Susan Seling gets to watch miracles. They're not miracles of Biblical proportions, but even though they're small-scale miracles, they still put her in awe of what the human spirit can do.

Seling is head of The Life Crisis Center, Inc. in Salisbury. To understand Seling's miracles, it helps to know what her agency does and how it does it.

The Life Crisis Center is a private non-profit agency which helps victims of child abuse, domestic violence and rape in the three Lower Shore counties. The agency has a paid staff of 40 supplemented by 23 volunteers and it's been active in our area since 1976.

Life Crisis is probably best known for its 24-Hour Hot Line. It receives roughly 16,000 calls a year from people in emergency situations. All too often, the people who call are desperate and some are on the verge of suicide.

Maybe they have unbearable financial problems. Maybe they're overwhelmed by a drug habit or alcoholism. Maybe they're in a life-threatening situation from domestic violence.

Maybe it's a youngster vacationing in Ocean City who got drunk and arrested. Or raped. Maybe it's someone who is so lonely he or she just can't stand it any more.

Speaking of loneliness, it may surprise you, to know that Mother's Day is the day when Life Crisis gets the most phone calls. Mothers who are not close to their children can suffer unbearable loneliness and depression on this day when other mothers are being loved and cherished.

What can Life Crisis do for the people who call for help? A lot. And it can be short term, just a matter of talking on the phone with a trained and sympathetic counselor, or it can be referral to other local agencies who can help.

Often times Life Crisis will send a volunteer to accompany a rape victim through the trauma of her visit to the hospital and the police questioning. Volunteers who are on call for this kind of service are prepared at any hour of the day or night to drop everything and get to the hospital within minutes.

They're like firemen, ready to act instantly. If it's a middle-of-the-night call, they'll pull on their already-laid-out clothes, grab their already-packed bag of emergency necessities, jump in the car, and go to whichever of the three local hospitals where they're needed.

They never know ahead of time what the circumstances are, so often they'll include toys or crayons in their bag of necessities, in case there are kids involved. The necessities bag always includes small change to buy such things as a soda or candy bar to provide a little extra comfort.

Sometimes the help that's needed is more long term. And here's where we get to the miracles that Seling sees.

All the cases that come to the Hot Line are unique, but many of them have a lot in common. The case you're about to read is unique, but still, Seling has seen many that are similar.

Imagine the Hot Line getting a call from a 22 year old women who is the mother of five and the victim of life-threatening domestic violence. She has no education, she's drug addicted, and her batterer has convinced her that she doesn't deserve to take up space on this earth. Her self-esteem is somewhere below gutter-level.

If you look at her circumstances objectively, wouldn't you say that it would take a miracle to turn her life around?

It gets worse. When Seling met her, she learned that the woman's parenting skills were really, really bad. Discipline consisted of cursing and hitting her children. She knew almost nothing of housekeeping or budgeting.

Discouraging as this example looks, the fact is, the woman was able to turn her life around. She did it thanks to Life Crisis.

She entered the residential program at the Life Crisis Safe House so she was safe from her batterer. She attended the drug addiction rehabilitation programs twice a day at the Salisbury Substance Abuse Center and got off her drug dependency.

With the help of programs at the Department of Social Services, she learned job skills, and with guidance from the counselors at the Safe House, she learned housekeeping, budgeting, and parenting skills.

Today she has the pride and self-esteem that comes from holding a job and being a loving and effective parent. With the help of Life Crisis and other community agencies, she has a whole new life in front of her.

It's a miracle. And Susan Seling gets to watch this and countless other like it as part of her job.

If you'd like to help the Life Crisis Center with time, money, or donations, Seling would love to hear from you. Call her at: 410 749 0632.

If you need Life Crisis services, call 1 800 422 0009 or 410 749 HELP.

Life Crisis Wish List:

Diapers
Canned Food
Baby Pacifiers
Toilet Tissues
Paper Towels
Wash Clothes
Baby Wipes
Laundry Detergent
Cleaning Supplies
Light Bulbs