True Story: A Belated Mystery Letter That Surprised Me

By Cal Orey

I received a USPS notice that a letter from my publisher was en route (we're not getting our mail due to weather and other challenges in the sierras). So, I waited.

I asked my editor and the accountant if the piece of mail was from them? No. The post date was Dec. 7, 2022. I waited. Clueless. I thought the best and worst outcome. My name and address were handwritten. What in the world could it be? I waited.

As a busy author, I continued to market my Healing Powers series, and new non-fiction novel: Soulmates with Paws. Sure, my Australian shepherd and Siamese cat comforted me while my anxiety spun out of control. What ifs played games with my mind. I continued to work and wait... The Letter Arrival day arrived!

The five page letter was post dated June 2021! It was actually address by a corrections facility in Delaware. The five page letter was written by an inmate. I felt like I was morphing into Johnny Cash when he received fan mail from prison folks.

First, her name was Amir. She complimented me on my "wonderful" The Healing Powers of Honey book. But there's more. She wondered why I didn't address the antibacterial and antifungal benefits of honey. Yet I did do just that! I interviewed the late top scientist behind the virtues of manuka honey and how it is used for all types of skin infections.

Fast Forward: This lovely woman's well written letter told me one day the book fell to the floor. And there was the advice she needed to not only help heal her feet but also help heal a wound on her leg.Thanks to her friends inside the minimum security facility, it wasn't too difficult to get the good honey in the institution in the nick of time!

She actually was facing amputation! And yes, Dr. Peter Molan of New Zealand discusses how honey is used for serious wounds for people in hospitals. Evidently, she had gone straight to "Home Cures" -- missed the good doctor's wisdom in Ch. 3. But there was more info on the healing benefits of skin and sores in that section, too.

So, tonight I realize I've always written to make a difference. And this woman named Amir made me feel like I did just that. Note to self: Practice patience and think sometimes waiting is worth the end result.