That ancient chapel has heard the pleas of Alan, a six-year-old boy, many times. As he knelt on the stone floor, this orphan’s prayer echoed through the space filled with people seeking God.
Alan has only ever felt the love of his caretakers from the shelter. Other than these kind-hearted individuals, he experienced little warmth.
His desire was to meet his mother. During the long nights, he envisioned her face.
And that day, his cries were louder than ever, piercing through the silence of the chapel and the quiet whispers of the churchgoers.
Someone told Alan that God listened to the prayers of those in need. And most of anyone else, he was in need of his mother.
“Dear God,” he cried as his shoulders trembled, “they say you answer all prayers, and I pray for my mom to come and get me.”
Listening to him, Nancy, his caretakers, had her heart broken. She witnessed that little orphan’s prayer every Sunday when she took him to church. Every now and then, she would hush him, worried that his loud cries would disturb the rest of the people. But this time, Alan’s heartbreak was more intense than ever. He was unable to control his tears and his loud sobs.
Alan imagined his mother kissing him goodnight and reading to him. He imagined her holding him by the hand and telling him how much she loved him. His little heart couldn’t stand the pain of not having her in his life.
At one moment, he noticed a woman holding the hand of a little girl getting in the church. He cried harder at the sight. “Oh, God, why do the rest of the children have mothers and I am here, waiting?” he said through sobs.
“Alan, please keep it down,” Nancy whispered. But Alan felt like that church was his last resort; the last place where he could find a voice.
“I’ll take you my boy,” a sweet voice from behind could be heard. Before Alan could turn around, he heard, “I’m here, Alan.”
Chills went down his spine. It was the same woman he saw entering the church. She was still holding the girl by the hand.
Nancy, who has always been extremely protective of Alan, drew him close to her.
“Who are you and how do you know Alan’s name?” she asked, both scared and confused.
The woman didn’t say anything. She just reached to her purse and took out a photo that she handed to Nancy.
Looking at it, Nancy recognized a familiar face; face she could never forget.
It was Alan. On that photograph, he was a newborn baby. He had the same clothes that he wore on the night someone left him at the stairs of the shelter.
The woman, barely gathering strength to speak, said softly, “I was forced to give him up. My parents, influential people, threatened me. I was still a child myself,” the woman said.
“How could you leave him like that,” Nancy protested.
The woman, Annette, explained that when she fell pregnant with Alan, she was 16. Her parents said it was either the baby or them, and she was too young to be able to take care of him all by herself.
The decision to leave Alan behind was the hardest ever. She often went to the church to see him from afar, never finding the courage to approach him. But this time was different. This time, his cries were louder than before.
After she abandoned Alan, the woman married to a man who was aware of her past. They welcomed a child; the little girl that was with her.
This time, she was there to stay.
It didn’t take long before Annette took the steps to file all the legal paperwork needed to regain her parental rights. The DNA test showed she was indeed Alan’s mother.
Finally, the orphan’s prayer was answered. And it was answered in the most unexpected way.
Sadly, Annette’s struggles didn’t end there.
Despite the six years that passed since Alan’s birth, they were still not willing to accept him as their grandson so they cut all ties with her and disinherited her. Her husband, Jason, couldn’t accept Alan either. He said he didn’t want to raise another man’s child. Although he was aware of Alan’s existence, he was convinced that part of Annette’s life was in the past.
Sadly, Jason filed for divorce, leaving Annette to raise her two children all alone.
At first, it was hard. But over time, Annette moved places and found a steady job.
No money in the world was more important than having her two children by her side.
Alan found his mommy, the person he prayed and longed to meet, and life felt good for this family of three.
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