Poor Man Returns Lost Bag to Older Lady, Gets Warm Meal and New Home in Return — Story of the Day

A poor man found a lost bag while wandering the streets for food. He was startled when he saw its contents and immediately looked for its owner to return it, unaware of how his life would change after.

They say luck favors the poor and the compassionate, and sometimes, you may not know how your fate will change when luck favors you unexpectedly. It happened to be so true in a poor 40-year-old man's case.

Peter was wandering about on the street on a hot afternoon when something under a wooden bench caught his attention. Curious, he approached it and found an abandoned bag. He looked around before picking it up, only to be startled after unzipping it and peeping inside...

After a catastrophic hurricane hit his town five years ago, Peter lost everything he had. The flash flood washed away his little house, destroying more than just his livelihood. Since then, Peter took refuge in an old, abandoned trailer and ate leftovers from a local pizzeria.

"Excuse me, lady, does this belong to you?" Peter said, extending the bag.

One day, he was walking to the eatery to get some leftovers and noticed a lost bag under a bench. He anxiously picked it up and was stunned to see wads of life-changing money inside.

The man did not count how much was in there, but he was certain that he could afford a nice little house with it.

"And I could save some for food...Houses are quite cheap here," he thought.

Peter's heart began to pound faster as he dreamed of what we could do with the money that wasn't his. He checked the bag further to see whose it was and felt something like a card inside.

"A photo?" he exclaimed after pulling out a photograph of a little boy. "I've seen him somewhere...but where?"

Peter sat on the bench, trying to recall where he had seen the child.

"I've seen him, but I can't remember when and where," he thought again.

Peter took the bag to his trailer because he worried he would be framed for theft.

"Should I hand over the bag to the police?" he thought. "But why do I get this weird feeling that I've seen this kid somewhere?"

After moments of deep thought, the man finally recalled seeing the boy with an old lady at a park near the shopping mall.

"Got it! I've seen him a couple of times in the park with a lady!" he exclaimed.

Without wasting time, he took the bag and hurried to the park to see if the boy was there. He tried to stay calm to avoid attracting suspicion in public.

It was getting dark, and the people in the park were starting to leave. Peter was determined to find the older woman and waited. Moments later, he saw a faint figure of a woman with a kid entering the main gate.

"It's her!" Peter exclaimed after rechecking the photograph. "And that's the kid in the photograph."

He approached them, and after seeing him, the woman named Barbara turned away, thinking he was coming for alms.

"Hey there...I want to...." Peter stammered. But Barbara pretended not to hear him and motioned to walk away with the little boy.

"Hey, can you please wait? Excuse me, lady, does this belong to you?" Peter asked, extending the bag to her.

Barbara was shocked. "My bag?! How did you get this?" she shrieked, immediately unzipping it to check if her money was safe.

Peter calmly watched, knowing any person in her shoes would have doubted if the money was still intact.

"Oh, dear! Thank you so much! I thought I had lost this! I had just withdrawn this from the bank for Tom's treatment," cried Barbara.

Tom was Barbara's 7-year-old grandson who had lost his parents a year ago in a car crash. He survived the unfortunate accident but was soon diagnosed with a heart condition that needed immediate surgery.

For the past year, his grandma taught cooking, sewing, and embroidery to save enough money to afford his operation. She managed to save $35K and had withdrawn the money for Tom's operation the following week.

"I'm so sorry to hear this, but I will pray for your grandson," Peter comforted Barbara. "I found your bag under a bench near the shopping mall."

"Oh my, I can't thank you enough for returning it, son," said Barbara in tears. "I was so worried my grandson would never get his surgery."

Tom had the surgery the following week and returned home a few days later. Barbara was delighted and was more than pleased to see Peter, who had come to visit her grandson to check his well-being.

Touched by the stranger's honesty and compassion, the grandma invited him for dinner that day. Peter obliged and happily returned for a warm meal later that evening, unaware of how his future would change.

"I lost my house in the flood. I found an old trailer on the outskirts of town and made it my home," Peter shared during dinner.

After hearing the kind man's story, Barbara decided to help him. Though she did not have money, she was determined to return Peter's favor and promised to see him soon.

Around two months later, Peter heard a knock on his trailer.

"Barbara?" he exclaimed. She was with a few other strangers.

"Son, I know it's never too late to say thank you, so we came by to give you a little gift." Barbara extended a set of keys to Peter.

They drove him to a nearby area and showed him the doorway to his new house. As it turned out, Barbara had told her neighbors about Peter's kindness and honesty. Touched by his story, they started a GoFundMe page for him and collected $65K with which they bought him a lovely little house close by.

Peter was moved to tears, speechless. His life had changed overnight, and he still could not believe his eyes.

"Son, I've started a new bakery, and I would like some help," said Barbara. She proposed for Peter to work for her as her deliveryman.

"I would be honored, Barbara. Thank you so much!" he replied, readily accepting the offer.

Peter's luck shined on him that day. Not only did he have a cozy new house and a job, but he also found motherly love from Barbara.

What can we learn from this story?

• Be kind to everyone, and you will surely be rewarded for it. When Peter found a bag stuffed with money, he did not keep it. Instead, he returned it to the old lady who had lost it and ultimately got rewarded with even more.
• If you get a chance to change someone's life into something better, do it. After getting her lost bag back, Barbara did not just thank Peter. She invited him for dinner and, after learning his story, teamed up with her neighbors to help him. She gifted him a new home and offered him a job in her new bakery.

A boy helps a poor older woman carry her groceries. A few days later, it reaps a life-changing reward. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.