This is the season for miracles, and I have experienced several of them in the last few days. On Saturday, December 11th I heard a strange noise in the store basement and went down to find that the furnace boiler had cracked and water was all over the floor. I needed a new furnace immediately and this was 1:30 PM on a weekend. I called the plumber’s emergency number and explained the situation to him. He called back 3 hours later and told me that he hadn’t located a furnace yet, and if he didn’t get one that evening, and install it that Sunday, he wouldn’t be able to do it until after Christmas. As this would close down our 2 stores and 2 apartments, leaving Mother Dear, Budzo the Hound, and I temporarily homeless, we were not happy with this possibility. We know that our God answers prayer and we began calling on friends to pray with us that a furnace would be located.
The plumber called back at 10:20 Saturday evening and told me that he had found a furnace and they would be there Sunday morning - this is miracle #1.
It took for 8:30 AM until 4:45 PM on Sunday to get the furnace installed and operating. Because the furnace has to do both steam and hot water heat, this is a tricky and time-consuming process. It is now working beautifully - I call this miracle #2.
Now came the rough part, a bill of thousands of dollars was due. No one is fully prepared for that, and I was especially not ready to pay out that kind of money. I had taken a bad fall in May, necessitating months of physical therapy that are still continuing, and cutting my work schedule down drastically. Again, there has been lots of prayer going up. I had e-mailed one friend in South Carolina and asked her to be praying with us. I had met this friend on an eBay chat room, we have never seen each other face to face. Even so, the Lord laid it on her heart to contact other members of the “Breakfast Club” and tell them of my dilemma. Some of them have graciously taken from their own funds and helped me to make the first payment on the furnace loan. This is my third miracle - that God moved in the hearts of those who only know me by my eBay name and that they financially helped out a “stranger” whom they have never even seen.
Thank you to all of you who have so richly blessed me, I can not begin to tell you what it means to me. May God bless you many times over for your generosity.

Linda, Mother Dear, Budzo the Hound and the other assorted Critters