Successful businessman Jeffrey Weeks was a stringent man who never rested until he achieved what he wanted, and these days, his attention was focused on the homeless woman he’d often see outside his office.

The first time he’d seen her was almost a week ago when he arrived early for work. She sat on the roadside, looking at passersby with needy eyes, hoping that someone would help her, not by giving her meager money for barely surviving, but by offering her a job so that she could live her life in a dignified manner with her newborn – as the placard beside her suggested.

“Looking for a job. Please help!” It read.

Jeffrey had felt something for her the first time he saw her – perhaps it was affection or sympathy due to her condition, but he knew he had to do something to help her. And after much contemplation, he decided that he’d offer her a job so she could look after her newborn.

But first, he needed to make sure that her background was clean. After all, there wasn’t a shortage of smugglers and drug peddlers in New York, sitting under the hoods of homeless people and beggars, casting their eyes around for the next member to join their circle, buy the “stuff,” and help them mint more money for their bosses.

So Jeffrey asked his secretary, Mr. Harris, to investigate the woman’s background. One week later, when Mr. Harris returned with a detailed report about her, Jeffery’s heart just melted.

It turned out the woman’s name was Amanda Conner. She worked as a receptionist at a hotel, but the hotel’s business suffered due to the pandemic, and she was laid off.

Worse, it happened just a month after she lost her husband to pneumonia. Her son was born a few days after her husband died in a local hospital, and she was evicted from her home because she couldn’t afford the rent.

After hearing her story, Jeffrey made the decision to approach her and offer her a job the following morning. However, when he arrived there, he saw something that left him distressed.

“Please don’t do that!” Amanda was pleading with a police officer, who was standing in front of her with his hands folded. “Please don’t take my son away! I can’t live without him! Please!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said the officer sternly. “The child deserves to be raised in better conditions, and I don’t believe you can provide that for him.”

Amanda was aware of the truth. She knew she couldn’t provide for her son. But he was her only living relative in the world and most likely her only reason and motivation to face the harshness and struggles of life. So she begged the officer once more. “I’m begging you, sir. Please don’t do that. He’s the only one I have. I’ll find a job soon and look after him. Please!”

“Well, ma’am, we meet hundreds and thousands of such homeless every day in this country, and none of them end up making a living for themselves. They continue to beg and get by.”

“No, officer…Please….” Amanda requested again, but the officer didn’t even bother to respond to her. He took the child with him and began to walk towards his police car.

“Don’t worry. The child will stay with social services and will be looked after,” he said before leaving.

There were several people there, some justifying the cops for taking the kid away while others casting a sympathetic look at Amanda, but Jeffrey was probably the only one who had figured out a way to help Amanda out of her misery and back with her son.

Three months later…

Amanda was sitting in her usual spot, holding the sign that read, “Looking for a job.” With time, the placard’s brown color had faded, just as Amanda’s hopes seemed to have vanished. It had been three months since she’d seen her son. She looked weaker now, with dark circles covering most of her face and a strange lifelessness in her eyes.

But one day, everything changed, and the helpless mother’s eyes that had yearned for her son shone brightly again when a silver BMW pulled up beside her, and Jeffrey got out and told her that he could help her get her son back.

When he first arrived, she lifted the bag she used to carry for money collection, expecting the stranger to give her money and then leave. But when he didn’t, she looked up, and her eyes were strangely confused when she saw a rich man standing in front of her, holding a set of files.

“I can help you get your son back,” Jeffrey said with a warm smile. “We can discuss it over lunch. What do you think?”

Amanda’s eyes welled up with tears. She couldn’t believe it when he said he could assist her in regaining custody of her son. Moreover, she was hungry and hadn’t eaten in days, so she nodded a yes.

The two went to a nearby restaurant, where Jeffrey ordered food for her. He couldn’t look away from her the way she pounced on the food. He could tell she hadn’t eaten in days.

Suddenly, she caught him staring at her and asked, “Why do you want to help me? And how can I get my son back?”

Jeffery couldn’t say he’d fallen in love with her at first sight, which was why he’d wanted to help her all along, but he could certainly answer the second question about how he’d help her in getting her son’s custody.

He told her that he had witnessed the entire incident on the day the cops had taken her son away and had asked his secretary to record it on his phone. Later, he approached his lawyer for assistance with her case.

The case went on for months before it was decided that she would get her child’s custody only if she could prove in court that she could care for her newborn.

In short, she needed to have a good income and house, and then there would be other factors that the court would take into consideration, including how beneficial the unification would be for the child.

“It might take some time, but don’t worry; I can hire you as a receptionist in my office. I hope that can be the first step towards obtaining custody of your son.”

Amanda was terrified at the thought of losing the opportunity to get her son, so she accepted the offer instantly. But she wasn’t sure if it’d help.

“Are you sure it will work if I can stand on my feet again?” she further asked.

“Of course, it will. We need to be patient, though.”

From that day, Amanda had only one goal: get her son Aiden back. And while it took time, she made it possible. She worked tirelessly at Jeffrey’s office, earned a promotion, and purchased her first home. Later, she fought for justice in court, and after a long battle, she was able to reclaim her son.

When Aiden finally returned home, Jeffrey decided he wouldn’t get a better opportunity to propose to her. He said that he wanted to be with her his entire life and that he would be a good father to Aiden. She happily nodded yes because she, too, was in love with him, and they married happily.

What can we learn from this story?

• God always helps those in need. Amanda was a homeless woman begging for help, but her life changed for the better when God sent Jeffrey her way to help her.
• A small act of kindness can profoundly impact someone’s life. Amanda’s life was forever changed after Jeffrey decided to help her reunite with her son.