When Bob, a widower and father of five, got a call from a Florida hospital saying his wife had given birth, he rushed across the country—only to learn she had tragically passed during labor. Now left with their newborn daughter, he focused on bringing her home to Texas. But when he tried to board the flight, he was stopped. The baby was only four days old—too young to fly without a birth certificate. Alone and overwhelmed,
Bob had no one to turn to in Florida. Then he remembered Mrs. Sticks, the kind elderly hospital volunteer who had comforted him earlier. Hesitant but desperate, he called her.To his surprise, she welcomed him and the baby into her home without hesitation. Over the next week, Mrs. Sticks helped him care for the infant, grieve his wife,and even arrange the transportation of his wife’s body. Her warmth reminded Bob of his late mother, and he came to see her as family.Once the documents were ready, Bob returned home—but never forgot her kindness. He and his daughter visited Mrs. Sticks every year until her passing. At her funeral,
a lawyer informed Bob she had left him part of her inheritance. Touched beyond words, Bob partnered with her children to start a charity in her memory.Over time, Bob grew close to her eldest daughter, Shirley. Love blossomed, and she eventually became his wife—and mother to his six children. From grief came healing, and from a stranger’s kindness, a new family was born