Donald W Kruse

Dear Joey Donald W Kruse

A young boy named Joey befriends an elderly woman named Mrs. Benson who is a widow and lives all alone. The boy visits the woman almost daily, doing various chores for her: mowing the lawn; raking leaves; washing windows; etc. The friendlly Mrs. Benson treats Joey with love and kindness and rewards him with lemonade, ice tea, chocolate cake, watermelon, and her homecooked fried chicken. Joey enjoys her delicious treats, but more importantly, he eagerly drinks in Mrs. Benson's kindness and tenderness, and their relationship deepens. As they play cards together and share meals, Mrs. Benson is aware of a profound sadness in Joey. Intuitively she knows that Joey is a victim of child abuse at home. One day, Joey arrives at Mrs. Benson's house to find a police oficer standing on the porch, writing on a clipboard. Joey learns that Mrs. Benson has died, and he's devastated by the loss. Some time goes by and one day Joey finds in his mailbox a letter and a check for $5,000 from the late Mrs. Benson's attorney. Although the check is most welcomed, it's the information found in Mrs. Benson's letter that turns Joey's life around. And Joey uses that information to postively impact the life of another little neighbor boy who is also the victim of child abuse at home. A heartwarming story and one that needs to be told, Dear Joey features forewords by Doris Buffett, Robert Vaughn, Pat Boone, Joe Girard, and Papa Joe Bradford.