Teachers Come To Greet School Janitor on 75th Birthday, ‘You’re the Only Family I Have’ He Says – Story of the Day

Turning 75 was a massive milestone in the life of one man, but he had no family to celebrate his happiness with. He was also planning to quit work, unaware of how his life would soon take a different turn.

David was one of the friendliest janitors at school. Besides keeping the school clean, he was always ready to help teachers carry piles of books from the library to the classroom. Anyone who needed help in school knew they could count on David.

The elderly man would wake up every day and get ready for work. He was the janitor in the same school for the past 25 years and considered his job a significant part of his life.

Decades ago, his wife had suddenly passed away soon after their marriage, and since then, David had been living alone. He had no children or family to look after, so going to school was something he looked forward to every day.

"Why don't you quit work and stay at home, David?" teachers would ask him. "You deserve to rest and enjoy your post-retirement days."

The thought of quitting work would make David anxious. What would I do sitting alone at home? He wondered. He never wanted to think about retirement, but deep down, he knew he would have to quit work someday.

After returning home from work, David often skimmed through cooking magazines a few kind teachers gave him because they knew about his passion for baking. He would bring freshly baked cookies and bread to school every week and serve them to the teachers during recess.

"Wow! These cookies are so delicious, David!" Samantha, the English teacher, told him. She was one of the few teachers who enjoyed David's company and praised his kind efforts. Meanwhile, other teachers weren't fond of him and wished he would quit work soon.

One day, while David was at school, he began thinking about his life. Should I quit my job? He wondered. Unlike other people, David's motivation to work wasn't money. It was the teachers who appreciated his hard work and enjoyed his company.

However, he felt he was losing his strength as he turned old. I will turn 75 in a week. I think I should stay at home now, he thought.

During recess that day, he told Samantha what he had been thinking recently. "I am planning to quit work, Ms. Samantha. I think there must be someone else who might need this job to make ends meet, and I'm already an old man!"

"Oh, David! We will miss you so much if that happens," Samantha cried. "We don't want you to leave!"

David smiled at Samantha and the other teachers and told them that he had to quit soon. "You know I don't have a wife to look after or kids to raise, so money isn't what has kept me going all these years," he said. "Your love and appreciation have encouraged me to work hard."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you, David," Samantha replied before recess ended and the teachers dispersed.

The next day, David went into the principal's office and told him about his decision. "Sir, I have enjoyed being a part of this school, but I think it's time for me to go now," he said.

"Are you sure, David? Have you thought about your decision thoroughly?" the principal asked.

"Yes, sir," David nodded. "It's my health that won't allow me to work now. I feel I'm getting weaker with time, and it's become difficult for me to keep the school clean."

"We need to celebrate his birthday!" Samantha told the other teachers. "I totally forgot he is turning 75 tomorrow!"

The principal rose to his feet and pulled out a paper from the drawers. "Well, if that's your final decision, then I should begin preparing the documentation," the principal said. "But I can give you time to rethink, David. You are a valuable member of our school, and letting you go won't be easy for us."

David smiled at the principal while thinking how lucky he was to be surrounded by people who loved him. Even though he didn't have a family, he was blessed to have coworkers who didn't want him to quit his job.

"Thank you for always appreciating me, sir," David said. "But my decision is final."

After finalizing his resignation with the principal, David told Samantha and the other teachers that he was finally quitting work. "I'm here for another two days," he said.

"You will be missed, David!" Samantha said.

"Someone else is going to replace me soon, but I'm sure they won't be as funny as me," David chuckled.

"No one can replace you, David," another teacher said. "But we wish you all the best!"

"Yeah," Samantha added. "You need to catch up on rest after working so hard for more than two decades, David."

David smiled and left, but he couldn't stop thinking about how lonely he would feel at home. Going to work was the major highlight of his day, and he had no idea what he would do at home after quitting his job.

The day before David's 75th birthday was his last day at work. Before leaving school that day, he said goodbye to all the teachers and gifted them some baked goodies.

"Thank you for these delicious goodies, David!" Samantha and her coworkers said.

Later that day, Samantha suddenly realized it was David's birthday the next day. Every year, the teachers would celebrate his birthday in school by buying a cake for him.

"We need to celebrate his birthday!" Samantha told the other teachers. "I totally forgot he is turning 75 tomorrow!"

"I have an idea!" Samantha told her coworkers.

"What is it?" one of the other teachers asked curiously.

"I think we should visit David's house tomorrow with a cake and some gifts. What do you guys think?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!"

"Besides his birthday, we can also celebrate his twenty-five years of working with us. He would be so happy to see us!"

The next day after work, Samantha and her friends drove to the nearest bakery and bought a delicious cake with candles, a birthday topper, and a bunch of balloons.

