When I was a young mom going through a divorce in 1980, with two little ones, I overdrew my bank account by $68. My sweet neighbor in the tiny town we lived in (who I call my other Mother--we had an instant connection) brought over $75 in cash. I told her I would pay her back as soon as I could and she said, "No, just pass it on sometime..." She doesn't know this, but I have passed that $75 on many times in 30 years--always giving $75 to someone who really needed it and hadn't asked for anything. I have never forgotten that heartwarming gift--she "paid it forward" long before the movement became popular. I haven't seen Betty since I moved from Oregon back to Washington state, but we have stayed in touch, not often, but always picking up where we last left off. She had eight daughters, most of whom were grown when we were neighbors. Her two youngest were very special to me and I knew them well. Her youngest, Cathy (who was my children's favorite babysitter), died this past July of a very rare disease after receiving extensive treatment at the best hospitals in California. Cathy and Betty were very close and the loss of her "little girl" has been heart wrenching. I only wish I could give the $75 to her and have it help her heart as she often helped mine. Instead I hope that sending her one of your special hearts, along with an incredible book I found for her, will give her a tangible way of knowing how much she is loved and how much Cathy is remembered and loved. I pray that this little heart sent from Leavenworth, WA to Chico, CA fills her heart with all the love, appreciation, prayers and memories that it can hold. Many blessings were tucked in to that little package. Nancy
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