The Girl and the Warm Coat

One winter morning, a little girl received a brand-new bright red winter coat as a gift. She was so excited that she put it on right away, twirling in front of the mirror again and again to admire how warm and cozy it felt.

Wearing her new coat, she walked to school along a snow-covered street. On the way, she spotted a small stray kitten huddled and shivering under a bench, with nothing at all to shelter it from the cold.

The girl froze for a moment, torn inside. She loved her brand-new coat and didn't want it to get dirty or ruined. But every time she looked at the shivering little kitten, her heart ached with sympathy just a little more.

At last, the girl made up her mind. She took off her beloved coat and gently wrapped it around the little kitten. The kitten stopped trembling and nestled contentedly into the warm folds of fabric.

She walked the rest of the way to school shivering with cold, yet her heart felt strangely warm. When she got home and explained why her coat was gone, her family was so proud of her that they found a soft blanket for the kitten together — and a brand-new coat for her, too.

Kindness shared with others is always worth more than even the most beautiful thing we own.