You know, just when you're feeling sorry for yourself and think you've got problems someone else comes along and makes you really thankful that you're not in their situation.
I have a librarian friend who is in a really tough position. Her husband has been in prison for as long as I've known her and she's raising 2 teenage girls on her own. The library board pays her $7.75 an hour for 30 hours a week. That's it. She's trying to make it on $232.50 gross a week! Last year she had no heat for a while until my boss took over a pickup load of wood for her. She has not had a car that works for well over a year now so she walks over a mile to the library and home in the dark. She has no phone because she has not been able to pay the bill.
This week the electricity in her house is not acting right. At first everything was extremely bright and then it browned out. She woke up in the night to the DVD player humming. So she woke her girls up and they got the things they would want to save if the house burned down and spent the rest of the night sleeping in the living room in case there was a fire so they could quickly escape. They've been sleeping in the living room all week now. She has brought her family pictures to the library in case her house burns while she is at work.
She called the electric company and they came out but told her it's something in her wiring so they're not responsible. Her neighbor has looked things over and found what he thinks the problem is, but said a certified electrician needs to do the work. She can't afford that. She already has bill collectors calling her at the library because she is behind on all payments.
This electrical problem has ruined her refrigerator.
Things like this sure make you thankful for the situation you're in. Things don't look so bad to me now. I wish I had a ton of money to help her out.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:20 am 1162552800
The whole story freaks me out, because I used to be a librarian, earning about that amount (but that was 10 years ago), raising two children alone. Things didn't get that bad for me, but they were bad. Please tell her to hang in there, that bad times don't always stay around.
November 3rd, 2006 at 11:55 am 1162554920
November 3rd, 2006 at 12:37 pm 1162557458
November 3rd, 2006 at 01:29 pm 1162560585
I am most definitely thankful that I do not have to live like that.
November 3rd, 2006 at 03:10 pm 1162566623
November 3rd, 2006 at 03:36 pm 1162568192
November 3rd, 2006 at 03:51 pm 1162569090
November 3rd, 2006 at 03:58 pm 1162569511
I really don't know the best way for anyone to help. I guess I could email anyone that wants to help and have them send it to me at work, but anything made payable to her? I hate the idea of giving out too much info about her without her permission and I don't want people to think that I'm trying to scam anyone. Know what I mean? It just crosses my mind since I really haven't been here all that long.
We are located in northern PA, but thanks for the offer of help campfrugal.
My boss gave her $300 yesterday while we were there. Probably nothing close to the amount she'll need to get the electric taken care of, but a help none the less.
November 3rd, 2006 at 04:28 pm 1162571305
November 3rd, 2006 at 04:46 pm 1162572416
Also you might suggest the Angel Tree program to her, they buy Christmas presents for children of prisoners. That would at least be one weight off her mind...
November 3rd, 2006 at 06:07 pm 1162577275
I believe she does own the house, so it's not like the landlord can be called to fix the problems.
I would really like our church to provide them with a Christmas this year and will be mentioning it to my husband so he can talk it over with the other elders.
November 3rd, 2006 at 07:03 pm 1162580617
Lola