r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	TOMSDOTTIR
Comment	The best strange letter I received (we're talking about 25 years ago though) was addressed to me personally on Salvation Army headed notepaper and went something like this: "Dear \[Tomsdottir\] I hope you will not mind my writing to you to tell you about a dear friend of ours called Nora. Although Nora came from a loving, stable and financially secure home, she fell in with a bad set of friends at school and began drinking at the age of 13. Her grades deteriorated and she soon dropped out of school and began shoplifting in order to be able to afford alcohol. When shoplifting couldn't raise enough money for her to satisfy her habit, I'm sorry to say that she turned to other, more degrading ways of raising cash. Nora drank heavily from the age of 13 until her early 40s. ending up living on the streets in the process. She had innumerable run-ins with the police, and even more frequent spells in hospital as the result of falls, assaults, alcohol poisoning and of course delirium tremens. I first came into contact with Nora through our Community Centre in the City Centre, where she had come looking for food and clothing. As it turned out, however, what Nora craved most was companionship. Within a very short period of time, she was volunteering at the centre, helping with food preparation, setting up rooms for meetings and clearing up afterwards, distributing flyers and so on - all during her occasional "dry" spells. Where Nora really made her most valuable contribution, however, was through the cautionary talks she gave when she was on what she referred to as a "bender". Medical practitioners, social care workers, students and occasionally sixth year pupils would sit enthralled as Nora stumbled around the stage, red-faced and perspiring, wearing clothing which was stained with vomit, urine and occasionally something worse. She would belch and break wind unapologetically,. It could be hard to follow what she was saying, because she slurred her speech and bellowed profanities whilst holding forth at length on the evils of drink. She was a living breathing example of the degrading impact of prolonged alcohol abuse on a hitherto decent and respectable female. Sadly, last week Nora died. I am writing to you to ask if you would be willing to take her place." It took a while, but I eventually found out who sent it.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/mcwve7/anyone_speak_polish_got_this_through_the_door/gs7wk5h/
Created	Thu 25th Mar 2021 9:13pm
Status	normal ()

The best strange letter I received (we're talking about 25 years ago though) was addressed to me personally on Salvation Army headed notepaper and went something like this:

"Dear \[Tomsdottir\]

I hope you will not mind my writing to you to tell you about a dear friend of ours called Nora. Although Nora came from a loving, stable and financially secure home, she fell in with a bad set of friends at school and began drinking at the age of 13. Her grades deteriorated and she soon dropped out of school and began shoplifting in order to be able to afford alcohol. When shoplifting couldn't raise enough money for her to satisfy her habit, I'm sorry to say that she turned to other, more degrading ways of raising cash.

Nora drank heavily from the age of 13 until her early 40s. ending up living on the streets in the process. She had innumerable run-ins with the police, and even more frequent spells in hospital as the result of falls, assaults, alcohol poisoning and of course delirium tremens.

I first came into contact with Nora through our Community Centre in the City Centre, where she had come looking for food and clothing. As it turned out, however, what Nora craved most was companionship. Within a very short period of time, she was volunteering at the centre, helping with food preparation, setting up rooms for meetings and clearing up afterwards, distributing flyers and so on - all during her occasional "dry" spells.

Where Nora really made her most valuable contribution, however, was through the cautionary talks she gave when she was on what she referred to as a "bender". Medical practitioners, social care workers, students and occasionally sixth year pupils would sit enthralled as Nora stumbled around the stage, red-faced and perspiring, wearing clothing which was stained with vomit, urine and occasionally something worse. She would belch and break wind unapologetically,. It could be hard to follow what she was saying, because she slurred her speech and bellowed profanities whilst holding forth at length on the evils of drink. She was a living breathing example of the degrading impact of prolonged alcohol abuse on a hitherto decent and respectable female.

Sadly, last week Nora died. I am writing to you to ask if you would be willing to take her place."





It took a while, but I eventually found out who sent it.