A poor young orphan buys her daughter an old second-hand stroller at a flea market and ends up finding something inside it that will change her life.
In foster care, Kerry Donavan met Tyler Donavan. They were orphaned as young children and became best friends throughout their lives. Straight out of high school, the couple married and seemed to be on the right track to a happy relationship.
Tyler was a supervisor at a construction firm, had good health insurance, and earned a decent salary. They decided to start a family five years later.
To Kerry’s joy, she was soon pregnant and life seemed perfect to the happy couple until Tyler had a terrible accident at work. He fell from the third floor and severely injured his back.
Kerry, who was in her seventh month and had quit her job as a secretary, received a phone call from her husband informing her that her husband was critically injured.
She raced to the hospital and was so distressed that she went into labor several weeks early. Her most joyful moment was also her worst.
Kerry was told by doctors that Tyler would never be able to walk again just hours after Leila was delivered. Tyler was in a wheelchair six months after he left the hospital.
Tyler and Kerry were thrilled when they found out that Tyler was expecting a baby. Although Tyler received some benefits through their insurance, Tyler also received a disability pension. However, money was scarce, especially with a small baby.
The insurance paid off some benefits, and Tyler received a disability pension, but money was tight, especially with a tiny baby in the family. Tyler and Kerry both decided to return to work.
Kerry was offered a job in a busy restaurant and had to work nights. Ms. Higgs became a close friend and a colleague. Mrs. Higgs, in her early sixties, was a cheerful and smiling woman.
Mrs. Higgs often joined Kerry’s family for Sunday lunch in their home. Kerry admitted that she was saving for Leila’s stroller one Sunday.
“I want to buy a stroller, but they are so expensive,” Kerry shared this with Mrs. Higgs. “Hundreds of dollars!”
“Only if you buy it brand new!” said Mrs. Higgs. “One of my friends’ daughters bought a gorgeous stroller at the flea market for $50.”
“Really?” Kerry asked if she was okay.
Sometimes kindness is hidden.
“Yes,” Mrs. Higgs agreed. “Strollers ARE expensive, and children only use them for a year or two, so people sell them. I tell you what, I’ll take you to the flea market next week!”
Kerry and Mrs. Higgs went together to the flea markets the next weekend. They found a wonderful stroller! Mrs. Higgs carefully examined the stroller inside and out and was satisfied that it was in good shape.
Kerry paid for the stroller and wheeled it home happily. After cleaning the stroller, she discovered an envelope beneath the seat cushions.
Kerry was determined to get the stroller ready so she put the envelope aside. It would take her three days to remember it. Kerry was tidying her desk when she came across the envelope.
Kerry opened the envelope and turned it over. It contained a single sheet. It read, “If you’re reading this, you are probably a young mother just like I was, and I’m dead and buried. I hope that I can bring about some positive change in your life. Go to House 8 on Third Avenue and look under the oak.”
The next day, Kerry went to the address in the note and found an old abandoned house, and in the garden was a huge old oak tree with a white stone in its shadow.
Could there be hidden treasure in this area? Kerry was embarrassed to believe it, but she was as excited on Christmas morning as any child. She returned the next day with a shovel and began digging under the oak.
She searched that yard for many days, but she couldn’t find anything. Kerry was ready to give up when she found a note in her locker: “You’re not supposed to dig. What you’re looking for is in plain sight under the oak.”
Kerry gasped. The note contained the same handwriting and was signed by Kerry as the one in her stroller. That afternoon, she hurried back and took another look at the stone under the oak.
The closer she looked the more it seemed that it was concrete and not stone. Kerry grabbed her shovel and gave the “stone” a hard blow. Kerry continued to hit the stone repeatedly until it cracked but did not break.
Finally, the stone was broken. The lock contained a key and contained a small, metal strongbox. Kerry was thrilled to discover several large wads full of cash, as well as a collection of jewels.
On top of the treasure was yet another note: “My dear, life brought me love and wealth, but what I most wanted was a child. My husband and I tried to have a baby for many years, then finally God gave us a beautiful daughter.
“Sadly she wasn’t ours for long. My husband and I lost our beautiful little girl young. She would have been your age, and I wish she was just like you. Be happy my dear.”
Kerry hurried home to Tyler with a nagging suspicion at the back of her mind. There was only one person that could be their benefactor! Who else had had access to the stroller AND her locker?
But when she arrived at work, eager to confront her friend and express her gratitude, she discovered that Mrs. Higgs was gone. According to the diner’s manager, Mrs. Higgs had left suddenly, and she’d told him she was moving to a farm in Montana.
She’d left a forwarding address, and Kerry saw that the handwriting was identical to her benefactor’s! Kerry was now sure that Mrs. Higgs had slipped the note into the stroller and felt her heartbreak at losing her friend.
Kerry and Tyler sat down together and came up with a plan. With the money and the jewels, Kerry and Tyler bought themselves a lovely little home with an extra room and a special car that Tyler could drive, then they took a road trip to Montana.
Mrs. Higgs was stunned to see them drive up, but she was smiling when Kerry threw her arms around her. “It was you!” cried Kerry, hugging Mrs. Higgs, “It was you all along! Please, I don’t want to lose you, my darling Mrs. Higgs!”
Kerry and Tyler invited Mrs. Higgs to come back to the city and move in with them. “I love you, Mrs. Higgs, and once you were gone I realized how much. Won’t you come back with us?”
Kerry said, “I know I can’t take the place of your girl, but Tyler and I need a mom, and Leila needs a grandmother. We were hoping you’d take the job…”
Mrs. Higgs accepted with her eyes filled with tears. For the first time in many years, life promised to be an adventure, and she ended up sharing in the happiness she’d help to create.
What can we learn from this story?
- Kindness is sometimes done by a hidden hand. Mrs. Higgs wanted to help Kerry so she dreamed up a treasure hunt so she could keep her identity a secret.
- Being a family is about love, not biology. Kerry, Tyler, Leila, and Mrs. Higgs became a real family united by bonds of love and kindness.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.