Sometimes the mailbox brings bad news. Other times, it doesn’t.

I made the dreaded trip out to the mailbox this morning for the first time in a while.

Like over a week. Possibly even two.

When you are out of money, the last thing you want to do is open that mothereffer up.

Because the only thing in it is a bunch of envelopes containing reminders of exactly how much money you don’t have and how much money you have to give to other people.

The mailbox was pretty much stuffed.

I carried its contents inside and forced myself to look at them.

One by one I placed all the shitty white envelopes in a pile.

But then I came across a little envelope.

There was no bill inside that one.

I opened it up, and this is what I found:

 

I have no idea who sent it to  me.

I want to share with you what the note said.

I want to thank you for the honesty and openness in which you share your life with us. I know it means a lot to people who are struggling to know they are not alone. I really admire your strength. I have two family members who struggle with addiction and I have seen the ways people can try to numb themselves to their problems, and only then succeed in destroying their lives and the lives of their children. You have shown us how to be a fighter when life gets tough, and eventually it gets tough for everyone in one form or another. Please accept this gift card as a thank you for the lessons you are teaching.

Holy cow.

If there was ever a day I needed this, it was today.

Not because I’m gonna go off the deep end and drink a case of Blue Moons.

But because sometimes you forget.

Sometimes you forget how strong you are.

And sometimes you forget how far you have come.

Thirty-year-old Susie,

hell,

even forty-year-old Susie would have handled this situation much differently.

And in a much less healthy way.

So thank you to my anonymous friend.

You made my day.

And not because of the gift card.

I mean, yes, the gift card is badly needed and extremely appreciated.

But the words?

Well, a picture may be worth a thousand words.

But those words…

You have shown us how to be a fighter…

Jeez.

Those words are worth a million bucks.

I can do this.

I can totally do this.

Thank you.

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