GUARDIAN ANGEL

For several months now something strange has been taking place in our lives, Maria’s included. At this point,I have decided that these events should be included in our story of Maria Martinez Gomez.

Because of the many visits to Maria, the lunches, the picnics, and the brace fittings, I neglected to mention our other major happening this year; the drive to raise funds for Maria’s new house. Our first mailing went out in July. The responses were slow and few. By this time of the year, most businesses had already given their quota. Naturally, we were discouraged. We had sent out a wonderful letter and very descriptive photos. In early August Marge suggested that we might ask our pastor if we could include the letter in the Sunday bulletin; a one-time appeal. What a great idea! Charity begins at home, right? Fr. Lloyd was agreeable. The letter would be included in the August 16 bulletin. 1400 letters.

The response was immediate and overwhelming. The checks came in every week to the church office. Everyone was so excited, the secretary, the accountant, Fr. Lloyd, and most of all, Maria’s American family. Between August and December, we have received over five thousand dollars from this request. Two checks for five hundred dollars, several for one hundred, and dozens of fifty and twenty-five dollar donations. Other donations were coming in and we were finally on the way. By the end of November, we had exceeded our goal of $28,000 by fifty percent.

During one of our early meetings with Bill, the accountant, he gave us an envelope for Maria. It contained several hundred pesos. “Someone put it in the Sunday collection, no name, no envelope.” Bill declared. Marge said that Maria must have a guardian angel 197

watching over her. I took the pesos to Maria and she questioned why someone in RB would be using pesos. I had no answer for her. Since August this has happened several times, never the same amount never in an envelope. Yesterday I saw Bill and he gave me another assortment of pesos. This time with a few coins included. To date, we have received over $180.00 in pesos.

I have conveyed Marge’s idea to Maria, that her guardian angel is watching over her. ls there a better explanation?

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