They also bought a gift David would treasure forever ― a photo of him and the teachers in a wooden frame. They reached his house before sunset and knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" David asked while peeking through the hole in his house's damaged wooden front door. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed when he saw Samantha standing on his doorstep with the other teachers.

"What a pleasant surprise!" he covered his mouth with his hands. "Please come in!"

David was shocked to see all the teachers in his house. Earlier that day, he woke up and cried, thinking about how lonely he had become after his wife's death. He even thought he should have married another woman, so he didn't have to feel so lonely during this stage of his life.

"Happy 75th birthday, David!" Samantha said while opening the box of cake. "We also have a little present for you!"

Then, she handed the photo frame to David, who couldn't control his tears. "I'm so grateful to have you all in my life!" he cried and wiped the tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh, David! Please don't cry!" Samantha held his hand. "We're all here to cheer you up!"

"Yeah, we don't want to see you cry," another teacher said. "Come on, let's cut the cake!"

"Happy birthday to you..." the teachers sang the birthday song for David as he blew out the candles and pushed the knife into the soft cake.

"Who wants the first bite?" David asked while trying to cut the cake into equal-sized pieces.

"Me!" Samantha exclaimed and raised her hand while all the other teachers laughed.

After David served the cake to everyone, the teachers began discussing what had happened at school earlier that day. "We missed you so much today, David!" Samantha said.

"Yeah, we did!" another teacher said. "We even met the new janitor."

"Oh, really?" David asked curiously. "How is he?"

"He is a good person, but no one can take your place, David," Samantha looked at him. "You know that."

David smiled and looked at the ground, trying to hide his tears from everyone. He wasn't expecting the teachers to come to his place and surprise him, and knowing that all the teachers missed him made him very emotional.

"Hey, are you crying, David?" a teacher asked before everyone in the room stared at him.

"Come on, David!" Samantha wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "We're all here with you, and we aren't going to forget you or anything, okay?"

Watching the elderly man cry made everyone emotional, but they tried their best to cheer him up. "I want to go back to school. I don't want to quit my job!" David cried.

"But why, David? You really need to take a break now," Samantha said.

"Staying at home makes me feel so lonely! I have nothing to do here!" David cried.

"But that doesn't mean you have to resume working at school. You can do so many other things!"

"I don't want to do anything else!" David replied stubbornly. "You are the only family I have, and I don't want to stay away from you all. I don't want to spend the remaining years of my life alone in this house!"

Samantha held David's hand and tried to calm him down. "But we're all here with you. We won't leave you alone," she told him.

"I need to resume work so I can be close to you all. I don't care if working long hours drains my energy. I'm willing to do everything it takes to be around you all. I mean it!" David said.

Everyone looked at him for a few seconds before Samantha broke the silence. "Okay, I have a solution," she said.

"What is it?" her coworker asked.

"How about visiting David every Saturday?" Samantha asked the other teachers. "What do you guys say?"

"That sounds great!" they replied.

"What do you think about it, David? Would it make you feel better?" Samantha asked.

"Would you guys visit me every single Saturday?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, David! We will never let you feel lonely!"

"Then that sounds like a good idea," David chuckled. "I will wait for all of you every Saturday, and if even one of you skips, I won't be happy about it."

"We promise we'll visit you regularly. All of us, okay?" Samantha assured him.

Then, the teachers chatted with David for a while before they left and promised to visit him on Saturday. "I will wait for all of you!" he said before they left.

On Saturday, David woke up early and began preparing cookies, bread, and some sweet treats for the teachers. After he had baked the food, he quickly showered and wore a fresh pair of pants with his favorite t-shirt.

Upon hearing the doorbell, he rushed to the door and welcomed the teachers inside. "I'm so glad to see all of you here!" he smiled. After asking them to sit down, David quickly took out his tray of baked goodies and served them to his guests.

"Oh wow, David!" Samantha exclaimed. "Did you bake all of these just for us?"

"Yes, all of these are for my family!" David replied with a smile.

Visiting David on Saturdays soon became a ritual for Samantha and her coworkers, and they enjoyed eating the baked treats he served them. None of the teachers had imagined the school's janitor would consider them his family one day.

What can we learn from this story?

• Sometimes, things don't go as planned. While David wanted to keep working as a janitor, he couldn't do so because of his age. He also thought he would feel lonely at home, but the visits from the teachers made him feel better.
• You can find happiness in unexpected places. David never thought he would consider Samantha and her coworkers his family and feel happy when they visited him. He found joy in the most unexpected place.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

When a school's staff learned that one teacher needed money for a costly surgery, only a poor janitor responded and donated $15K. Click here to read the entire 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.