Life is such that first our parents take care of us, and then we care for them in old age. Helping the elderly is not easy. However, sometimes it can turn out in a very unexpected way. That’s exactly what happened to the heroes of our story, who took in an elderly aunt from the village.
Helping the Elderly
After discussing it, Viktor and Oksana decided to bring Aunt Masha from the village to live with them. Oksana’s parents had passed away early, and her aunt was the closest family she had left. The elderly woman could no longer live alone in the countryside—she had no strength left. So they decided to settle her in their apartment; they had a spare room anyway. And how could they live peacefully knowing that their aunt was alone out there?
After some brief persuasion, Aunt Masha came to stay. She brought several bags filled with clothes and treats. She had homemade preserves, dried herbs, and mushrooms. Oksana was amazed at how her picky children devoured the homemade jam.
Aunt Masha
A couple of years ago, Viktor and Oksana bought an apartment on a mortgage and had been working two jobs ever since. They came home exhausted. Oksana hardly ever cooked, relying on frozen meals. They had two children—Sasha and Anya—who were pretty much left to their own devices, spending all their free time on their phones. But Aunt Masha immediately brought something special into their lives.
One weekend morning, Oksana woke up to an incredible smell coming from the kitchen. She went in to find a table set with fresh pancakes and an open jar of jam. Aunt Masha and the kids were making dumplings together. It had been a long time since she had seen them so enthusiastic. Little Anya exclaimed, “Mom, look! We’re making homemade dumplings!”
Oksana felt a deep sense of peace wash over her. Over time, she noticed that the kids were spending more time with their aunt and less on their phones. They loved listening to her stories. She even taught them fun new games. They eagerly helped her cook. Oksana was delighted by these changes.
A Difficult Night
One late night, Aunt Masha got up to get a glass of water. In the kitchen, she found her niece quietly crying. She walked over, hugged her, and asked gently, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Before she could even think, Oksana poured out all her worries to the elderly woman. She said she was exhausted from working two jobs and barely seeing her children. She wished she could spend more time with them. She spoke of problems at work and a sense of emptiness in her relationship with her husband. It was a long, heartfelt conversation.
Aunt Masha listened silently, offering comfort just by being present. Oksana cried it all out, and it was clear that simply talking had made her feel lighter. The old woman stroked her hair and quietly said, “Don’t worry, my dear, things will get better soon.” For some reason, Oksana believed her. For the first time in a long while, she felt calm.
A New Life
On a weekend morning, Oksana woke up later than usual. She had been exhausted from work the day before. She made herself a coffee and slowly sipped it. Then she realized something strange—it was too quiet in the apartment. She checked all the rooms and found no one home. She was puzzled. Where could they have gone? A sense of unease crept over her. She got dressed and rushed outside, not knowing where to look for her family.
At the playground, she spotted the kids, who immediately ran up to her, excitedly explaining where Dad and Grandma Masha had gone. A moment later, she saw them coming around the corner. She hurried toward them. Aunt Masha spoke first: “Oh, we didn’t make it back in time! Have you been awake long? Sorry, we wanted to be back before you got up.” Oksana asked, “But where did you go?”
Her husband smiled and said, “Let’s go inside, and we’ll tell you everything. We have a surprise for you.”
Once home, Aunt Masha and Viktor explained that they had gone out early in the morning to make the final payment on the mortgage. It turned out that all these years, Aunt Masha had been saving money from her pension. She had recently also finalized the sale of her house.
Aunt Masha’s Gift
She had been saving all this money for them—to leave as an inheritance. But she decided it would be better to give it now. The amount was just enough to pay off the mortgage. She had conspired with Viktor to make it a surprise. Aunt Masha looked affectionately at her niece and said, “Oksanochka, you know, I’ve worked my whole life. God didn’t bless me with children of my own, but you are like my own. I just want you to live a little easier and be happy. Now you can quit one of your jobs and spend more time at home with the kids.”
The kids pulled Aunt Masha into the room, her husband happily ran off to the store to buy a cake to celebrate, and Oksana sat quietly in the kitchen, lost in thought. She brushed a tear from her cheek and whispered, “Thank you for being in our lives, Aunt Masha.”
Editor’s Note
As you can see, helping the elderly can sometimes bring unexpected blessings. The couple didn’t even realize how much their elderly aunt had changed their home. The children loved her, the home became cozier, and even financial problems were resolved. They thought they were helping her—but she helped them, too. It’s beautiful when things turn out that way. Cherish your elders!
