DEAR ANN LANDERS:  Last year at this time I        

was a secure, happy wife and mother.  Today, I           

sit here wondering if I can get together the                  

money to pay my utility bills before they shut off the electricity and gas.  The grocer has been                       

wonderful about credit.  He knows I must feed            

myself and the five-year-old twins.                                 

Fourteen months ago, I received a phone call from a hospital across town.  My husband was in    

critical condition.  He had suffered a heart attack     

while driving home.  By the time I reached the              

hospital, he was gone.  I couldn’t believe it.  The        

man had never had a sick day.                                        

The ironic part of this story is that less than one            

month before he died, I asked him to buy some            

life insurance.  He refused, saying the smart                                

thing to do is to keep his money in a savings                account where he will produce interest.                       

When he died, the bank gave me the $2,200 he           

had in his savings account.  If he had bought the       

life insurance policy, I would have received                                

$50,000.                                                                                              

I loved my husband dearly, but I can’t help                  

feeling resentful.  After all, the children and I             

were HIS responsibility.  He should have looked        

out for us.  I hope you will print this letter. Maybe     

somebody will learn from it. – HIS WIDOW  

               

DEAR WIDOW: Your husband made a mistake,        

which unfortunately you and the children are            

paying for.  Put aside your resentment and accept the fact that he was not inconsiderate. He was ignorant.