A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.” Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner.

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and whistled. A lady ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner explained the puppy was disabled by nature and it would always be lame. The little boy became excited. “I’ll buy it.” The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.” The little boy looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

Everything has two sides. One side of SARS is already clear. It is a deadly disease, which causes fear. There were 2,601 cases recorded on the Chinese mainland on April 24, according to government figures. Some 115 people have died and numbers keep rising. But, there’s another side.

SARS is a reminder of how fragile life can be. Suddenly, it’s not just the old people who are thinking about death. Everyone now realizes there might not always be a tomorrow.

Wang Xinying, a Senior 3 student in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, came into contact with a suspected SARS patient in mid April. He was told to stay at home for at least two weeks.

“Watching TV about more and more SARS patients dying, I never knew that death could be so close. Life is valuable and I am going to treasure every single day,” he said.

SARS teaches people to be grateful, not only for their own lives, but also for others. Doctors and nurses, for example, have to spend all their time with infected patients. As a result, more than 20 percent of SARS cases in China are medical workers.

Xu Bing, a Senior 2 student of Beijing No. 5 Middle School wants to be a doctor when he grows up. “Although they certainly know of the dangers, doctors and nurses remain bravely dedicated to saving people’s lives. I deeply moved by what they have done. I think they are real heroes, ” he said. SARS also teaches sympathy. The past few weeks have been terrible for Chinese people. But there are far worse things than SARS in this world, such as war, earthquakes and murders. Think of the Iraqis, who have been living terrible lives for 20 years. Think of how the Americans felt on 9/1.

And finally, SARS offers the chance to grow. All different types of people and government officials are joining together to cope in this difficult time. When this passes, China and its people, will have learned great lessons.