Editor, The Herald:

In a world full of terror, cruelty, unrest, hate, and uncertainly, it is always a blessing to hear about people being helpful, supportive, caring, and going out of their way to help their fellow man. I have a true story to tell that happened to me and my two precious grandchildren, Madison and Blake, just the weekend before last. Here is how it goes:

My grandchildren and I had a beautiful day of shopping, going out to eat, to the movies, and spending quality time together. We came home around 7:30 p.m. and while I did my Sunday School lesson, my grandchildren watched TV and played quietly. I noticed that Madison had fallen asleep on my bed early. Apparently all the day's festivies had worn her out. At approximately 9 p.m., I told Blake that he could stay up another 30 minutes but then had to turn off the TV and go to bed because we had to get up early to go to church. He decided that he would make a pallet on my floor and sleep with us.

I had no sooner turned off my light and laid my head on my pillow when I detected the smell of something burning. I sat up straight in bed and asked Blake if he smelled something unusual. He said he smelled something burning like a vacuum cleaner when it gets too hot. He said it smelled like it was coming from our heating vents. I asked him if he would go with me outside and around to the backyard where our heat pump was stationed to see if it was on fire. We went around back and looked at the unit and did not see anything. We then went to our basement door and peered inside. Through the darkness of the night and the darkness of our basement, I thought I detected a flickering light in an area the most distant away from us. Little did I know at the time that the air handler was located in the exact location that I saw the flickering light. My first thought was that there was a fire underneath my house. Blake and I ran frantically back around to the front of the house only to hear our smoke detectors blaring. I was mortified because my granddaughter was still inside asleep and the flickering light was right underneath our bedroom. When I opened the front door, I was immediately met with an outpouring of smoke. I ran inside and picked up Madison and my pocketbook and ran back outside. I immediately called 911, and although hysterical by this point and hardly able to breathe, I managed to tell the dispatcher my address and why I was calling. She calmed me down and said help was on the way and wanted to make sure everyone was out of the house and that we were okay.

In what seemed like just seconds, my hero came to my rescue. My hero was my neighbor, James Redford, a volunteer fireman. He had heard the call and immediately jumped in his truck and was prepared to fight a fire. He asked me a few questions and then went inside to try to determine what was causing the smoke. He cut off the power to the heat and thereby extinguished the fire. After the fire trucks arrived from Farmville, Prince Edward, and Buckingham, he continued to come out and tell me everything that they were doing and assure me that everything was going to be okay. James will never know how much I appreciate him coming to my rescue on that cold winter night. He left the warmth of his home and family and came when I most needed someone. He stayed until the house was vented of all smoke and all the firemen and fire trucks were gone. He gave me his phone number and his wife's phone number in case I ever needed them. He went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure this ole grandma and her grandchildren were safe and sound. He is a true hero.

I also want to thank each and every one of the firemen who responded to my desperate cry for help. Each one was courteous and did a fantastic job making sure that there was no danger done to my grandchildren or me. They kept apologizing for my terrible night and I kept apologizing to them for making them come out in the cold and on the weekend. They said it is what they do and they love it and you could tell it in their faces, in their eyes, and in the way they did their jobs. My heartfelt thanks and love goes out to our fearless volunteer firemen. Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you. I also thank the Lord that we did not go to sleep before we smelled the smoke or the outcome could have been much different. I thank the Lord that he sent my angel of a neighbor, James Redford, to my rescue and for his quick thinking in preventing a disaster. God is good and takes care of His children.

Janet H. Mitchell, RN BSN

Farmville