I don’t even remember how I ended up at Miriam’s door. We had not had stable employment for seven years. Eventually, all the savings were gone and every credit card was maxed out. Just when I thought that we were at the end of our rope, someone told me to go speak to Miriam. I had no idea what to expect, but I dutifully told her our story. A person begins to question everything when going through a long period of scarcity–your profession, your self-worth, your marriage… She commiserated with me so warmly. I knew she understood how frustrated and demoralized I felt. Before the end of the week, she had written checks to cover our most urgent bills with no strings attached. She wasn’t adding to our already insurmountable debt–she was helping us stay afloat–reducing our immediate stress. Month after month, until both my husband and I were fully employed, Miriam was able to fill in the gaps–many times supplying gift cards for groceries to lighten our load. But the real gift she gave me was hope. She encouraged me not to lose hope that Hashem would improve our situation. Her compassion was real. She never made me feel ashamed for needing help, and always challenged me to find ways to make the world better despite my lack of resources. Most of us measure life in dollars and cents. Miriam had her eye on a much bigger picture–saving families.