It doesn’t take a lot to go from having a roof over your head to being out on the streets. All it might take is one bad choice or simply a cruel twist of fate.
1. Amber: I Had to Starve Myself for a Whole Week to Buy a Cellphone
My name’s Amber. Until recently, I was living what I thought was the dream life with my husband Louis and our son Allen. We seemed so happy. Then, suddenly, everything changed.
“We rushed into things, Amber. I can’t do this anymore!” Louis announced one evening. My heart just sank.
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“Louis, you’re kidding, right? You can’t just leave us like that! What about Allen? He’s only two!” I pleaded.
“That’s the problem, Amber!” he retorted. “I’m tired of all the responsibilities. I need time for myself. I’ve found someone who gets what I’m going through!”
That night, as he walked out, I just fell apart. Once Louis was gone, reality hit me hard. I struggled to find a job while taking care of Allen alone.
Two weeks later, our landlady evicted us as I couldn’t pay the rent, and Social Services took Allen.
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That night, I was homeless and heartbroken. My baby, my child, was taken away from me.
I sold everything I had, including my phone, and that kept me going for a while. Then, the money ran out.
One evening, out in the cold, I remembered my dad’s warnings about Louis. “He’s not right for you,” Dad had said. I wish I’d listened. Desperate to reconnect with him, I decided to buy a phone to call him.
I knew that if I borrowed a phone to call him, maybe he wouldn’t pick up the first time or even the second. But I’d have to keep trying….
I starved myself for a week to save enough to buy a second-hand phone. My tears didn’t stop when I dialed Dad’s number.
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“Hello?” he asked.
“It’s… Amber, Dad,” I sobbed into the phone.
“Amber, sweetheart! Is that you? Oh God! How are things going?”
“I need your help, dad!”
“Is-Is everything okay?”
“Just come as soon as possible, Dad!” I said.
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He arrived quickly. In a hotel room, I poured out my heart about the betrayal and my days on the streets. Dad comforted me.
The next day, Dad and I went to the orphanage to start the paperwork to bring Allen home. Once everything was finalized, Dad took Allen and me to New York.
He also hired a private detective to find out where Louis was. It turned out Louis had been cheating on me with his boss’s daughter.
When his boss found out the truth — that Louis was married and had abandoned his family — he fired him. Louis ended up living on the streets. It felt like justice was done.
Back home, with my dad and Allen, I felt stronger. Life had knocked me down but taught me resilience. And with Dad’s support, I knew we could face anything ahead.
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Coming up next is Brandon’s story, a homeless man and father of 3 living in a tent. One day, he decided to help a stranger, ignoring his own needs, and his life was never the same again.
2. Brandon: I Gave My Last $2 to a Stranger at a Gas Station, the Next Day I Inherited His Company
Four months on the streets with my three kids taught me a lot about life’s harshness and the small acts of kindness that can keep hope alive.
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We lived in a tent near a gas station, a makeshift home barely shielding us from the cold. It was tough, but we managed to find moments of joy, making the best of it.
One chilly morning, as I counted the few coins I had left, I decided to head into the gas station to buy a can of beans — our planned dinner for the evening.
Inside, I stumbled upon a scene that jolted my heart. An elderly man stood at the counter, confusion written all over his face.
“I’m sorry, young lady, what did you say about the water being funny?” he asked.
“I said you don’t have enough money, sir!” the cashier snapped.
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“Yes, it is a sunny day!” he replied.
Suddenly, some young man in line grabbed the elderly man, yelling, “You need more cash!”
Watching this, my heart sank. The elderly man just wanted a bottle of water to take his pills, but his request for an affordable bottle was met with hostility. “If you can’t afford to pay, you’ll have to go!” the cashier shouted.
I couldn’t stand idly by. Stepping forward, I emptied my cup of change onto the counter. “Have a heart, lady,” I said, deciding to pay for the man’s water.
The cashier counted the money with distaste. “That’ll cover it,” she muttered. I left the can of beans and handed the water to the elderly man.
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“Here you go, sir,” I spoke clearly, making sure he could read my lips.
“Why did you help me when you needed the money?” he asked me as we left the store, noticing my tent with kids nearby.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being homeless, it’s that the world works when people are kind to each other,” I explained.
“But what are your kids going to eat?” he questioned.
“There’s a chance I’ll find some scraps at the fast food joint across the street,” I assured him.
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The next morning, two jeeps parked near our tent, and a man in a fancy suit stepped out.
“Mr. Grives’ last wish was for me to deliver this to you,” he said. There was a letter offering me the inheritance of his business.
“Is it a joke?” I asked in shock.
The man handed me legal documents. With a mix of apprehension and hope, I signed the papers. This could be the break my children and I needed, a chance to escape the streets.
We were driven to a huge mansion. “Can we put up a tent under that tree with pink flowers?” my youngest, Derrick, asked innocently.
