DEAR ABBY: I love the "random acts of kindness" letters that appear in your column from time to time. Here's mine:
My husband died at work five years ago, leaving me with two teen-age daughters. It was the week before Thanksgiving.
My whole neighborhood took up a collection for us -- not just the immediate neighbors; I mean the ENTIRE neighborhood. In the ensuing weeks before Christmas, all the neighbor kids came to my home, raked the leaves, and even cleared away the dog droppings!
If that wasn't enough, we opened our front door at Christmas to find that gifts, plants, and cards with prayers had been left on our doorstep. I barely knew some of these neighbors, yet they were there for us when we needed them the most -- right down to the littlest toddler. Needless to say, I'm never moving from here. -- MARY IN SMITHTOWN, LONG ISLAND
DEAR MARY: The caring spirit of your neighbors is inspiring. However, I know the secret to having good neighbors is being one, and I suspect the outpouring of support you received was deserved.
P.S. Once your letter hits print, I'll wager the property values in Smithtown skyrocket.