When Anna loses her best friend in a tragic car accident, she takes it upon herself to raise her late friend’s son and help him heal. Later in life, when she needed a helping hand, her kind heart was repaid by the young man she had raised.
Ever since they were children, Anna and Claudia have been great friends. They shared the same interests and hobbies and spent much of their free time together. Growing up, many people in their church mistook them for sisters.
Growing up, they went to the same college and worked in administration at the same company. “You and I are each other’s shadows. Wherever you go, I go,” they often said to each other. They lived in a quaint town and both decided that they would never give up their lives there for the big city.
They both wanted to have families and stay in town forever. Anna soon met a man named Tim. They soon married and Claudia was Anna’s maid of honor. Claudia soon followed and married a man named Trent a year later. In return, Claudia also had Anna as her maid of honor.
Anna had two children in quick succession, a girl named Angela and her younger sister Hannah. Claudia was there for her during both pregnancies and supported her friend in raising the children. Claudia was keen to have children of her own, but soon revealed to Anna that she had suffered multiple miscarriages.
Claudia was already thinking about giving up. “Don’t you dare stop! You and I will stick to the plan,” Anna told her. Claudia kept trying, even though her marriage to Trent faltered. A few years later, after Claudia became pregnant again, Trent filed for divorce and left her for a younger woman.
“Don’t worry Angela. I’ll get Mom back on her feet in no time. That’s a promise.”
Curiously, it happened to be Claudia’s first successful pregnancy. She gave birth to a beautiful boy and named him Kyle. Claudia took full custody of Kyle because Trent had already left her.
“Don’t worry, Claudia. I’ll help you the same way you helped me. I’m still your shadow,” Anna assured her. For years, the two young families were closely intertwined and always there for each other.
One day, while waiting for Claudia to come over for lunch, Anna received a call from the local hospital. A nurse sadly greeted her and told Anna to come to the emergency room.
“Claudia and Kyle were involved in a collision a few hours ago. Kyle survived the accident and is in intensive care, but we regret to report that despite the best efforts of our medical professionals, Claudia sadly passed away,” she said nurse to Anna.
Anna was devastated. She couldn’t believe she had lost her best friend. It felt like a part of her was gone forever. Anna asked to visit Kyle, who was unconscious at the time. A doctor came to speak to Anna. “We have tried several times to reach the father, but we cannot reach him,” said the doctor.
“Forget him. I’ll take care of Kyle from now on,” Anna replied.
The doctor then informed Anna that Kyle had suffered traumatic injuries to his back and legs and needed to rest in bed for a while. Over the next few weeks, Anna completed the paperwork to officially adopt Kyle while he rested and recovered in bed.
“What if I can’t walk anymore?” Kyle asked.
“Hey. If I can walk, you can walk. I’ll be your shadow,” Anna told him.
Anna vowed to take care of Kyle until he could take care of himself. Kyle’s new step-siblings also helped him while they were still in high school. Anna bought Kyle crutches when he was ready to learn to walk again. Kyle was very grateful to Anna.
Although he was struggling with the loss of his mother, he was glad that Anna was there for him. Things took a turn when Anna fell ill and Tim divorced her. Soon she could no longer work because she was too weak. Kyle had recently graduated from high school and decided to take a break from college to take care of Anna.
“I really don’t deserve a son like you.”
“You basically starved yourself trying to babysit us kids. Now it’s my turn to babysit you,” Kyle told her. He found a job at a local grocery store and used his money to take care of Anna. Eventually, Kyle went to college, graduated, and started a family.
One day, 20 years later, Anna was trying to clean her gutters and fell off her ladder. She broke her hip and was taken to the hospital. After the fall, Anna spent a lot of time in bed with severe pain in her legs. Kyle returned to his hometown to take care of his stepmother.
Kyle also received a call from Anna’s older daughter, Angela.
“Hey Kyle. Hannah and I are really sorry that we can’t be there to help. We tried our best to raise some money for a power wheelchair but they were very expensive. My family and I are moving back to town soon, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Angela told him.
“Don’t worry Angela. I’ll get mom back on her feet in no time. That’s a promise,” Kyle replied. Kyle carried her to the car when Anna had to go to the doctor for an appointment. After a few weeks he went through his bedroom closet and dusted off his old crutches.
Kyle used them to help Anna walk again. “I really don’t deserve a son like you. You should be with your family,” Anna told him.
“They understand that I need to be there for you. Once upon a time you helped me learn to walk again when I was young, so I must reciprocate. I will be your shadow,” Kyle replied. “Sie verstehen, dass ich für dich da sein muss. Es war einmal, dass du mir geholfen hast, wieder laufen zu lernen, als ich jung war, also muss ich mich revanchieren. Ich werde dein Schatten sein”, antwortete Kyle.
In just a few weeks, Anna learned to walk independently. Angela and her family soon moved back into town and into Anna’s house. Angela took care of Anna in her last years and was happy to help raise her grandchildren.In wenigen Wochen lernte Anna, selbstständig zu gehen. Angela und ihre Familie zogen bald zurück in die Stadt und in Annas Haus. Angela kümmerte sich in ihren letzten Jahren um Anna und half gerne bei der Erziehung ihrer Enkelkinder.
Years later, Kyle used his life savings to open a hospice that cared for the sick and old. He dedicated the facility to his late mother and stepmother.Jahre später nutzte Kyle seine Ersparnisse, um ein Hospiz zu eröffnen, das sich um Kranke und Alte kümmerte. Er widmete die Einrichtung seiner verstorbenen Mutter und Stiefmutter.
What can we learn from this story?
Always take care of your loved ones. After Claudia’s death, Kyle would have been alone were it not for Anna’s love and support. Thanks to Anna, Kyle made a full recovery and grew up in a loving home.
Give back the love you receive. After Anna fell ill, Kyle was there to support her. Years later when she broke her hip, Kyle returned to help Anna in the same way she had helped him.
Share this story with your friends. It could brighten their day and inspire them.