The house is quiet tonight, and Heather has just put
her little sister, Holly, to bed. Since their father
passed away, she's been busy helping her mother
keep house and take care of Holly, plus doing her
school work. Heather tires with her chores while
her mother is at work. But she's happy helping out
any way she can.
Heather drowsed in a chair, almost asleep, waiting for
her mother to come home, when the phone
rang. Drowsily, she picked up the phone and
said, "Hello." Heather perked up when the lady
on the phone said her name was Joan, and that
she was an old friend of her mother's. The lady
then said she'd just heard about Heather's father
dying. The lady went on to say she would be in
town tomorrow and would like to drop in on her old
friend. Heather told the lady she'd tell her mother
about the call when she got home. The lady
asked her the time her mother got home. Heather
told the lady the time her mother usually arrived
home, and the lady said she would call back.
When her Mom arrived home, Heather told her about
her old friend's call, and that she wanted to see
her tomorrow. Mom's face lit up and she said
"Wow! Joan was my best friend all through school!
I sure hope she calls back!" A short time later the
telephone rang. Mom answered the phone and
started talking faster than Heather had ever heard
her before. Heather could tell her mother was
elated Joan would be coming to see her
tomorrow by things she heard her mother say.
The next day Heather, Holly and mother were sitting
in the living room talking when an expensive car
pulled into their driveway. Mom got up from her
chair and ran outside. Heather and Holly ran to
the window and saw their Mom hugging the
expensively dressed lady.
After a brief period, Mom and the lady came inside
the house. Mom said to her children, "Let me
introduce you to my best childhood friend, Joan
Cassidy." After a period of time, Joan asked Mom
how she'd like to enter her business. Then, she
offered Mom three times the money she was now
making ."Girls! how does this sound to you?" Mom
asked, smiling. The girls looked at each other, and
after a pause, both of them said together "it
sounds great!" Heather was so happy because
she knew her mother was having a hard time
making ends meet. She knew now, that she would
see much of the stress leave Mom's face for a
long time.
My story proves sometimes when things
look bleak the light of hope appears at the end of
the tunnel.