The Princess and the Kiss - by Jennie Bishop

One day a king and queen celebrated the birth of a baby girl, their princess.  Her parents loved her so much.  They thanked God for His precious gift, and God gave the princess a very special gift as well.  The king and queen kept the princess' special gift in a safe place.  When she was grown, they took her to the room where the gift was hidden and protected.  The queen told the princess that God loved her very much and had given her this special gift on the day she was born.  The king warned, "Be wise, and save it for the man you will marry."  The princess would often go to the secret room.  She would gaze at her precious gift, and wonder how she would ever be able to give it away.  She had never before received such a wonderful present.  

Many princes came to ask for the princess' hand in marriage.  One prince had great strength; one prince offered travel to faraway places; another prince brought costly jewels and clothes.  But the princess did not find any of these men worthy of her special gift from God.  The princess began to worry.  Would she find no one with whom she could share her precious gift?  The queen reminded her daughter that God could be trusted to show her what was best.  And even if no husband came, the gift would be hers to treasure forever.  
One day a young, handsome farmer came to the castle and asked to speak with the princess.  He was not like the other men who had come to call.  The farmer bowed before the king and queen and asked to speak to the princess.  The royal couple was surprised that this common farmer would come to see their daughter.  But he seemed to be a kind, humble man, so they gave their permission.  


The farmer told the princess how he felt about her.  It was as though he knew she had been saving her special gift.  The he said, "I have a very special gift I have saved for you."  When the princess saw the gift, she knew the farmer was to be her husband!  The farmer asked the princess to marry him, and the princess said, "Yes!"  The royal family was so happy that she had saved her gift for this kind, gentle man.  The farmer rejoiced because God had given him a beautiful bride to whom he could give his own gift.  On their wedding day, the princess and her husband exchanged the gifts God had given each of them on the day they were born.  What were the gifts?  Each received their first kiss - a kiss that had been saved to give on this wonderful day.  The wise and happy prince and princess soon had a baby daughter of their very own.  And on the day of the baby's birth, her parents received for her a very special gift from God. 

The End

Even though this story may seem young for you, it is relevant to anyone and everyone at any age or stage of life.  I first heard this story when I was pretty young, but it has stuck with me ever since.  I hope you all liked it as much as I do!