On May 20, 2013, Shirley Fox of Newcastle, Oklahoma was hiding in her house's safe room as a EF5 tornado ripped through her town.

Fox survived, as did her house, though there was some minor damage. But several outbuildings were completely gone, including her barn.

Inside the barn Fox had stored all of her Christmas decorations, enough to decorate her house and the nine Christmas trees she puts up every year. It could all be replaced — except for the 150-plus hand-crocheted ornaments her mother had made before she died.

Fox's husband, Bobby Fox, searched the surroundings fields and found seven. Dirty and stained, each one found was precious.

That summer, Fox began to replace her collection. Several of her ornaments had come from Christmas Magic in Boothbay Harbor, so she placed a call.

Joanna Overkamp of Newcastle, Maine, manager of Christmas Magic, answered the phone.

“I asked Joanna about buying some of the icicle decorations I had bought there before,” Fox said. “She found them and I asked if she could ship five boxes. When I gave her my credit card information, she said she was only charging half-price. I told her she didn't need to do that, that's not why I called, but she insisted.”

Overkamp said she just did what anyone would do. “It was the right thing.”

Two weeks later, the icicles arrived. Then in the middle of October, another box arrived from Utah.

Her husband opened the box and said “Shirley, I think you need to see this.”

Inside the box were piles of hand-crocheted snowflake ornaments made by Overkamp's mother, Cathy Overkamp.

“I cried for nearly two days straight,” Fox said. “I couldn't believe the kindness, the generosity, the heartfelt gesture from someone who didn't even know me.”

“I got the idea almost immediately when she called me,” Overkamp said. “My mother, who thankfully is still with me, makes hand-crocheted ornaments. She gives them out as prizes to people at church who finish reading the Bible, and I thought maybe we could help her. I called Mom and asked her if we could send her some.”

In September, Overkamp went to visit her mom and found a whole box of different ones ready and waiting. They packed them up and mailed them to Fox.

“We both hoped they would bring her happiness,” Overkamp said.

“You don't hear about people truly going out of their way for others,” Fox said. “There are no words to describe how grateful and appreciative I was and still am, or how humbling it was. I want people to know what wonderful people Joanna and Cathy are. We will always have a connection.

“God puts special people in your life when you need them most,” Fox said. “Just having that kind voice in the other end of the phone, who understood and opened her heart ... it's a gift I'll treasure, always.”