There was once a little girl.  Her name was Gertrude; everybody called her Gertie.  She was eight years old.  She lived with her family in a nice, comfortable house out in the country.

Gertie was well loved by her parents and grandparents.  She was well loved by her brothers and sister.  There was nothing wrong in which that the child could not be happy with her lot in life. Her family made sure she was fed, clothed, and had all that she needed.

Yet Gertie was not happy.  She was not happy at all. 

Gertie often voiced her opinions, much to the annoyance of her family and friends (or all who knew her).  Gertie complained constantly about how her friends had better clothes than she did or had more friends or that her friends got to do more things than she did.

If she didn't get what she wanted, Gertie pouted.  She threw things.  She yelled.  She screamed.  She constantly threatened to run away.

Things with Gertie got to be so bad with her family that they were seriously thinking of sending her to her prim and proper great grandmother who didn't stand for such childish nonsense.  The great grandmother would surely teach Gertie some badly needed manners, the family reasoned.

So that was exactly what the child's parents did.  At first, Gertie looked forward to spending time with Great Grandmother Greta, but soon learned that Great Grandmother Greta did not stand for "any monkeyshines" from her (or anybody else).  It was clear that she did not like children, particularly children who were related to her in some way.  She made the poor girl work from sunup until sundown and if she diddn't do as she was asked, she was seriously punished.

Gertie grew to be even more despondant.  She realized just how good she had it with her own family.  She cried bitter tears as she exclaimed:  "Oh, why did I ever complain about things?  I had it so much nicer at my family's house than here!  Here there's nothing to do!  I want to go home!  I don't want to be here!"

Great-Grandmother Greta didn't take any heart to the child's plight.  She just told her to work harder and if she didn't do it right Gertie would have to do her chores all over again.  Gertie cried from sunup to sundown; it was soon obvsious that Great Grandmother Greta ruled with an iron hand: her own.

Gertie grew to be so unhappy she wanted to run back home to rejoin her family.  She suddenly realized just how good she had it back home.  Then came that happy day when Gertie went back home.  She was a different child altogether.

Gertie no longer whined or complained about how unfair her life was.  She did her chores willingly and without incident, much to the surprise (and delight) of her parents.  She never picked fights with her brothers or sister and made up her bed, ate her braakfast, got dressed, and straightened up the house (quietly) until the family got up to start the day.

The family was startled at the abrupt change in little Gertie's behavior.  The change in her was nothing short of miraculous.

Gertie realized just how blessed she was and took what she learned to heart.  She would no longer be known as "Ungateful Gertie" ever again. 

~The End.~