At the end of May 2013, I lost my teaching job due to budget cuts. I was unable to get a teaching job for that fall, but I was able to collect unemployment.

Just before Christmas, I found out that I would no longer receive unemployment because the extension of benefits was not included in the federal budget. This put a lot of pressure on my husband, who was in a commission-only paying job.

In mid-August 2014, the pressure was just too great, and he was let go from his job. The pressure had also caused my husband to have medical issues which caused him to be hospitalized for a week in November. Thankfully, he has been able to get unemployment during this time, and I am working for a friend parttime, but we are still struggling.

However, last night, December 3, 2014, we came home from church to find a box sitting on our front steps.

I had a hard time lifting it, so I asked my husband to help.

My son Ethan, who is four, was very excited to begin opening the gift. In the box was a gift bag filled with all sorts of treats for him: two activity books, two candy-filled candy canes, a box of candy canes, a reading book, and a paper bag that was very heavy.

We opened the paper bag to find a gallon-sized pickle jar filled with change, the book Christmas Jars, and a gift card for a local gas station.

I cried as I looked at what God had laid on someone's heart and mind to give us. I took the jar to the bank this morning where the teller thought I was just bringing in shopping money. I was able to share the story with her, two other tellers, and the manager.

They had chills as I shared the story

The first teller put the change into the counter. A few seconds later, she came back with three more gift cards and a roll of cash. Her words to me were, "Someone must love you very much."

I cried again, and even as I sit here at work, typing my story, I am crying. I am also excited to see what we are able to give to someone else next year. We have been blessed beyond measure, and "thank you" seems so inadequate.

-Rachel Rice

This article is a true story and excerpt from the book, "Christmas Jars: Collectors Edition." You can read more stories here.