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“We’re going to live inside that house, silly! Right, Dad?” my daughter Kelly chimed in.
As I nodded, the reality of our new life began to sink in. Yet, the moment I opened the doors, something was wrong. The house was in disarray — someone had been there.
“We’ve examined the entire perimeter of the house and found no sign of forced entry, sir,” the officer reported after I called 911.
That evening, I got an anonymous call. In a robotic yet menacing tone, the voice told me I had 24 hours to decline all that Mr. Grives’ left me, leave the house, or else I would lose everything I love.
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The mansion came with Mr. Grives’ loyal staff, and one of them warned me that this could be the doing of Mr. Grives’ eldest son, Christopher. I resolved to go to the cops in the morning.
But in the morning, my kids were vanished! Although the clever perpetrator had managed to hide his face from most of the CCTVs in and around the house, there was one he didn’t know about.
Mr. Grives’ staff watched in horror as they recognized the leader of three thugs drugging my children. It was Christopher.
From there on, the cops put everyone on the task of tracking Christopher, and didn’t rest until later that afternoon, when Christopher were spotted on the border of the state with my kids in the back of an old van.
Christopher was arrested, and my children were safe. But their fear had set in deep, and I had a choice to make: to heal and embrace the gift that kind soul left us, or to walk away, rebuilding from the start.
“Daddy, are we going to leave our home again?” Kelly’s question broke my heart.
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I wrapped my arms around them. “We’re going to be okay. You want to know why?”
“IBecause the most valuable thing we have is right here, in my arms. So long as we stick together, we’ll always be rich in the most important way: love.”
While Brandon was blessed with children who understand the value of kindness and love, Mr. Greg wasn’t. Coming up next is his story.
3. Mr. Greg: My Teen Daughter Humiliated the Homeless, I Had to Teach Her a Lesson
I always thought I was doing right things for my daughter, Jane. I made sure she had everything she needed, but I missed teaching her something crucial — compassion for others. This hit me hard a few days ago when I lost my wallet.
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After a fruitless search, I returned home to find Jane mocking a homeless man and his daughter at our doorstep. The shock set in when the man handed me my wallet, untouched. I was moved by that man’s gesture.
But Jane dismissively called them “trash,” and spoke to them with so much disgust…it broke my heart. I knew I had to fix this.
That evening, I invited the man, Mark, and his daughter for dinner. It was my chance to teach Jane about generosity.
“Dad, check the money! He probably stole it!” Jane said as I checked my wallet. Everything was there.
“All the money is here, sweetie. You’re mistaken,” I told her.
Seeing Mark’s and Lolita’s discomfort, I invited them to stay for dinner.
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“Why don’t you guys join us?” I said. “It’s the least I can do to thank you.”
During dinner, Jane gave them paper plates instead of proper dishes.
“Why not use the nice dishes I got you for your birthday?” I suggested.
As we ate, I encouraged Mark to share his story, but Jane kept interrupting with rude comments. Eventually, I lost my patience.
“Shut your mouth, Jane!” I snapped. “You don’t know nothing. Misfortune could strike anyone.”
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I then revealed a painful truth to Jane. “It’s my fault. I worked too much, especially after your mother passed. We were the same once,” I confessed. “Do you remember our ‘camping trips’? We were actually homeless.”
Jane was stunned. “How did we get back on our feet?”
“A kind man gave me a job. That changed our lives,” I said with a sigh.
Then, I looked at Mark. “And now, it’s my turn to pay it forward,” I told him.
Mark nodded. “All I did was what a decent human should do,” he said.
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“I had no idea, Dad. I’m sorry,” Jane said after a pause.
“It’s okay, honey. It’s not too late to learn from this,” I told her.
When it was time for Mark and Lolita to go, I suggested, “Why don’t you both stay the night? We have plenty of room, and it’s getting late.”
Mark hesitated, then gratefully accepted. “Thank you, Greg. This means a lot.”
But I knew I wasn’t done helping them. Offering them a night’s shelter would not alleviate their problems. So I made a decision.
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A little kindness costs nothing, guys, and I was ready to make sure that little Lolita and her dad had a good life.
The next day, I offered Mark a job as a driver and arranged a temporary home for them. “And I’ll help you until you’re back on your feet,” I promised.
“Oh, Really?” Mark gasped. “Nobody is this kind nowadays! I won’t let you down, sir,” Mark told me in tears. “Thank you so much!”
The smile on Lolita’s face that day made me realize I’d done the right thing. As for Jane…my Janie changed. She became a better person, and I’m so glad for that.
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If you enjoyed reading these, you might also enjoy these three heart-stopping stories where ‘dead’ people turned out to be alive, shocking their loved ones.
We’re curious: What do you think about these stories? Tell us in the comments!
Note: These pieces are 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.
