Woman Helps Single Grandpa Change Baby’s Diaper, Becomes Part of Their Family Later – Story of the Day

A woman comes to the aid of a grandfather struggling to change his little granddaughter's diaper and gets the job done in no time. Little do either of them know how it's going to change their lives forever.

"Jesus! I had forgotten about the groceries!" Reece sighed as he examined his refrigerator. He wasn't in the mood to go out, but he didn't have a choice now.

Reece had been living alone until his only daughter and son-in-law died in a car accident and left for their heavenly home. After the terrible incident, he didn't have the time to grieve and had to pull himself together for his granddaughter's sake.

Abbie was barely two months old when she lost her parents, and her loving grandpa brought her to his home. Since Reece was a businessman and financially secure, money was never an issue as far as raising Abbie was concerned.

The only issue was his age. Reece was 77 and knew he was getting older and weaker by the day. He could no longer lift the milk carton with one hand or change Abbie's diapers easily. To put it mildly, his health wasn't in the best shape, which was one of the many reasons why his supervisor handled his business.

That day after adding the groceries to his cart, Reece was about to head to the cashier's when Abbie started crying. It wasn't long before he realized her diaper needed to be changed. He had forgotten to do it in his rush to get to the store.

"Oh honey, just a minute. Let's just get this done and—"

A soft voice from behind cut him off before he could finish. "Excuse me, sir, can I help you with something?"

Reece turned around to see a woman, probably in her early 30s. She had kind eyes, he thought.

"Oh no, ma'am, it's fine," he said. "This is my granddaughter... Her diaper should be changed. I appreciate your help, but we'll be almost done. I can handle it."

The woman gave him an apologetic glance. "I don't think that's a great idea, sir. With the crowd at the counters, I'm sure it'll take you a while before you're done."

Reece looked at the counters helplessly. "Oh well," he said. "Looks like we have no option now. Her diapers are in the car trunk…."

Blaming yourself for the things that aren't in your control won't do anything except make you miserable.

Reece decided to return for the groceries later and asked the woman to accompany him to his car. Soon, the woman was changing little Abbie's diapers, and Abbie didn't make a fuss, which surprised Reece.

"Oh no! We've got stinky winky diapers here! But no worries, we'll get you changed quickly, okay?" the woman spoke sweetly to Abbie, which gave Reece the impression that she was very good with babies.

"What's your name?" she asked little Abbie. "Why are you so pretty? Oh, do I smile on the pretty girl's lips?"

"She's Abbie," Recee said. "You got any kids of your own, miss?"

"I had a daughter…she died soon after birth," the woman replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss," he apologized.

"That's okay, sir... I guess we're done. Your granddaughter is pretty. I'm Christine, by the way."

"Reece here. Thank you for helping us, Christine."

"Not a problem, Reece. If you don't mind, can I hold Abbie while you finish shopping? I kinda miss my daughter today."

"No, not at all. Please. I think Abbie likes you too much. She never smiles so much for me!" he said, and Abbie giggled.

***

After Reece was done shopping, Christine helped him carry the groceries to his car. He was very thankful for her help and dropped her off at her house. It turned out they lived in the same neighborhood, just a couple of blocks away from each other.

After parting ways, Reece didn't expect to see Christine again, but just two days later, she paid him a visit, and she didn't come empty-handed.

That day, Reece was having tea when he heard the doorbell ring. He didn't expect to see Christine standing on his front porch.

"I baked a pie and thought it would be no fun eating it alone!" she said with a smile. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise, darling. Come on in."

Reece served some tea and they enjoyed the pie with it. While at it, Christine shared her story with Reece, and the older man felt terrible for her.

"I divorced my husband because I blamed myself for my daughter's death. I didn't think I'd ever get over my loss... Not that I'm over it. But meeting Abbie that day made my heart feel lighter. She reminded me of my daughter..."

"You can come over whenever you want, Christine," Reece offered. "You see, darling, I struggle with almost everything at this age. If you don't mind, it would be great if you could assist us, help me with Abbie's care," he added.

"Oh, Reece, I'd love that! Really!"

Christine jumped at the chance of helping Reece, and being around Abbie eventually started healing her broken heart. But then something terrible happened one day.

After changing Abbie's diaper, Christine unconsciously left her on the bed without surrounding her with pillows. The baby girl crawled to the edge and would have fallen if Reece hadn't intervened in time.

Christine had gone to get Abbie some milk, and when she returned, she saw the disaster she would have caused if Reece had not swooped in and she burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I—I could have hurt her. I couldn't save my child, and now I almost hurt Abbie too! I have to leave, Reece. I'm sorry!" She stormed out of the house and didn't even bother listening to Reece.

Reece called her several times after that but she never answered her phone. She didn't even visit them.

Reece was worried about her. He needed to talk to her, so he walked to her house with Abbie one Sunday. Unfortunately, she wasn't home, so he asked around and learned she went to church on Sundays.

Thankfully, he found her there. The Sunday service had ended, and she was among those leaving the church.

"Oh, Reece!" She was startled to see him.

"Can we please sit and talk somewhere, Christine?"

She knew where the conversation was going. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you, Reece. I'm a terrible mother. I couldn't save my child, and I was about to hurt Abbie. I don't want to repeat that. I'm sorry."

"Abbie was not hurt, child," Reece told her. "You didn't hurt her. You didn't hurt your daughter, either. Stop blaming yourself for it."

"But Reece—"

"You think I have never made a mistake? We all make mistakes, darling. I once fed boiling milk to Abbie and had to take her to a doctor. Does it make me a bad grandfather? Oh no, honey, I love my little baby girl the most in the world. I would never harm her."

"Sometimes, things are out of our hands, darling. Blaming oneself is not the solution. Abbie and I miss you. I was so glad when you were there for my Abbie. I felt like the little girl had found a mother. Can you forgive yourself, at least for Abbie's sake?"

When Christine looked into Abbie's eyes that day, she realized Reece was right. The little girl's arms reaching out to her told her Abbie wanted her. The child's heart knew she wouldn't harm her. Never. She was nowhere to be blamed for what happened.

Wiping her tears, Christine held Abbie in her arms and smiled. She decided to move on for Abbie's sake.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Abbie," she sobbed. "I'm sorry for being selfish and leaving you. I love you, you know that, right?"

Christine cried her heart out as she hugged Abbie that day, and she stopped blaming herself for her child's death. She realized she wasn't to blame if her baby was stillborn. Abbie and Reece helped her realize that, and before they knew it, they had become each other's family.

What can we learn from this story?

• Accidental encounters can sometimes lead to beautiful beginnings. Reece and Christine met accidentally at the grocery store and became a loving family.
• Blaming yourself for the things that aren't in your control won't do anything except make you miserable. Abbie and Reece helped Christie realize that, and through them, she managed to heal from her loss.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a bus driver who kicked out the passengers who were yelling at a new mom with a crying baby, only to be arrested by the cops 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.