It's been a tough year, (2025). I looked after my Mother in hospice and had to face her death on the early morning of Mother's Day 11th of May. I was dealing with some health issues and decided to quit my job and wasn't feeling well enough to work and was unemployed for a few months, than my water heater wasn't providing hot water and a friend who came to fix the issue said if I had waited any longer, that water heater could have caused a fire. Those bills certainly piled up, I had to adopt my Mother's cat Sari who got sick and almost died but fortunately an awesome veterinarian, antibiotics and tender loving care healed Sari. Despite the grieving of my Mom and health concerns, there's so much to be grateful for.
The tough moments turned into positive moments because of peoples kindness. My one friend gifted me a check to pay some bills, another friend invited me to stay at his place in New York City for a month, (I lived and worked in New York City for eleven years) so being there allowed me to reunite with friends and former co-workers which was so heart-warming. When I returned home I was determined to find a job because being unemployed felt unpleasant especially with inflation the way it is.
I've always admired and respected The Salvation Army for all the good things they do to help those in need. In fact I enjoyed volunteering my time as a bell ringer during the Christmas season and interacting with so many generous people that put money into the kettle. I was scheduled to have an interview with a temp agency and had a last minute transportation issue which meant I was going to be late for the job interview. Frantic, I called the temp agency to apologize for running late and said,"I would be there soon." Well.... I never made it to the interview. My friend dropped me off at the wrong place which meant I had to walk a half mile to cross a busy intersection and then another half mile to get to the temp agency building. Filled with anxiety, I called the temp agency back and said "I've decided not to interview for this job. I'm late and have left a bad impression. I thank you for the opportunity to interview me for a position with your company and wish you and your team much success." She thanked me and that was it.
I was ready to take the bus back home and realized that I was close to The Salvation Army. It was Monday, almost twelve noon which meant the food pantry was open at The Salvation Army. I walked over to The Salvation Army and picked up a few items from the food pantry and inquired about the paid bell ringing position. I was handed an application that took about fifteen minutes to fill out and returned it to back to an office employee. The employee told me to wait a few minutes and while I did, I met some Ukrainian women who I was able to converse with and they invited me to their church.
A couple days later I received a call from a Salvation Army employee that offered me a paid position as a bell ringer. It was the best Christmas gift I could ask for. In just the two days I've worked I have met so many kind souls. Such giving people who thank me for being out in the cold and some of them share with me how The Salvation Army was of great help to them when they experienced some difficult times. It's wonderful that such an organization exists because it certainly makes the world a brighter place.
Everything happens for a reason, if I had gone to the interview at the temp agency I would have never applied for the bell ringing position at The Salvation Army and been blessed with such beautiful moments during this Christmas season. I'm so grateful for kind people who make a difference and for the Salvation Army for doing such outstanding work for their community. I'm truly blessed this December to be a bell ringer for The Salvation Army.
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy, and blessed Christmas season.
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