Every Day Old Widow Sees Lonely Boy Cleaning Up Trash outside Her House – Story of the Day

A lonely old widow noticed a young boy cleaning up the trash on her property every day, without knowing the reason why. She searched for answers, and what the boy told him touched her heart and caused her to change her will entirely.

Edan lived in a small farm village and his house was next to the property of an old widow named Alice. He lived in a small farm hut alongside his mother. His dad left them a long time ago.

Not wanting her son to end up like his dad, his mom Christine raised him with so much love and care, hoping he would one day become a kind and gentle man himself.

Christine would work on their farm to feed them every day. When Edan was younger, their old neighbor, Alice, used to help her by having Eden stay at her place every afternoon while she was out harvesting her crops.

A young boy cleaned up after the old lady's property every single day without pay. | Source: Pexels

Unfortunately, just a few years later, she started to experience different health issues. She asked Christine not to bring Edan to her home anymore, as she could no longer care for him like she used to.

Alice had two sons who lived away from her but came on weekends. They weren't there to visit her, though, but to party with their friends. After all, their small farm village was located near a busy district filled with bars.

Almost every weekend, her sons would stay in her house. They would leave by sundown to go out and party and return by sunrise.

They behaved rudely towards their mother, thinking of her as just a lonely old woman. They were noisy and didn't care if it prevented her mother from sleeping. Moreover, sometimes they threw the loud parties in her backyard with their friends. They would mess up the house and the backyard without bothering to clean up after.

"Why don't we have an early dinner before you two leave?" Alice would often ask them.

"No need, mom. We're going to grab a bite in town. Don't wait up," they'd reply.

Alice felt lonely because her sons wouldn't spend time with her. | Source: Pexels

It saddened Alice how her two sons could make time for their friends but not for her. She didn't have the heart to ask them to clean up after themselves because she didn't want them to stop coming either. She'd rather have them mess up the house every weekend than not see them at all.

One particular day, after her two sons drove back to their homes, the mess was starting to take a toll on Alice. She could no longer stand the stench coming from her yard, yet she couldn't do anything about it as she could not stand for long periods.

She prayed for a miracle, hoping some natural phenomenon would wipe away the trash from her yard. While that didn't happen, she did hear a noise coming from outside, of someone sweeping. Alice fell asleep to that sound and woke up the next day to hear someone sweeping again.

She looked out the window and saw Edan cleaning up her yard. Afraid her health would deteriorate further if she were exposed outside, she remained indoors.

However, after days of watching Edan clean up after her sons, she couldn't take it anymore. She called Edan's mother on the phone, asking her why the young boy was cleaning up the garbage that her own sons had scattered every weekend.

Alice was curious as to why Edan was cleaning up after her sons' mess. | Source: Pexels

"I don't know anything about that, Grandma Alice," Christine replied. "You'd have to ask Edan himself."

With that, Alice invited Edan over. He came in an instant and noticed that Alice had difficulty walking. After opening the door, she lay on the couch to rest her tired feet. Then she asked the boy why he kept cleaning her yard.

"When I asked mom why you never came to see us anymore, she explained that it was hard for you to breathe because of the polluted air outdoors," he explained. "So, I thought if I tried to clean up your area, you could come out again and enjoy the fresh air."

Alice was touched by Edan's sincere gesture. She realized Christine couldn't explain her illness to the young boy, so instead, she told him that it was difficult for her to be outdoors because of the pollution.

Edan's mom tried her best to explain to him Alice's situation in a simpler manner.| Source: Pexels

"You sweet boy. In so many years, no one has cared for me the way you have," she said in tears. "Thank you, my child. I feel a lot better now because of your help," she said, reassuring Edan that his efforts were not in vain.

Edan beamed with joy. "Really, Grandma Alice? You're feeling much better?" he asked her.

Alice nodded and tried her best to stand up. "I am. Would you like to take a short walk with me outside?" she asked the young boy.

Every single day after that, Alice and Edan would take quick walks outside in her yard. While they started with short distances, these walks eventually got longer until Alice managed to walk to Edan's house, where they would eat dinner and exchange stories with his mother.

Alice was surprised that her daily walks with Edan eventually helped improve her health. It allowed her to stay active and inhale fresh air.

Alice started feeling much better than she used to with Edan's help. | Source: Pexels

One day, while they were walking, Edan noticed that Alice was walking a lot faster than she used to. He asked her, "Did the doctors cure you, Grandma Alice?"

Alice looked at the innocent young boy and smiled. "No, sweetheart. You cured me!" she replied, hugging him.

Alice felt so much love from Edan and realized she felt more love and care from him than her own sons. Because of this, she decided to alter her will, leaving an inheritance to Edan instead of her sons.

After Alice died several years later, her sons discovered she had left her house to Edan and they were enraged, accusing Christine and Edan of manipulating their mother. "What kind of scheme did you pull on our old mother?!" they said, storming into their home.

"We didn't pull any scheme. In fact, I don't need Grandma Alice's house. You can take it. All I ask is for you to lend me $50 and spend the day with me," Edan told them.

Alice's sons demanded they be given back their mother's house. | Source: Pexels

The two men scoffed, shaking their heads. They handed him a 50-dollar bill and proceeded to ask, "What do you have planned for us today then?"

"Come follow me," Edan said, walking towards town. He brought the two men into a flower shop, where he bought a grand bouquet. Then he led them out of the flower shop and onto the street in silence.

"Where are we going? Are you taking us on a date?" one of Alice's sons mocked.

"Just keep walking," Edan told them.

Eventually, they reached their town's small cemetery where Alice was laid to rest. Edan led them to Alice's grave and placed the lovely bouquet of flowers on it.

"I noticed no one brought Grandma Alice flowers during her funeral," Edan said softly. "She deserves a beautiful bouquet for her selflessness, love, and compassion. If you can't do it for her, don't worry, I will."

Alice's two sons were frozen in shock. At that moment, it dawned on them how badly they had treated their mother when she was alive, and even now that she was dead.

Edan purchased a large bouquet for Alice's grave. | Source: Pexels

The two men looked at each other with guilt in their eyes. They realized they had been focusing on such superficial things in the past years that they neglected the only person who ever showed them genuine and unconditional love.

That night, Edan was having a simple dinner with Christine when someone knocked on their door. When Edan went to open it, he was surprised to see Alice's sons. "Did you forget anything?" he asked them.

"No," one of them said. "We're sorry for accusing you of taking advantage of our mother. We should be grateful that she had you to take care of her all these years," he said apologetically.

"Please, we insist that you keep her farmhouse. You have been taking care of it for her; please continue to do that. We don't plan to live there anyway," the other son told him, handing over the key.

Edan refused at first, but the two men insisted. In the end, Edan vowed to take care of the house and rebuild the farm that Alice and her husband once worked hard to put up.

The two men continued to visit every weekend, this time not to party, but to make sure Edan and Christine had everything they needed to live life comfortably.

What can we learn from this story?

• What goes around comes around. Edan did his best to help Alice without expecting anything in return. In the end, he received a great reward for his kindness and dedication. Meanwhile, her sons, who did not care about her at all, received nothing.
• Kindness brings about miracles. While Edan's gesture of cleaning up Alice's property did not nurse her back to the best of health, the way he supported her and showed up for her every day strengthened her and gave her the motivation to live a healthier lifestyle.

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