A penniless, widowed mother of four provided shelter from the rain to an elderly stranger who was completely soaked.
The very next day, she sold her only house for a mere dollar and swore she’d never set foot there again.
Angelina Gibson, 34, sat by her window,
watching the rain-drenched afternoon ruin her day.
She routinely sold flowers and eggs on the street,
using the meager income to buy groceries for her four children.
Three years prior, Angelina’s husband, Mark, had passed away a month after their fourth son, Robin, was born.
Being illiterate, the poor woman struggled to find stable employment.
She lost her only earnings that day due to the severe rainfall.
Angelina gazed out the window with sorrowful eyes.
She longed for bright weather, but the rain only intensified.
She noticed an older man, thoroughly drenched, standing at the street’s end.
“Ah, what a sad old man.
Why is he standing there?”
She observed him, thinking, “He’s completely soaked.”
He appeared frail and seemed unable to walk much further.
He stood beneath a closed shop shutter, but the heavy downpour still saturated him.
“Why are you staring at me?”
She asked, pulling a worn sweater tighter around herself.
Angelina felt a pang of sympathy for the old man.
He seemed affluent and well-dressed.
“Why is he walking if he’s rich?
Do all wealthy men not own cars?” she wondered.
After a moment of frustration, Angelina grabbed an old umbrella and rushed toward the man.
“My house is just nearby.
Would you mind waiting there until the rain stops?”
She offered the visitor a haven.
The woman’s peculiar offer of help bewildered the elderly man.
He smirked and walked alongside her,
still confused as to why she was offering him temporary sanctuary.
“Um… Is this your residence?”
The old man grinned.
“Hi, I’m Joe Tyler.
Pleased to meet you, Ms…?”
“Angelina Gibson!” she exclaimed,
dusting off a tire chair.
“Please, have a seat.”
Joe noticed Angelina’s four children asleep on the floor throughout the small house.
“Why are your children sleeping?”
They were famished, having missed lunch, Angelina explained to him.
“I am certain God will help me feed them well.
But the rain must cease first.”
Joe was astonished by her unwavering confidence.
He thought Angelina’s house was far too small for a family of five and was in disrepair.
Their ancient television was broken and covered in cobwebs, and the furniture was unsightly.
Joe initially assumed the woman was struggling with their living conditions.
Joe surprised Angelina by asking her to move in with him after a moment of quiet contemplation.
“What?
I don’t understand, Mr. Tyler.
Did you just ask me to move in with you?” she questioned.
“Why would you want me to?
What’s wrong?
Why are you staring?”
She glanced at the old stranger and wondered if she had erred by sheltering him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she questioned,
pulling her worn sweater tighter.
“I remember my 15-year-old daughter dying of tuberculosis.
Since my wife died a year later, I’ve lived alone for 40 years,” Joe explained.
Angelina smiled and regretted her initial judgment of the elder man.
Hearing him refer to her as his daughter filled her with happiness.
“My car broke down.
I got stranded walking to the garage in the rain.
But I suppose God orchestrated our meeting,” Joe chuckled.
“Why don’t you bring your children to my house?”
Angelina was stunned by the elder man’s proposal.
“Are you serious?
Please tell me you’re joking, because no one would ever urge a poor woman and her family to relocate into a large house.”
“I am serious.
” Joe extended the invitation for her and her children to his place.
Astonished, Angelina paused.
She reluctantly accepted the offer for the sake of her four children.
She wished them good fortune, unlike her own.
She nodded hesitantly.
“But I have two minor conditions.
You should agree to them,” Joe said, piquing Angelina’s curiosity.
“We’ll share a house with your children.
I’ll cover their education expenses, and you can care for me as if I were your own daughter.”
Angelina smiled, tears of hope welling in her eyes.
She was overwhelmed when Joe asked her to be his daughter, especially after growing up in an orphanage.
After the older man proposed his second and most significant condition, her excitement waned.
“I need this house sold tomorrow as my next condition.”
“Sell this house?
But why?
Who would ever buy it?
Look around… It’s messy and unappealing.
Unless they’re blind, no one will buy it,” Angelina said.
“I know someone who genuinely needs this place,” Joe responded.
“And I wasn’t finished, my dear,” he added, further intriguing Angelina.
“Selling this residence for just $1 is my request!”
“For $1?
What?”
Astonished, Angelina jumped.
“Yes, for $1.
A destitute family of three lives in an old trailer we found.
You and she are both mothers with young children.
Please offer her this house for $1.
It’s your way of paying it forward.”
The older man’s words and profound sympathy touched Angelina deeply.
With tears of joy, she agreed.
At that precise moment, the rain ceased, and the sun shone brightly on Angelina’s humble home.
She and her children moved in with Joe the very next day,
stopping at the trailer he had suggested before crossing the street.
She handed her house keys to the impoverished woman dwelling in the trailer.
“Take these…
” She gave the struggling mother the keys and added,
“I want you to live in my house with your children.”
“What?
Do I know you?
Are you truly giving me your house?” the woman wept.
“Yes.
Not for free, though.
You must pay me.
Just $1 gets you the house!”
She couldn’t believe her ears.
She quickly paid Angelina $1 and gathered her children and belongings to move into their new home.
Angelina called out to her as the impoverished woman waved goodbye.
“Remember to pay it forward!” she exclaimed,
driving away with her savior, Joe Tyler.
After that day, Angelina never sold flowers or eggs on the street again.
She cared for Joe while her children attended excellent private schools.
She cooked the most delicious dishes for the kind older man, who wept with joy over his loving daughter and grandchildren!
What can this story teach us?
Helping others often brings unexpected rewards. When Angelina, despite her poverty, extended kindness by offering the elderly man shelter from the storm, her compassionate deed brought her a loving father figure and a wonderful new home.
Consider accepting help when it’s offered and remember to “pay it forward” when you can. Joe invited Angelina to live with him, and while she hesitated initially, she eventually accepted his generosity. In turn, she sold her house for $1 to the struggling woman living in the trailer. This act provided better housing for the trailer dweller, while Angelina and her children found a comfortable new home themselves.