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Once upon a time, a beautiful baby grew to become a gentle, quiet and still beautiful little girl.

Her parents had named her Aiko. The very first time she opened her eyes she loved her family very much.

As a little girl, she was curious about everything. She was very quick to learn any new subject. She was fast on the playground, once even winning a very big race.

She learned to play the piano and while her voice was very quiet, it had a clear, true tone and was pleasant to hear.

Aiko's teachers told her parents that she had great talents in many areas, but she was too quiet.

"I am not quiet with my friends," thought Aiko. "I just do not always want to tell everyone what I think!"

And, while she was very obedient in school and at home, she often thought she would like to do things her own way.

Aiko's family encouraged her to think for herself and to explore the world. She studied many subjects in school, winning many awards.

She liked to read about far away places, and she knew she would go to visit them sometime.

One day, her teacher told her that she could enter a contest: if she won, she would win a trip to America.

"Oh!" said Aiko. "Oh, oh, yes! I want to do that." She hugged herself inside her thoughts, excited past her greatest excitement, that she would finally see for herself this place she'd seen only in pictures.

She worked very hard to become the chosen one for this special trip. It was not easy to push herself past her schoolmates, her friends to win the contest, but she very much wanted to travel to America.

Winning one event after another, Aiko began to be not so afraid to speak her mind. Her friends told her, "You have changed very much! We like you this way!" Her parents were happy too. At last the world would also know their special Aiko.

Finally her big day dawned. It was time to leave her home, her city, her country and customs. She was traveling to America, yes! Yes! She hid her excitement and told everyone she was very happy.

It was true . She was happy, but as she waved goodbye to her friends and family, she thought how much she loved them. She thought about all the kindnesses from them. They were each looking at her with love and hope, that she would have a very special trip.

As the plane lifted from the ground, she forced her thoughts toward her destination, leaving sad thoughts of her family behind.

Her host family was not what she had expected, but she could see that they were happy to have her in their home. They talked very fast, however, and she kept finding herself nodding and smiling, not knowing what was being said. She watched carefully, trusting herself to be able to learn as fast as she could, to fit in with them.

As she went to sleep that first night, she was too tired from the exciting day to think very much about her family back at home.

Each day it became easier to understand her host family. Some things were easy to do, like drying dishes. It was just like home, and she liked to help.

On Christmas Eve, she traveled with her host family to another house, where they had a family party. She could see the family sharing laughter and stories, and suddenly her heart filled with pain for her own family. She began to think about them. What would they be doing just this very minute, she thought, and her heart felt as though it would burst with the love and loss she felt for them.

She could feel her eyes filling with tears and she did not want anyone to see. She turned toward the wall, to try to compose herself. The mother of the family asked her if she was all right. "Yes, yes, I am ok," she said.

But she was not ok. She wanted to be back at home with her family, and every laugh and shared love she heard in this strange family made her want to be home more and more.

Finally it was time to return to the host home. When they arrived, she ran quickly to the bathroom, the only private place, not able to hold back her tears any longer.

She knew it was not polite to be crying, and she was upset with herself. But no matter how much she tried to stop the tears, still they ran down her face. Her heart was breaking.

Closing her eyes, she imagined herself back at home.

She could see the face of her mother, gentle, loving and very sad that her little girl was not home, but happy that the world was learning about her wonderful daughter.

Aiko had forgotten! She, over all her classmates, had won the contest to travel to America. Her family loved her, missed her, but allowed her this wondrous adventure. They were feeling the same sadness and loss but there was also the warmth and love for her, giving their pain a release into pleased anticipation over her return. Oh yes, she would have many things to tell them!

As she began to calm herself, she knew she had learned something wonderful. She could carry the love of her family with her no matter where she traveled in the world. It was something she would carry with her for the rest of her life.

She had discovered her greatest treasure.

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