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“It’s absolutely perfect,” he murmured as they sipped their hot chocolate and watched the snow fall.

“The cocoa?”

He smiled.  “The snow.  Falling on New Year’s Day.  It’s like the world is born anew.  Don’t you think?”

She nodded.  “Everything looks clean.  Like all of yesterday’s mistakes have been washed away.”

“Like the message of your cross,” he bobbed his head at the golden pendant hanging from the chain around her neck. 

She glanced down at it.  “Yes.  Exactly.”  She lifted her eyes to smile at him.  “Is that why you gave me two more crosses?  Your note alluded to three crosses.  It said something like, ‘Now you have all three crosses.’”  She furrowed her brow.  “Do you know what you meant by that?”

His eyes connected with hers.  And he thought hard.  Looking for an answer.  It didn’t come.

“It’s all right if you don’t remember.”

Her words caused him to relax.  And then he did recall what he’d been thinking as he penned that missive.

“There were three crosses, weren’t there?  In that story?  The Savior of the world was hanging on the center one.  But there was one to his right.  And one to his left.  I’ve always been fascinated by that part of the story.”

“Why?”

“Because one of those men was a thief.”

“I think they both were,” she commented.

“Right,” he smiled at her.  “But the one I remember is the one who believed the claim of the man in the middle.  Despite all that second thief had done wrong, that merciful Savior implied that he would have a share in paradise simply because he’d believed Him.  The thief didn’t have to do anything to earn that place in Heaven.”

“Hmm.”

“We always feel like we have to do more.  Right?  Be better through action?  But…that wasn’t the message of the Savior. 

“So, I’ve always felt that the story is incomplete without the two other crosses.  The first thief mocked Him.  Pointing out that if He was really God’s Son, He could free them all.  But the second one felt bad for the evil he had done.  And recognized that he deserved the punishment he was receiving.  He made a simple request of the man in the middle. 

“‘Remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ 

“I’ve always wondered just exactly what he meant by that.  Remember me?  Like ‘just spare a thought for me’?  Or did it mean something more?

“But the Savior’s response astounded me.  ‘Today you will be with Me in paradise.’ 

“He accepted the thief simply because he asked Him to.”  His eyebrows flew high.

She nodded.  “He was looking for a relationship.”

“Hmm.  Fellowship.  With sinners.”

Her eyes held his.  “Through the blood of His cross.  He wanted to make them like Him.”

He furrowed his brow.  “Do you think it’s true?”

“What?”

“That story?”

She bobbed her head.  “I do.”  She fingered her golden pendant.  “That’s why I wear the cross.”

He gazed at it.

“You remind me of Him,” she murmured.

His eyes collided with hers.

“Who?”

“The Savior.”

He frowned, taken aback.  “I do?  Why?”

The light of her smile broke forth to shine on him.  “Because you lavished me with gifts.  Just because you’re good.”

Another deep rut developed between his eyebrows.  “I wouldn’t say I’m good.”

“You didn’t.  I did.  You’ve been very good to me.  Giving me more beautiful pictures of what an unconditional love looks like.”  She grinned at him.

He simply stared at her.  That’s what he’d been doing?

He’d just wanted to see her smile.

As his eyes lingered on her happy face, he had to admit to himself that his plan had worked.