She had expected a simple delivery, a quiet transaction to keep the cold from swallowing her modest home. Instead, the man who answered—Paul Brittain—showed up in person and saw what her words had carefully concealed: a leaking roof, a failing heater, a car on the verge of breaking down, and a woman doing everything she could not to be a burden. Her request for firewood became a mirror reflecting how close she was to disaster.
Brittain chose not to look away. He and his crew repaired the roof, restored the heating system, fixed her car, and stacked enough wood to last the winter. When he shared her story, strangers responded with tens of thousands of dollars and messages of love, proving that compassion is as contagious as indifference. One trembling phone call became a lifeline, not just for an elderly widow, but for everyone who remembered, through her, that no one should have to face the cold alone.
