— “Sam, do you ever wonder what your life would be like if we hadn’t met?”
Sam thought for a moment.
— “Sometimes. I’d probably still be in a shelter, maybe helping a few neighbors, but not able to help so many.”
— “Do you think it was fate?”
— “I think it was love. Grandma Rose’s love, your parents’ love. I think when you have love in your heart, you always find your way to where you’re supposed to be.”
Matthew smiled.
— “You know you completely changed my life, right?”
— “You changed mine too. Before I met you, I thought my gift was just for small things. You showed me it could be for big things.”
— “And now…”
Sam looked at the foundation buildings, the gardens where other kids were playing while waiting for sessions, the parents talking in support groups.
— “Now I know that care is the most powerful medicine there is. And when you share it, it just grows.”
Just then, Karen walked over.
— “Guys, there’s a family here who wants to meet you. They traveled a long way.”
It was a family from a rural town out west. The father, a simple man in worn work clothes, held the hand of a five-year-old girl who kept her eyes tightly shut.
— “Are you Sam and Matthew?” the man asked, his voice thick with emotion.
— “We are,” Sam said. “What are your names?”
— “I’m Mike. This is my wife, Linda. And this is our daughter, Rosie.”
— “That’s a beautiful name,” Matthew noted.
— “We named her that because she was our miracle baby,” Linda explained.
— “And she needs some help?” Sam asked, kneeling down to Rosie’s level. The girl didn’t open her eyes, but she turned toward Sam’s voice.
— “She stopped opening her eyes after our house burned down,” Mike explained. “We lost everything—the crops, the livestock, the house. Rosie saw it all go up in flames, and she hasn’t opened her eyes since.”
Sam gently touched Rosie’s hand.
— “Hi, Rosie. Can you hear me?”
— “Yes,” she whispered.
— “I have something very important to tell you.”
— “What?”
— “Your name isn’t an accident. You really are the miracle in your family, and I’m going to help you remember that.”
Matthew stepped up and took Rosie’s other hand.
— “I was scared of seeing bad things too, but Sam taught me that there’s way more beauty in the world than fear.”
— “How do you know?” Rosie asked.
— “Because after I learned to be brave again, I saw my family’s smiles, I saw the flowers, I saw other kids playing, I saw the sun, and I saw that there’s always something beautiful to see, even after something bad happens.”
Sam stood up and spoke to the parents.
— “You can stay here for a few weeks. Rosie’s treatment will take some time.”
— “We don’t have much money,” Mike started.
— “Don’t worry about that,” Andrew said, appearing behind them. “The foundation has housing for families who travel. You stay as long as you need.”
Linda started to cry.
— “How can we ever thank you for such kindness?”
