Mom Who Left Her Child on Stranger's Doorstep Finds a Baby on Her Own Doorstep 20 Years Later — Story of the Day

A woman abandons her newborn on a doorstep because she cannot afford to care for him. 20 years later, history repeats itself when she discovers a baby in a brown knitted basket on her doorstep.

Juliana Larson was only 16 years old when she got pregnant, but her boyfriend refused to take responsibility and walked away from her life, leaving her all alone to make decisions for their child.

Unsure of what to do, she turned to her parents for assistance, but fate didn't help her there either, and they kicked her out of the house, telling her only to return when she'd terminated the pregnancy.

Both homeless and jobless now, Juliana wandered the streets for a while before landing a job as a waitress. She started saving money for her delivery and future child, but she realized it wouldn't be enough to provide a decent life for her child. So after giving birth, she left her baby on a stranger's doorstep with a note.

"Please don't waste time looking for me if you find this note. I hope you'll provide her with a happy life. Please raise her with love and as your own. From Juliana Larson," it read.

20 years from that day, Juliana could never forget how difficult it had been for her not to look back and take her kid back, but she'd reasoned that it was for the best. In the years that had followed, she had gotten almost everything she'd wanted: a stable job, a loving husband, and a beautiful home.

What she didn't have – or, as she saw it, God didn't bless her with – was a child. She and her husband Peter had been trying for a child for several years with no success. Finally, they'd decided that they were enough for each other. But all of that changed one fateful day when she discovered a baby in a brown knitted basket on her doorstep...

"Peter!" she cried as she opened the door. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a beautiful newborn girl in a basket. She picked her up in her arms, and suddenly, a note fell on the floor.

"A baby?" Peter was perplexed when he approached the door. "How is it…." He looked Juliana in the eyes, and for a moment, both of them reminisced on how she had abandoned her baby. She'd never kept the truth about her past life from him, and he'd always been truthful with her too.

However, when they discovered a baby, they were at a loss on what to do. "Honey," Juliana said. "There's a note on the floor. I'm sure the one who left the baby here left it with her."

Peter picked up the note to read it, but by the time he finished, Juliana was in tears.

"Hi, Dear Mommy,

I hope you pay for your sins! For what you did and how you left me! Do you think you could abandon your daughter and live peacefully? Well, guess what? I followed in your footsteps, and I did the same. Raise that kid happily because I don't think you've got an option!

From your abandoned daughter – Rose Smith."

Juliana almost broke down on the doorstep. "Honey, what do we do now? If this note is true, then - this baby is my granddaughter. I can't believe it!"

"We can't keep the baby just like that, Juliana. We need to inform the cops."

"But, honey, we know who the mother is, and we can try to track her down and ask her why she did it. Please! And if I find out where my daughter is today, I might finally be able to ask for forgiveness. Please, Peter! I want to do this. Can you please call Josh?"

"But, honey..."

"Peter, please."

"Alright!"

Josh ran a small detective agency and had close relationships with the police and the town's legal officials. While he wasn't really famous, Josh was a treasure when it came to tracking down people. Two years ago, Peter, who was a lawyer by profession, had met him on a case. Since then, they had been good friends, and Josh had also met Juliana.

When Peter called Josh that night, he agreed to the request right away. "Of course, buddy. But you need to send me a picture of the baby and the letter, and if Juliana remembers anything about the address where she'd left the baby or anything else, that would be of great help."

"I believe she has an address with her. But it's quite old. The family may have relocated."

It's all right, Peter. Just send me whatever you have, and I'll let you know if I find out anything."

"Thanks, Josh! That would mean a lot!"

Three months later…

The address Juliana had written down of where she'd left her child didn't help much because a new family had lately moved there. Still, Josh didn't given up, and he'd been doing everything he could to find Rose.

Peter and Juliana had decided that if they couldn't find Rose, they'd legally adopt the child and raise her as their own. But then, one fateful morning, Peter's phone rang, and Josh reported he'd finally found Rose. It turns out she was working as a waitress in a cafe in Los Angeles.

The next morning, Peter and Juliana were on a flight to LA to meet Rose. When they arrived at the cafe, Juliana quickly spotted her. She looked exactly like her younger version with emerald hazel eyes, brown curls, and a birthmark above her upper lip.

Juliana approached Rose with the baby, whom she and Peter had named Lily.

"Rose?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Ca - Can we please talk?"

The young girl turned around and froze when she saw Juliana with her baby. "What the hell are you doing here? Just leave! There's no need to create a scene here!"

"I just need to talk to you, Rose."

"Look…" Rose had just started speaking when her boss called her. "See, I work here, and I don't want a fuss! Get lost and don't come back! I have nothing to do with you!"

But Juliana was not going to give up so soon. Both she and Peter sat at the cafe and waited until Rose's shift was over. When they saw her walking out of the cafe, they followed her. "Rose! Please listen to me! Just give me a chance, and I won't bother you again!" Juliana cried.

Rose stopped and turned around. "Why are you after me? You can't fix anything! Just leave, please!"

"Rose!" Juliana said, hugging her. "It's okay. I am here. I know what happened to you. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."

At this point, Rose couldn't stop crying. "It's all over. My life, my career, everything…I am a loser!"

"No, Rose. You're not. Please stop crying. Let's sit and talk, okay?"

Peter and Juliana took Rose to a nearby park, and they told her they'd tracked her down with the help of a private detective. Josh had given them a detailed report about Rose, and they knew she was visiting a therapist because of a trauma.

Rose had moved away from home a year before to pursue a career as an actor in Los Angeles. A casting director had promised her a role, and she had fallen in love with him, or so she believed until she became pregnant with his child.

"I wasn't in the correct frame of mind. Everything was going bad all at once," Rose explained. "When I turned 18, mom and dad told me that I was adopted. They said my mother had abandoned me on the doorstep. When I moved to Los Angeles a year later, I became pregnant, but the man I was in love with left me. It all became too much for me, and I was depressed, so I began visiting a therapist. I gave birth to a daughter, but as a kind of retaliation, I abandoned her."

"I'm sorry about what happened, Rose," Peter apologized. "How did you find out about us?"

"Because I knew my biological mother's name, I made a search and found three women by that name. The first two looked nothing like me, so I knew the third one was my biological mother. I found out your address and left the baby on your doorstep. Mom and dad don't know about any of it. They assume I'm still auditioning for roles in LA, but I've practically given up and started working as a waitress because I'm too embarrassed to go home."

Peter and Juliana both felt sorry for the young girl and decided to assist her in getting through the difficult period. They convinced Rose to return to her adoptive parents and accompanied her there. They told Rose's adoptive parents everything, and all four elders agreed that the best thing they could do for both Lily and Rose was to provide them with a good family environment, forgetting their pasts, so that the girls did not feel abandoned or rejected.

As a result, they decided to look after the girls together as a family. Lily now has two adoring grandparents, and Rose is doing much better in her therapy.

What can we learn from this story?

• Families are formed through love, not necessarily by blood. All four elders choosing to put their differences aside to raise Rose and Lily as a family is an excellent example of this.
• Never, ever keep the truth from your family. If Rose had told her adoptive parents about her problems, they might have been able to help her sooner.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who left her baby in a plane and decided to track him 13 years later.

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