A childless teacher who yearns to become a mother and an orphaned boy who prays for a family become a ray of sunshine for each other. When an unexpected storm arrives to snatch this joy from them, the teacher puts up her best fight and cries when he calls her ‘mommy’ in court.
As Sharon marched to the classroom, she was distracted by the kids running around the playground. She pressed her teary eyes on the window, staring through the dark chapter of her life, as she recalled the words doctors told her five years ago: “We are sorry, Mrs. Turner, you cannot bear a child.”
“Why is my life so hollow? Won’t I ever become a mother??” she cried, tearing herself away from the sight of the children. Their laughter hammered in her heart, reminding her of her infertility.
As soon as she stepped in, the noisy class turned grave silent, followed by a sweet chorus of kids wishing her ‘Good Morning!’ All except 12-year-old Tom, who was crying with his head down on the desk.
“Tom, is everything alright?” Sharon worried and walked up to him. She had returned to work after a vacation, so she couldn’t immediately guess the heartbreak Tom had endured in her absence…
“Tom, are you alright?”
As soon as Tom sensed Sharon was approaching, he rose and ran out, crying.
“Tom, what happened??” Sharon ran after him, only to learn he had lost his mother recently. She was all he had, and her loss shattered him.
“Oh, my dear, I am so sorry to hear that. Do you have an aunt… grandparents?”
“My mom was all I had. I was sent to a shelter after her funeral.”
When God shuts a door, stay calm and wait because He is about to open a better one for you.
Sharon looked through Tom’s teary eyes and understood that it was not just his mother’s death that worried him. There was something else. She comforted him and patted his shoulder because she knew what he was going through. Sharon had lost her parents when she was little, and she could relate to his pain.
Tom suddenly burst into tears again and said: “All my friends are saying that nobody will adopt me because I’m twelve and too old to find a family.”
Sharon’s heart went out to the poor grieving boy as she hugged him and said, “You can count on me!”
Little did she know what was coming next.
Days flew by, and Tom gradually healed, thanks to Sharon’s love and care. She became the most lovable person in his life. The bereaved orphan felt a strange fondness for his teacher, and everything she did for him, including their evening outings to the park after school, reminded him of his late mother.
“Mrs. Turner, how do you know I love to walk in the park?” he asked her one day, just weeks after their relationship bloomed.
“I had often seen you here with your mother, Tom. I just guessed you would love this place and the peace spread around here!”
Tom spoke no more and kept walking as the sun disappeared behind the oak trees that swayed to the gust of wind. After dropping him at the shelter, a strange thought struck Sharon. She went home and asked her husband Jacob one question that would change their lives.
“Honey, there’s a boy in my class,” she began, biting her nails.
“He’s such a sweet kid, but sadly, he recently lost his mother. I like him and was wondering if we could give him a new life. What do you think?!”
“That’s amazing, darling. But does he have any relatives?”
“Nope! He’s in the shelter and is placed for adoption until he finds a good family. Honey, why don’t we become that loving family to him? Why don’t we adopt him?”
Jacob readily agreed because if Tom was going to be the reason behind their happiness, he was more than delighted to welcome him home.
A few days later, the couple began the adoption process and were halfway through the paperwork when an unexpected storm whirled in to destroy their dreams. A man claiming to be Tom’s biological father met Sharon to talk her out of the adoption.
“Yes, I’m Sharon Turner. How may I help you?” Sharon greeted a guy in the waiting room.
“I’m Alex, Tom’s father. I heard you are going to adopt him. I came here to ask you to drop it. My son is not an orphan, and I’m taking him with me.”
