RIVER CITY JOURNAL: OTHERS MAY HAVE GIVEN UP; SHE TURNED TO GOD INSTEAD

* It may be hard for us understand how someone with so little can be so grateful.

This being Christmas Eve and all, I thought I should write a column appropriate to the occasion. But as I was getting ready to write, the mail came. In the mail was a hand-written letter to the editor. Like I always do, I checked to see if the letter was signed and if the person's hometown and telephone number were provided.

Then I saw the request at the end of the letter not to use the writer's name. Well, policies are policies, and we don't publish anonymous letters to the editor. In fact, I usually don't bother to read them. If I have a way of contacting the writer, I call to encourage the use of the writer's name.

For some reason, I was drawn to this letter. I'm glad I read it.

The following is a remarkable story. It is remarkable because a Cape Girardeau woman who has suffered a good deal of hardship feels no remorse but only wants to thank others for their generosity. And it is remarkable because it is a familiar story, one that could be told by dozens of residents of our community. Finally, it is remarkable because the generosity of our community has once more been demonstrated. The Southeast Missourian doesn't publish anonymous letters, but in this case the woman's request is being honored. Read her story, and you will understand:

Mr. Editor:

I would like to tell you about a Christmas story of a miracle. There was no lottery won nor knight in shining armor. Just some strangers who, by the grace of God, helped me. They didn't ask questions or turn their backs because they were too busy.

I won't go into details, but I'm disabled and on a fixed income of $500 a month total. It does not go far enough. The bills get behind, and you must choose which ones to pay sometimes unwisely. When my husband and I separated and divorced, I was left with all the bills. I played catch-up as much as I could for several months.

I lost the battle when my utilities were pulled in March. The bill was very high, and I just didn't have what they wanted to turn them back on. I did without and made it through the hot summer with no utilities.

A Legal Aid lawyer said I should file bankruptcy, so I did. Afterward, I went to the utility company and was told I could make a deposit and the company would restore my lights. When I talked to the man in St. Louis, he stated that he was going to take the largest utility bill in the company and double it. That would be my deposit. When he stated the amount $992 I almost had a heart attack. I paid what I could, but this amount was unreal.

I went to different agencies and asked for help. They don't help with deposits. So I called some churches and SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence. They gave what they could, but their funds are very limited too. And I thank them.

So I did without. On very hot nights I slept a little on my porch in a chair or in the bath tub with some water in it to try and keep cool. I truly thought I wouldn't make it. I got so sick. But God was there and helped me through it all.

I kept trying, in the meantime, to get the lights on. No way. Then it turned colder, which in a way was a blessing. But then it got colder yet, still with no heat or lights. Now it was very cold to the body and no hot food or water to bathe with. And the list gets longer and more scary.

My depression kept growing. I felt I just couldn't go on much more like this. I had very little food, no way to cook, an empty ice chest and a very cold house even with extra clothes on. The cold and despair were getting larger and longer. My disability from an industrial accident wasn't helping either.

My faith was dwindling, and hope was out of sight. I prayed to the Lord to please help. I kept believing, because I knew when the Lord was ready he would help me somehow.

Then the other day I went and got the mail. There was a Christmas card. This pretty card had Jesus' blessings in it for me. There was a check in the card for the rest of my deposit. I went to the light company, and they turned on my lights within two hours. I have lights and heat. It feels so strange to turn on the switch and have lights. My washer and dryer and ice box don't work. I guess they sat too long. I will get them fixed some way.

But the real miracle isn't that I made it for nine months. The real miracle is that some Christmas angels gave their hard-earned money and time to care about a stranger. They gave of their hearts, and for that I am so very grateful. God bless my Christmas angels.

P.S. Please don't print my name. I just felt I had to tell this wonderful story so close to Jesus' birthday.

If you would like to help disabled residents of our area who may have pressing financial needs, consider making a donation to SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence, 121 S. Broadview, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63703.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.