Six-year-old Alan, an orphan, was no stranger to abandonment. Ever since he was left on the steps of a shelter as a baby, he had held onto a longing for his mother. He often gazed at other children with parents by their sides, wondering what it would feel like to be loved and held by a mother. On one particular Sunday, he went to church with his guardian, Nancy. That day, Alan felt a surge of longing that he couldn’t hold back. He walked to the front of the church, kneeling, hands clasped tightly together, his small body shaking as he whispered his pleas.
“Dear Jesus, they say you hear everything,” he cried, his innocent voice echoing through the empty hall. “My guardians told me you would listen if I knocked on your door. So here I am, begging you…please, Jesus, send my mommy to me.”
As he continued to pray, his words grew louder, each filled with the deep-seated yearning that only an abandoned child could understand. His cheeks flushed red, and his eyes grew puffy from crying. Nearby, Nancy approached, urging him to keep his voice down, but Alan seemed lost in his own world, a place where he hoped his voice could reach the heavens. He stared at the crucifix, imploring God to hear him.
“Why aren’t you answering me?” he sobbed. “Please, Jesus…they all have mommies. Why can’t I have mine? I just want my mommy.”
Nancy gently placed a hand on his shoulder, reminding him to quiet down as people glanced over sympathetically. Alan wiped his tears and tried to compose himself, but just then, his attention was caught by a woman who entered the church with her little girl. The child, nestled against her mother’s side, looked at Alan and smiled shyly. Alan’s heart swelled with longing once again, and his tears began anew.
“Jesus, look!” he cried out, gesturing toward the woman and her child. “That girl has her mommy with her. Why don’t I have mine? I’m begging you, Jesus, please let me see my mommy.”
Nancy looked at him, a soft smile tugging at her lips despite the sadness in her eyes. “You never know, Alan. Sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect.”
Before Alan could respond, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded from behind them. “I’ll take you, my boy. I’ve come for you.”
Alan and Nancy turned around in surprise. The woman Alan had noticed earlier was now standing directly behind them. She was looking at Alan with tear-filled eyes and trembling lips.
“Alan, my boy! I’ve come for you. I’m here to take you home,” she said, her voice breaking.
Nancy’s face was a mix of surprise and confusion. She held Alan protectively, turning to the woman. “Who are you? And how do you know his name?”
The woman took a step closer, her eyes locked on Alan. “My name is Annette,” she said. “I’m Alan’s mother. I left him at the shelter six years ago. I come here almost every day to see him from a distance. Today…I couldn’t hold back anymore. I’ve come to take him home.”
Nancy looked stunned, glancing between the woman and Alan. “Your son? If you’re truly his mother, you must have proof.”
Annette reached into her purse and pulled out an old photograph. In it, a younger version of herself was holding a newborn, wrapped tightly in a blanket, gazing at him with eyes full of love and sorrow. “I was 16 when I gave birth to Alan,” Annette explained, tears rolling down her cheeks. “My parents forced me to abandon him, and I had no choice back then.”
Annette’s story came pouring out. She had fallen in love with a boy at a young age, only to be left heartbroken when he abandoned her upon learning of the pregnancy. Her parents, unwilling to support her decision to keep the child, gave her an ultimatum—abandon the baby or lose everything, including her family and inheritance. Devastated, Annette left her newborn son on the shelter steps, unable to see any other way. She moved on, finished her education, and eventually married a man named Jason, who knew about her past but assumed she’d left it behind.
“I tried to live my life, but I could never forget him,” Annette said, choking up. “For years, I visited this church, hoping to get a glimpse of him. But today, hearing him cry out, I just couldn’t walk away again. I need him in my life. I want to take him home and make up for the years I’ve lost.”
Nancy, visibly moved by the story, looked down at Alan, who was watching the woman with wide eyes. “This is all up to you, Alan. Do you want to go with her?”
Alan’s face lit up, a glimmer of hope dawning in his eyes. “Mommy?” he whispered tentatively. The woman knelt down, reaching her arms toward him, and he didn’t hesitate. He ran into her embrace, and for the first time in his life, he felt the warmth of his mother’s arms around him.
Determined to make things right, Annette immediately began the process of gaining custody of Alan. She underwent DNA tests, which confirmed their relationship, and after legal formalities, she was finally able to take him home. But her decision came with a heavy cost.
Her parents disowned her, severing all ties and cutting her off financially. Even her husband, Jason, who had initially accepted her past, felt betrayed by her decision. “I married you because I thought you’d moved on from this part of your life,” he said coldly. “I’m willing to support our daughter, but I can’t accept this child as my own.” He filed for divorce soon after.
Despite losing everything, Annette never regretted her choice. She took Alan and her daughter Amy and moved abroad, where she found a job to support them. Free from her past burdens and surrounded by her children, she finally found peace. She lived each day knowing that she had chosen love over convention, and she couldn’t have been happier. For her, the sacrifices were worth it, as she finally had the family she had always longed for.