I’ll give you a few minutes alone to inspect its contents and then I’ll be back shortly to assist you further. Will that be alright?” he asked.

“Sure. Absolutely,” Tiffany responded.

Tiffany’s hand began to shake but she finally managed to unlock it and pull out the metal container inside. She opened it and to her amazement found two bundles of $10,000 each!!!

“Oh my God!” Tiffany shouted.

My grandma left me $20,000 that is unbelievable she thought to herself.

Eric walked in a few minutes later and asked how she wanted to proceed.

“You have the option to take your cash with you or we can wire it to any bank of your choice. What would you like to do?” he asked.

“Please wire it to my credit union. I can give you the account number.” Tiffany said.

So, Tiffany grabbed the money, locked up the box, and handed everything to Eric. He led her back to Mr. James who had her sign some paperwork to confirm the receipt of the money and to sign the release for the wire transfer.

“It will take a few business days for it to clear your account. Good luck with your newfound wealth and if you want to speak to someone about investing it feel free to give me a call,” said Mr. James as he handed Tiffany his business card.

Tiffany walked out of the bank $20,000 richer. She sat in her car and said a prayer to God thanking him for her blessing. She had just been given the opportunity to make her dreams come true.

“Miracles do happen every day. God is so good!” she yelled as she drove away from the branch.