I walked down the street stopped and looked down , a penny I bent down to pick it up and wouldn't you know it a lottery ticket I looked around to see if someone might have been looking for it because they dropped it but I wasn't about to do that so I picked it up anyway and when I was in fact done with my daily chores and whatever else I had too do I walk too a nearby gas station and checked to see if that was a winning ticket .

         I held my breath and wouldn't you know it I waited until the cashier checked all the numbers one by one and he repeated them for me too I waited until another customer left and he nodded to me and said ,' Your rich , your the next millionaire in our state , congratulations .'

       He handed me my ticket carefully and I tooked it ,I deserved it just as anyone did but , my life hasn't been a bed of roses neither as I'd left after the store owner came out congratulated me and asked me if I'd needed help getting home I told him no I lived only a block from here .

        Two days later as I beginning to enjoy my new rich life I decided too give the store twenty five thousand ,which was was normal thing too do  anyway and  then I'd had  my picture in the store's window now .But as I had was leaving with my new car parked outside I turned and there she was ,

            Hazel Annie as we'd had had called her she did not have a name or one we knew and she was pushing her cart with bags of empty cans she picked up, as usual I walked over said hello and as she picked up another can she looked at me and smiled , ' I'm glad you won,' she told me .

          I offered to give her money , she shook her and told me no ,

       ' I been walking this earth since I was born I was poor  had money , but you know it doesn't matter how much you have if you care ,  if you'd loved your life as you do  care about others your  rich as the next person is , all you need is the gift of love and how you show it towards others .'

      I leaned over picked up a can and still put a hundred dollars inside .

      ' Thankyou ,' she told me turning and leaving,' Just remember doen't matter how rich you are if you are happy that is all that matters . '

        I smiled and no matter what happened too me as years passed by I never forgot Hazel and her words .Never forgot at all .

       Your life is all that matters and those you loved as well . If you have a family be glad you do most do not  be happy you  live in this country and not some other poor country that's worse off then the United States . At least we  have cable , computers even books how many countries can say they have any of those that we have , we're fortunate .

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