It was just a couple of years since I escaped to the Women and Children in Crisis Center with my children in order to leave an abusive marriage. I was grateful for the newfound peace and safety that I felt within the walls of my home. However, financial pressures due to a mound of debt that was left behind and the financial responsibility of raising my three daughters completely on my own with just a teacher’s salary, weighed heavily on my mind. It was December. Christmas was approaching and I didn’t have any extra money. Not a dime! How would I buy gifts for my children? Should I let them dream and wish for Santa? Or should I sit down with my oldest two daughters (13 and 10 years old) and explain to them the situation; that Santa would not be able to visit this year.

"Sister Hug"

Playing in the snow! You can see my little blue car in the background.

In addition to worrying about extra money for Christmas gifts and treats, the tires on my small car were completely bald and I knew it was just a matter of time before I had a flat tire or worse an accident on the icy snowy roads because of tires with no traction. I had gone to the tire shop and asked what it would cost to replace the tires and it was almost exactly the same amount of money that I had set aside for tithing that month. I went home and started to think and try and figure out how I was going to pay this extra expense. I knew that the safety of my children was the most important thing and so in my mind I started to rationalize whether or not I should pay my tithing that month.