Homeless Man Walking through Forest Finds Abandoned Car, Notices Old Box with Envelope Inside - Story of the Day

Jared walked through the forest to get to a small town on the other side. On the way, he found an abandoned old car in the middle of nowhere with items inside that could easily change his life.

Jared was once happily married to a woman named Elisse until his wife decided to leave him and sue him for everything he had. She was not content with the simple life they lived and wanted more.

Jared had no place to go, and he lost the business he had worked so hard to put up. He ended up on the streets but did not want to beg, so he would offer to do small jobs for people in exchange for small fees.

One day, a man encountered Jared on the street and offered him a job in a nearby town. Their company needed an extra loader for a client the following day, and Jared agreed as he wanted the extra money.

Jared slept inside an abandoned car to get through the night in the middle of the forest. | Source: Pexels

He walked towards the town instead of taking a cab. That way, he wouldn't have to spend any of the money he'd been working hard to save. Jared walked through the forest, leaving a day in advance so he could make it in time.

Unfortunately, while on the way, he realized he was lost. The sun was about to set, and he had to find a safe place to sleep.

Walking for a couple more minutes, he found a crashed car stuck to the trunk of a tree and decided to sleep in it. He thought it was much better to stay inside rather than lay on the ground where insects and other animals could feast on him.

Jared was crossing through the forest when he realized he was lost. | Search: Pexels

The following morning, he was about to leave when he noticed a small box sitting in the glove compartment between the front seats. It was made of metal and was padlocked.

Curious, Jared hit the rusty lock against a stone, and the box opened. There was a stack of gold bars and old jewelry inside, to his surprise.

As he lifted the box's lid, he found an envelope containing a letter. It read:

Jared found a letter inside the box with the address of the owner. | Source: Pexels

Jared checked the envelope for an address, and he found Adam's. He hesitated for a long time about whether he should continue on with his journey and keep the box or head over to Adam's place to return the treasure.

After some thinking, he came to a decision. "Maybe this man is in worse condition than I am," he said to himself. So instead of continuing his journey to the next town, he returned to his city, where he decided to visit Adam.

Once he got to the address on the envelope, he knocked on the door. A woman opened, curious about Jared's presence on her front porch.

"How may I help you?" the woman asked him.

A woman opened the door of the house. | Source: Pexels

"Hi, my name is Jared. I'm sorry for having to disturb you, but I'm looking for a man named Adam. Did I come to the right address?" he asked.

The woman looked at Jared curiously. "You came to the right house," she started to say, "but my husband died two years ago. I'm Catherine, his widow."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's just that I was walking in the forest, and I found an abandoned car with this box inside," he said, taking the metal box out of his backpack. "I wanted to return it to him."

Catherine stood there in shock. "You found his car?" she cried, hand over her mouth.

Jared nodded. "I got lost in the middle of the forest and had to look for shelter. When I found the car, I noticed the old box and saw it came with a letter. I figured maybe Adam and his family needed the contents, so I decided to walk here," he explained.

Jared explained why he was at the woman's doorstep on a random day. | Source: Pexels

"Jared, please come in. I'd like to make you a cup of tea," Catherine said, opening the door for Jared to enter. He took off his shoes and entered the home.

As Catherine poured him some tea, she decided to tell him the entire story. "You see, when my husband's grandmother died when he was in his mid-20s, he got a letter from her about his inheritance. He decided to go to that house in the forest to claim it," she shared.

"Along the way, he got injured after his car lost control and hit a tree. He ended up breaking his arm in the process and injured his knee. Even if he wanted to bring the inheritance with him, his priority was getting himself out of there before his injuries got worse," Catherine explained.

Although she and Adam tried looking for the car multiple times, they never found it. After all, the forest was vast, and they couldn't hire a search crew to help them at the time.

Catherine made Jared a cup of tea. | Source: Pexels

"I'm sorry to hear that. It was a chance encounter that I found the car as well. I was just passing through to get to the other town because I had a job waiting for me there," Jared shared.

Catherine smiled and thanked him for his effort in bringing the box back to their home. "What do you do for a living, Jared?" she asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I've been working odd jobs ever since my wife took my assets. I mow lawns, and I lift boxes. Whatever job I could find, I take it, so I don't have to beg on the streets. I used to own a business. I ran a bakery downtown," Jared revealed.

Catherine was immediately moved by his story and wondered whether the bakery Jared referred to was the one Adam used to frequent. "By any chance, was your bakery called 'Bread House'?"

Jared used to own a bakery downtown which Adam used to love. | Source: Pexels

Jared beamed with joy. "Yes! That was my bakery! Did you use to go there?" he asked.

"My husband loved your bakery. He'd take a box home every time he passed by," Catherine revealed, and there was no changing her mind on what she planned to do next.

"Look, Jared. I don't need these gold bars, nor these jewelry. Adam and I had no children, and I have no one to pass these on to. Please take them and start your life again. Re-open your bakery and get yourself a place to stay," Catherine said, sliding the box over to him.

Jared and Catherine re-opened his bakery in Adam's honor. | Source: Pexels

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Jared was utterly stunned. Although he refused multiple times, Catherine insisted and even offered to help him with the bakery as she had nothing better to do.

Jared sold the gold bars and jewelry and had enough money to buy a small house, re-open his bakery, and renovate Catherine's place as well.

The two remained friends and business partners, and together, they grew the bakery in honor of Adam, who loved the establishment when he was still alive.

What can we learn from this story?

• Your kindness will always be rewarded in ways you wouldn't expect. Jared wanted to do the right thing by returning the treasure he found in the middle of the forest. In the end, Catherine rewarded him for his honesty, and it changed his life for good.
• It's never too late to start over again. After losing his money, Jared never quit. He continued to work to stay afloat. Thanks to Catherine's help, he was able to start over and re-open his bakery, which they ended up running together.

Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.

If you liked this story, you might like this one about a lawyer who had been looking for a man for the past decade only to find him homeless, begging on the street.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.