Hale was covering the pine cone with black and gold paint in the dining area when I approached her and asked another favor: “Hale, can you draw for me a man carrying a sheep? I’ll pay you $5.00,” I continued.

Surprise crossed her face. “No, you don’t have to pay me,” she said.

Chantry, sitting on the sofa in her pajamas, appeared with her voice saying, “I can do it!”

Chantry’s eagerness was enough to draw laughter from me, filled with affectionate amusement at what her tiny hands could do—so long as she got paid.