Poor Mom Eats Once a Day Saving Money for Son’s Education, Years Later Sunbathes near Own Pool – Story of the Day

Josephine didn't have much, but she always gave the little that she had to her son, Lance. Years later, Mark repays his mother's sacrifice and gives her a life she had never dreamed of.

Josephine grew up poor and learned to live a humble life from a young age. She always cared deeply for her community and was known to share everything with the children in her neighborhood. After a devastating hurricane tore through her hometown, she was forced to move to a new city and start a new life.

Soon, Josephine fell in love with a man named Dennis and fell pregnant. She was disappointed when Dennis abandoned her and only left a note behind. "Please take care of my boy. I'm so sorry I can't provide for him," the note read. From that day, Josephine decided to do everything possible to give her son a better life.

She gave birth to a beautiful boy and named him Lance, after the astronaut Lance Armstrong. Every night before bed, Josephine would whisper, "shoot for the stars," into Lance's ear. She got a job as a cashier at a local convenience store. While she didn't earn much, she ensured Lance had everything he needed.

Most days, Josephine would only eat one full meal a day. As Lance got older, he noticed how hard his mother worked and tried to emulate her. Lance became very competitive in school and always aimed for top marks. He also became fascinated with the school computer.

One day, Lance noticed a small shop close to his mother's studio apartment. The shop sold computer parts at low prices, and Lance asked his mother if he could get parts to build his own computer. "Tell me what parts you need, and I promise I'll try my best to get them for you," Josephine told him.

"I'm so proud of you, my boy. You made your dreams come true."

She worked hard and made sure to save her money. Her store manager saw her hard work and offered to pay for meals while she was on shift so that she could save extra money. On Lance's 12th birthday, Josephine surprised him with all the needed parts for his computer.

As an extra surprise, she allowed him to spend his free time learning from the computer shop owner. "Thank you so much! It's my dream to build computers, and one day I'm going to make sure you don't have to work again," Lance told his mother. Seeing her son so excited made Josephine happy.

Lance's smile was worth more to her than all the money in the world. Years later, Lance attended a prestigious college and studied computer science. During his time there, he worked on building his own software company from the ground up.

Josephine made sure to visit him every weekend and bring him food. "If you work too hard, you're going to burn out," she told Lance.

He giggled and replied, "If I'm shooting for the stars, it will all be worth it."

Lance later graduated at the top of his class and was immediately given multiple job offers from large tech companies, but he had other plans.

Instead, he presented the software he had been working on to investors to see if he could make it on his own. Lance hit it big and became the new star in the tech world. He started his own software company and became a millionaire in the space of a year.

"I'm so proud of you, my boy. You made your dreams come true," Josephine told him. Coming from a humble background made Lance a likable boss. All his employees loved him but noticed that he seemed to live a very simple life. His colleagues began discussing things they had observed about him in the break room at work.

"His car is second-hand. He doesn't have a sports car or anything like that. One time, I saw him ride the bus," one employee, Jake, remarked. "I have the same watch as him, and I'm just an intern. Also, I've seen him eat ramen noodles for lunch a few times," another employee, Alicia, replied.

This became gossip in his office very quickly, with everyone taking note of Lance's behavior. They realized that even his clothes were reasonably affordable, and he gave a sizeable amount of money to local charities. Lance also treated everyone as equals, and many began to see him more as a friend than a boss.

Lance's lifestyle didn't seem to change, no matter how well the company did or how much extra money he earned. At the end of the financial year, the company threw a big staff party to celebrate.

After the speeches, everyone went to the balcony for drinks. Jacob and Alicia confronted Lance to figure out why he lived the way he did.

"You have all the money in the world, but we never see you splash out on anything. What are you doing with your money?" Jacob asked.

Lance laughed as he took a sip of his drink. "It's not entirely true that I don't splash out on anything," he replied honestly. "I bought a beautiful house on the hills with a lovely pool. I bought a gorgeous car. I have bought wardrobes full of the best clothes that money can buy."

"I have bought plenty of expensive things, but I bought them all for my mother," Lance explained.

"But why don't you do the same for yourself?" Alicia asked.

"When I was growing up, my mother ate one meal a day to ensure that I had food and clothes. It may seem silly, but I saved because it was my turn to eat once a day and give up luxury to thank my mother," Lance replied.

What can we learn from this story?

• Sacrifices go a long way. Josephine was willing to sacrifice whatever it took to give Lance a chance to live a better life than she did. In the end, it all paid off.
• Always remember where you came from. Despite becoming a successful, rich businessman, Lance didn't forget his humble beginnings and everything that his mother did to get him where he is.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a homeless girl who sacrifices her lunch for a blind lady & stays hungry, and then later inherits her mansion.

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.