My 12-Year-Old Son Gave All His Savings To A Homeless Man — The Next Day, We Received A Cake With A Gold Bar Inside And A Note My name is Rebecca, and my son Ethan turned twelve last Saturday.
By the time Ethan turned 12, he had spent almost two years saving for a guitar. He kept every dollar from chores, pocket money, coins found around the house, and his summer lemonade stand. His envelope was boldly labeled, “GUITAR. DO NOT TOUCH.” He had finally saved $376 and was ready to buy the black acoustic guitar he had dreamed about.
On the way to the music store, Ethan noticed a homeless man named Malcolm sitting outside with his elderly dog, Buddy. Malcolm had barely enough to get by, sometimes sleeping at shelters, sometimes outside. Ethan sat with him and asked questions most adults avoided. Malcolm explained that losing his job, family, savings, and home had left him homeless.
As Ethan and I started toward the store, he suddenly stopped. He looked at his envelope, then back at Malcolm. “My guitar money,” he said, holding it out. Malcolm immediately refused. But Ethan insisted. “You need it more than I do.” Malcolm eventually accepted the $376, and I watched my son give away everything he had saved for nearly two years.
The next afternoon, a birthday cake appeared on our doorstep with a note telling Ethan to cut a slice. Hidden inside the cake was a heavy gold bar wrapped in food-safe plastic. An engraving on the bar said that someone he had recently helped wanted to meet him again and provided an address.
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