A single mom of triplets panicked after realizing she had woken up without hearing the cries of her young babies. She realizes that they had already been fed and starts to wonder who fed them.
Joanna was a single mother of three after her husband left them without providing child or spousal support. She was forced to live in a small dilapidated house that once belonged to her grandmother, as she had no money.
Every morning, Joanna would wake up to her hungry babies’ cries. She used to work as a hairdresser at a salon, but because she had no one to leave her children to, she had to quit.
Now, she struggled to provide her kids with formula, diapers, and their other needs like a decent stroller to take them all out at the same time. Her only source of income was when the gas station attendants nearby would go to the house to ask for haircuts. They would sometimes bring family and friends, providing Joanna with some money to spend.
Joanna was tired. She had to find ways to feed herself and her children, but she also had to care for them all day. She played with them, fed them, bathed them, and put them to sleep every day. The only rest she’d have was when she’d fall asleep exhausted every night.
One morning, Joanna woke up in silence. She panicked, jumping out of bed to check on her babies, who were sleeping just a couple of meters away.
To her surprise, the babies were sleeping peacefully in the small crib they shared. Their milk bottles were nearby, and they were empty but warm. She realized that someone had fed the kids while she was asleep. She checked on her front door, and it was locked.
The following day, another strange incident happened. On her front door was a box of new diapers for the babies. She couldn’t believe her eyes and figured that the person who gave them also fed the babies the previous day. “Who could it be?” she thought.
Joanna suddenly remembered the children’s father, wondering if it could be him. She shrugged off the thought, as it was so unlike him. However, she decided to call him.
“Was it you?” she asked as soon as he picked up.
“Was it me what?” he answered, sounding irritated.
“Did you come over to feed the kids and give them new diapers?” she asked.
The man scoffed from the other side of the line. “What are you talking about? Why would I help you out? Stop calling me and delete my number off your phone. My new wife might catch me, and you might get me into trouble,” he told her.
“I’m sorry, I just thought –”
“Well, you thought wrong. Delete my number and never call me again. If I end up poor because of you, I don’t know what I’d do. Leave me alone!” the man said and hung up.
Joanna sighed. Her ex-husband had left her when she found out she was pregnant with triplets to marry a rich woman. His new allowed him to live the life he had always wanted. Meanwhile, he left her to raise three children with no support.
Joanna decided to leave a note by the babies’ crib in the evening, hoping the person would return the following day. “I want to thank you for what you’re doing, but I don’t know who you are. Who are you?” she wrote.
The following morning, Joanna was baffled to see a large stroller for the three babies by her front door. “Oh my goodness!” she couldn’t help but say.
On the stroller’s box, a note read: “I want to thank YOU. You once helped me. My name is Sam.”
Joanna was in tears. She carried her babies around in a makeshift baby carrier but could never head out for so long as she was afraid it would break. This stroller was something she’s always dreamt of having for her children, but there was no way she could afford it.
“Sam?” she said. “Who is Sam?”
Joanna tried to recall if she had ever met anyone named Sam, but she didn’t know anyone with that name at all. That night, she hid in the children’s room. When her babies were fast asleep at around midnight, she heard a noise – someone had just opened the large window in the kitchen.
Soon, a stranger, who looked homeless and was wearing an old coat, went inside the room. He had long hair and a matching beard that looked unkempt. He had toys in his hands, which he laid on the children’s bed.
It was then that Joanna came out of the closet, startling the man.
“Oh, goodness!” he exclaimed, jump ing at the sight of Joanna. “I’m sorry for barging in. I truly am. I am a good person; please believe me. I’m not here to harm anyone,” he said, afraid that Joanna would think he was a burglar.
Joanna shook her head. “I know it’s you who’s been helping me with my children. Who are you?” she asked him.
“I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I remember you. One day, you came to the park and fed your three babies one by one. You laid them on the grass,” the man started to say. “You had a sandwich for yourself, but then you saw me. You didn’t have much food, but yet you cut your sandwich in half so that I could have some,” he revealed.
Joanna was stunned. She never thought such a random act of kindness would return to her in such a big way. “You see, that day, I hadn’t eaten in days. I was on the brink of collapsing. I will never forget how you helped me. My name is Sam.”
Realizing that Sam likely hadn’t eaten, Joanna opened a can of beans so that he could eat. While he was eating, he shared that he lost his wife and young children in an accident. He could not cope with the loss, so he started to turn to vices. He ended up losing everything and ended up on the street.
“I sometimes sing in the park, hoping people would donate some money to me,” Sam shared. “After seeing you and your children, I followed you and saw you lived here. I realized you had no one else to help you, so I would sneak in to help in any way I could. With the money I earned from singing in the park, I bought some milk, diapers, the stroller, and toys,” he explained.
Joanna was in tears. While the thought of a stranger easily entering her home scared her, she was grateful that it was Sam, a kind person who had nothing but good intentions. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you,” she told Sam.
Sam shook his head and said he wanted nothing in return. However, Joanna insisted. She offered to give him a haircut, as this was the only thing she could do for him.
Sam agreed, coming back the following day. She cut his hair and shaved his beard, and they were both surprised at the transformation that had happened right before their very eyes. Sam was a handsome man who dealt with the wrong cards in life.
In the end, Sam and Joanna started seeing each other some more, as Sam helped Joanna with the babies. They got to know each other and fell in love.
The pair rebuilt their lives together, renovating the small house and using one of the rooms as a place for Joanna’s home salon. Sam found a job at a local restaurant where he’d sing in the afternoons, which gave him enough money to save up for his new family.
Eventually, Sam and Joanna got married, and Sam adopted Joanna’s three children. They were a happy family, and they worked hard to get themselves out of poverty.
What can we learn from this story?
Most people will not forget how you made them feel. Although Joanna could not remember the act of kindness she did toward Sam, it was something that left a mark on Sam. Sam could not forget how Joanna made him feel, so he decided to pay it forward.
What goes around comes around. Although Joanna didn’t have much in life, she still made it a point to help Sam. Even though Sam didn’t have much in life as well, he made sure to help Joanna. The kindness you put out into the world finds its way back to you one way or another.
Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.
