A woman left her young daughter outside a church, but twenty years later, the daughter was still searching for her—until she finally found her.
“Carly, stay here, and mommy will be right back!” a woman told her little girl as she left her near the church steps.
“Okay, mommy!” the girl replied, beaming at her most cherished person in the world.
The woman then climbed into the car and drove away.
That was the last time little Carly saw her mother. She watched as the car became a tiny speck in the distance, then sat down on the church steps.
Minutes turned into hours. Carly waited, but her mother never returned. The sun climbed higher in the sky, and soon Carly was incredibly thirsty. The heat began to make her dizzy, and just as she was starting to lose consciousness, a blurry figure appeared before her. A concerned voice spoke.
“Oh my Lord… What are you doing here, child?!”
“I’m waiting for my mommy,” Carly replied, “She said she’d be right back.”
The woman muttered to herself and gently placed her hand on Carly’s forehead before dialing a number on her phone.
By dusk, a slender woman and a police officer arrived to take Carly away.
Carly was placed in an orphanage.
Though no other children tried to befriend her, there was one boy who did. His name was Peter. The other kids said he had a weak heart.
They became inseparable, and in fact, Peter was the only friend Carly had.
The years flew by, and before long, Carly was nearing eighteen. She had one goal in mind: to find her mother as soon as she was free from the orphanage.
Three days after her eighteenth birthday, Carly left without saying a word to Peter.
Over the next two years, Carly finally tracked her mom down in a trailer park just outside of St. Louis, Missouri.
With a mix of anticipation and nervousness, Carly approached her mother’s trailer and knocked on the door.
“Yes?” the woman answered, sounding annoyed. “Who are you? I’m not buying anything!”
“Mom?” Carly whispered, her voice shaky. “Mom, it’s me, Carly!”
“Carly?” Her mom gasped. “Well, I’ll be… What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to find you,” Carly explained. “I know you came back to the church, but I was gone…”
The woman chuckled bitterly. “Came back? Sweetheart, I left that place behind by sunset! I found a new man, and he didn’t want no other man’s kid around.”
“You abandoned me?” Carly’s voice faltered with disbelief. Everyone had been right after all. “You left a five-year-old at a church?”
Feeling her heart break, Carly turned away and ran.
Three days later, she returned to the orphanage, her heart heavy with the painful truth. She sat down with the director and shared the details of her heartbreaking visit. “I came back, but I was hoping to find Peter…”
“Oh, Carly,” the director said gently. “I’m so sorry… Peter’s heart… it gave out just a few weeks after you left.”
Tears blurred her vision as Carly staggered outside and collapsed in the garden.
“Oh Peter,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”
And just then, something unexpected happened. A leaf gently fluttered down and landed in her lap. It was a bright, sunny yellow, perfectly shaped like one of Peter’s planes. Perhaps it was just a coincidence… or maybe, it was a sign.
I believe it was Peter reassuring Carly that everything would be okay, and Carly believes that too.
What can we learn from this story?
- Children deserve and need the unconditional love of their parents. Carly’s longing for her mother to return was so strong that she rejected the love from others.
- The people who truly love us stay with us in our hearts, offering us comfort and solace. Peter’s gentle and caring nature remained with Carly, giving her the strength to face life.
Share this story with your friends. It might bring a smile to their face and give them inspiration.