Matthew had nothing—not a home, not hope—until Pastor suggested he stay with Eleanor Thompson, a lonely widow. At first, it was just a temporary offer, but Eleanor’s quiet compassion melted his fear. She fed him, clothed him in her late son’s clothes, and made space in her heart—and home.
One night, she awoke to find Matthew creeping into her room, terrifying her… until he gently placed a photo of a sick little girl—his sister Ruth—on her nightstand. “Please, remember her too,” his silent act seemed to say.
Eleanor, who had also lost a child, gave Matthew a locket for Ruth’s picture. Grief, once isolating, became a shared language between them.
With Eleanor’s help, Matthew joined an accelerated education program, got a part-time job, and slowly began to rebuild. “One day, I want to help someone like you helped me,” he told her.
She smiled. “You will. That’s how we keep love in this world.”
Because sometimes, saving someone else… saves you too.