Teacher Adopts Best Student after Seeing Him Asleep in Parking Lot, Later He Calls Her on Stage — Story of the Day
A childless physics teacher adopted her best student after discovering him sleeping in a parking lot after school. She raised him as her own son, and he made sure to recognize her contributions to his life by calling her up the stage during one of his awards nights.
Ms. Lane was a talented 53-year-old physics teacher who lived alone. She and her husband never had any kids, which eventually affected their relationship, and they filed for divorce.
Although she never had kids of her own, Ms. Lane loved children. She treated her students like her own and devoted her life to teaching.
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Of all her students, Ms. Lane was particularly fond of a brilliant boy named Brandon. He was her star student, always passing her tests with flying colors and impressing crowds with his physics exhibitions.
“You’ll make a great physicist, Brandon. Keep at it, and you’ll do well! This could be your future profession,” she would motivate him. Brandon would nod and tell his favorite teacher that he would love to become a physicist one day.
Unfortunately, when Brandon got to his senior year in high school, his grades started to slip. “What happened to Brandon? Are his grades slipping in your subjects, too?” Ms. Lane asked her fellow teachers.
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Mrs. Kimbell, the senior year history teacher, revealed that Brandon recently lost his mother. “He’s going through a rough time. He lost his mom, and he doesn’t want to talk to anybody about what happened,” she explained.
Ms. Lane wanted to try talking to Brandon to assure him he was not alone. However, no matter how hard she tried to speak to him, he remained reserved and had difficulty opening up about how he felt.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Lane, I just can’t right now,” he reasoned. “There are some things I’d like to keep to myself at the moment, if that’s okay.”
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“Of course, dear. Take all the time you need to grieve. I just wanted to remind you that you aren’t alone, and any time you need anything, your other teachers and I are ready to listen,” she told him.
One weekend, Ms. Lane went on her monthly supermarket trip. She parked the car in the big parking lot in front of the store, and that’s when she noticed Brandon sleeping on the ground next to where all the grocery carts were parked.
She saw that the area was filled with homeless people who were waiting by the store for people to hand out donations to them. There was a fire hydrant where they could wash and a small bonfire on the ground to keep them warm.
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“Brandon?” Ms. Lane said as soon as she left her car. “What are you doing out here?!”
At first, Brandon’s first instinct was to get up and run away, but it was too late. Ms. Lane was already helping him up the ground. “Come inside the store with me. Put your things in my car.”
Brandon hesitated, but he decided to obey his teacher out of respect. They went inside the store, where Ms. Lane bought him a hot meal and some drinks. “What happened to you, dear?” she asked him.
“When my mom died, my father suddenly turned up at home with another woman. I didn’t like that he instantly replaced mom, so I ran away from home. I’ve been sleeping at the parking lot for several days now, but my dad never cared to look for me,” Brandon revealed.
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“Sometimes, I sleep on the ground, but sometimes, a homeless man named Hunter would allow me to sleep inside his car whenever it got too cold. Thank God for Hunter because it’s been freezing recently, and I always feel like I’m about to catch the flu,” he added.
Ms. Lane felt terrible for her brilliant student. Without hesitation, she told the boy she would try to adopt him if social services would agree to remove his father’s parental rights.
Because the boy was nearing legality, the process was long and tedious, but Ms. Lane never gave up. She took Brandon under his wing, and he slowly got his life back on track.
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Ms. Lane tutored Brandon daily after school, becoming a true mother-and-son duo. They went on trips, enjoyed making meals together, and volunteered to tutor young kids during weekends.
Eventually, Brandon landed a full scholarship to one of the country’s top science universities. He excelled in what he did and became a famous physicist.
One day, Brandon received a prize that only top physicists in the world could receive. Instead of taking credit for the achievement in his speech, he decided to honor Ms. Lane, saying:
“When I was in high school, there was one person who inspired me to become the physicist I am today. I was already lucky to be her student, but by a twist of fate, I was even luckier to have become her son.”
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Ms. Lane was in the audience, crying her eyes out upon hearing Brandon speak about her. She was so proud of him and wanted nothing more than to see him succeed.
“Without Ms. Lane, without my mom, I would not be here in front of you today. This award is for her – for all the sacrifices she’s made for me, all the lessons she’s taught me, and all the love she’s given me. Thank you, mom.”
As soon as Brandon ended his speech, Ms. Lane received a standing ovation from the audience. They applauded her for her big heart, and Brandon walked her to the stage to be recognized.
What can we learn from this story?
- Never forget those who raised you. Brandon looked up to Ms. Lane as his teacher, but he never imagined she would become his mother. When he became successful, he recognized Ms. Lane and all her contributions to his life.
- Your circumstances don’t need to define your future. Brandon’s hopes of becoming a physicist slowly disappeared when his mother died, and he ran away from home. Thanks to Ms. Lane, he didn’t throw away his future because she guided him in the right direction and raised him as her child.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a teacher who notices a girl had stopped going to school, only to learn she was left without clothes to wear every day because of an unfortunate incident.
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