Homeless Man Spends 8 Days Looking for Lost Phone Owner, Celebrates Xmas Surrounded by a Family — Story of the Day

Conner became homeless after being kicked out by his stepdaughter. After he returned a lost phone he found at the railway station where he sleeps, he learned that kindness pays off.

Conner hadn't always lived as a vagrant sleeping at the local railway station. At some point, he had a job, a family, and a place to call home.

Conner used to live with his wife and his stepdaughter, and he loved them both dearly. He even rewrote his will to give his house to his daughter and wife. However, he never imagined that his stepdaughter would kick him out of what was once his own house after his wife's passing.

And so, his home became the railway station. One day, he stumbled across a phone lying not too far from the railway track. It was not uncommon for Conner to find people's lost items at the railway track.

The phone's battery was dead, and it took him several hours to find someone he could borrow a charger from. Conner was eventually able to charge the phone, but he came across another problem, the sensor didn't work because the phone was broken.

Conner was determined to try and get the phone back to its owner. But how can I find them without accessing the phone, he thought. He figured he'd just have to use what he had and find the owner using the picture of the woman on the screen saver.

Conner wandered through the railway station, trying to find the owner.

"Sorry, do you know this woman?" Conner would ask the passers-by, who often wouldn't give him the time of day.

"I know her. That's my neighbor, Sally."

Conner was used to being ignored at this point. He'd come to learn that people often didn't consider you worth their time when you were homeless, but he was determined nonetheless.

Conner even went to the police station with the photo, hoping they could help him identify the woman, but they didn't take him seriously. In fact, they even suspected Conner might have stolen the phone and threatened to arrest him if he continued to bother them on the matter.

Still determined, Conner continued searching for the woman on the streets. One day, he came across a man who recognized the woman.

"I know her. That's my neighbor, Sally," the man said.

"Fantastic! Could you help me contact her? I'd love to get her phone back to her. I'm sure she has been worried sick," Conner said.

"Oh, I doubt that. You see, Sally struggles with dementia. She's most likely even forgotten all about that by now," the man responded.

The man eventually gave Conner Sally's address, and Conner paid her a visit. Upon his arrival, he was welcomed by Sally's husband, Peter, and his daughters.

Peter explained to Conner that the 61-year-old Sally was in the early stages of Dementia and was struggling to accept it. Sally eventually joined Peter and Conner. Conner was glad to finally meet the face he had been looking at for so long in person.

"Thank you for this, Conner. I imagine it couldn't have been easy finding me. You really went to great lengths to get this back to me," Sally said.

"It is my pleasure, Sally. I wish I could have gotten it back to you sooner," Conner responded.

"You know, since I was diagnosed with dementia, things have been a little tough for me," Sally said.

"I can imagine. Good thing you have your family to help you out," Conner remarked.

"Yes, that is true. But honestly, it was a little hard, considering it was hard for them to trust me since my diagnosis," Sally explained.

"It has been a learning curve for all of us," Peter added.

"Conner, please join us for Christmas dinner."

"It definitely can't be easy on any of you. How did you lose your phone, though?" Conner asked.

"Honestly, things became a little tense with my family after everything, and I was hurt that they didn't trust me to look after myself. I know they meant well, but it didn't make it any easier," Sally explained.

"So, Sally decided she'd run away from us and go to a resort alone for Christmas," Peter added with a soft chuckle.

"I was not running away, love. I needed space. Plus, I guess I also needed to know I could still look after myself. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wasn't the case. My memory failed me, and I missed my train and lost my phone," Sally explained dejectedly as Peter lovingly held her hand.

"My daughters and I found her crying at the train station without her phone. She was sad to lose all her pictures of her and our family. We could care less about the phone. We were just glad Sally wasn't hurt," Peter said.

"My pictures helped me with my memory, you know?! Helped me keep track of things... of reality," Sally added.

"I'm glad you are well, too. And as it turns out, you didn't lose your phone. It just happened to change hands for a second, that's all," Conner concluded.

"Conner, please join us for Christmas dinner," Peter said.

"Yes, please. It's the least we could do to thank you for everything," Sally added.

"It would be my honor," Conner said, grateful.

Conner and Peter's family had a wonderful Christmas dinner. It had been so long since Conner had been in a warm, welcoming family environment. He had spent a long time alone in the streets and so, he cherished every second with Sally and Peter's family.

Later, Peter hired Conner to work in his company. Conner was eventually able to get himself an apartment and became good friends with Sally and Peter.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kindness will not return void. Conner's act of kindness led him to spend Christmas with a welcoming family and aided him in getting a job.
• Everything happens for the better. After all the hurdles Conner had gone through, things worked together for his good in the end.

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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.