Woman Is Stunned When Adopted Son Runs to Dumpster & Tearfully Hugs Dirty Beggar — Story of the Day

When a young boy had finally settled into his new home and family after a terrible tragedy, he spots a raggedy older woman and runs towards her with open arms. The boy's confused adoptive mother would soon learn the mysterious homeless lady's identity...

Evan went to bed with only one wish in his heart. A wish that he had told nobody about...

The 9-year-old had gone through the most unfathomable pain a few years ago. He was playing with a few older friends in the snow-laden neighborhood park three days before his 6th birthday.

"We'll be right back with your early birthday present, baby!" Evan's mom had chirped just before she and Evan's dad took off to the store. It was going to be a bicycle; he just knew it!

The skies began to change color, and the kids began to pout and go back home one by one until Evan was the only one left wandering among the bushes.

What he didn't know was that his bicycle would never come. And the parents he was waiting for had breathed their last in a fatal car accident not far from home.

Evan walked aimlessly, fascinated by the shapes of different leaves and flowers. He walked and walked, lost in the fantastical thoughts of his imaginative mind, unaware that he would never see his mama and papa's sweet faces ever again.

Somewhere along the way, Evan mindlessly stepped onto something that cracked under his boots. Before he knew it, he lost his balance and fell forward through a thin layer of ice into the abyss of ice-cold water that stung his skin.

"Evan! What are you doing? Get away from that woman!" Lisa tried to pull him away from the raggedy old woman's arms.

The little boy had fallen into the old lake behind the park, and his parents were no longer there to rescue him. There was no one around except a raggedy old lady passing by with her cardboard sign and a handkerchief full of coins.

Deidre was a tired homeless woman walking back to the tent where she slept every night. When she heard a splash and a scream and saw a little boy fall into the lake, she ran towards the water and struggled to pull the crying child out of the icy waters.

She rushed the little stranger to her tent, which was only a few feet away. Deidre threw her worn-out blankets on him, fed him the sandwich that was supposed to be her dinner, and lay beside him, waiting for his temperature to normalize and for him to talk again.

The following day, she learned of the death of Evan's parents from the people in the neighborhood. "How am I going to break it to the boy?" she wondered.

For the next three days, Deidre held the boy in her arms as he cried helpless tears, mourning for the only family he had.

The elderly woman did her best to fetch him food and warm clothes, and she wished she could be his guardian forever. He was a loving child who thanked her for every little thing and talked to her like they were old friends.

For the first time in a while, Deidre had someone who felt like family. But she knew she couldn't keep him in the scrappy old tent forever. So with a heavy heart, Deidre dropped Evan off at the shelter for orphaned children the next day.

Evan had never felt so alone. Life with his parents was never all that comfortable. His parents were barely able to make ends meet. But the cramped-up trailer they had lived in was full of love.

The boy wept every night at the shelter, and Deidre wept for him in her tent, too.

"God, please give that beautiful child unto another loving family…" she prayed.

Deidre's prayers were answered. Because after just a month at the shelter, a loving, well-to-do couple had adopted Evan.

Evan's new mother's name was Lisa, and she was kind-hearted and gentle towards the grief in the boy's heart. Her husband, Fred, was incredibly caring, too. For the new parents, it was a blessing to finally bring a child home after years of trying for one.

Two years went by, and Evan seemed settled in his new life. Thanks to the tenderness of his new parents' hearts, Evan felt safe and at home again.

But there was still something missing…something he hadn't told his parents about.

One day, Lisa was watching Evan skip around in the park when something unexpected alarmed her. Out of nowhere, Evan screamed at someone in the distance and started running towards the back of the park.

Heaps of garbage had piled up around the neglected dumpster there, and Lisa was shocked to see her son leaping, stumbling, and blazing through the waste with his arms open high in the air.

"Evan, stop! EVAN!" Lisa chased her boy until she saw who he was running to.

"Evan! What are you doing? Get away from that woman!" Lisa tried to pull him away from the raggedy old woman's arms. But the stench of her wet clothes had already spread onto Evan, and her grimy hands were ruffling Evan's perfect hair.

The older woman was laughing joyfully until the laugh was interrupted by a terrible bout of cough that had her grabbing her chest in pain.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she assured Evan and looked at Lisa's fuming face.

"How dare you touch my son, you—"

"Mom!" Evan interrupted Lisa's outburst. "This is my angel, Deidre!"

Evan held Lisa's hand and finally told him the story about how Deidre had mothered him during the most difficult days of his life.

"I'm so sorry, Deidre! I didn't know…" Lisa dropped a tear on Deidre's wrinkly old hand.

"Where's your tent, though?" Evan asked Deidre, looking around with wide eyes.

"No more tent, child, I sleep where I beg. The rains swooped my tent away. And now this cough won't end. I think my time is coming…" Deidre said, holding back her tears.

"No, it isn't. You, Evan's angel, are coming with us!" Lisa sounded certain as she helped the older woman walk towards the car park.

Evan was dancing with joy, knowing that the one thing he had been wishing for had finally come true. He had met his angel again!

Over the next several months, Lisa and Fred helped turn Deidre's life around. They found a charming little house for her to live in and paid the first six months' rent on her behalf in advance. They helped her get the proper treatment to heal her cough. And when she felt like her old self again, they helped her find a part-time job at the grocery store.

She had a purposeful life again, but the favorite part of her busy week was still meeting Evan and spending hours in endless conversations with him!

What can we learn from this story?

• Never forget your angels. For Evan, it was Deidre, who not only saved his life but brought him to a shelter which ended up being the starting point of a new chapter for the boy.
• If you see someone in a dire situation, don't hesitate to help. Deidre immediately rushed to little Evan's rescue when he fell into the lake, saving his life.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who braves a storm to save abandoned twins, not knowing that their mother would come looking for them years later.

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.