{"id":1007,"date":"2023-04-06T20:08:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T18:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2023-10-01T19:19:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-01T17:19:38","slug":"old-lady-who-works-as-a-cleaner-thinks-her-bank-account-is-almost-empty-finds-over-360k-in-it-story-of-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/?p=1007","title":{"rendered":"Old Lady Who Works as a Cleaner Thinks Her Bank Account Is Almost Empty, Finds over $360K in It \u2013 Story of the Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

An older woman forced to work as a cleaner long after retirement age is stunned to find a huge sum of money in her bank account.<\/p>\n

What is more terrifying than getting old alone and penniless? Lucy Martin was sixty-seven years old and had worked hard all her life as a mid-level administrative in a big Mid-West company.<\/p>\n

However, shortly before her retirement, Lucy and her colleagues discovered that the money in the company\u2019s retirement fund was gone. The specter of a miserable old age loomed, the dream of a comfortable retirement evaporated.<\/p>\n

Lucy was forced into retirement by the company\u2019s dissolution days before her sixty-fifth birthday. She had to take a job, any job, and at her age, all she found was employment as a cleaner at the local college.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy worked as a cleaner at a college. | Source: Unsplash<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Lucy wasn\u2019t the kind of woman to weep over spilled milk or whine about the unfairness of life, so she buckled up. She took great pride in doing her job and doing it well.<\/p>\n

Over the nearly three years that Lucy had been working as a cleaner at the college\u2019s dorms, she had become a sort of unofficial campus granny.<\/p>\n

The students knew that if they had a problem and needed a shoulder to cry on, Lucy was there. When she noticed that a new student was struggling to adapt, Lucy went out of her way to make them feel at home.<\/p>\n

One particularly miserable winter, several of the kids at the dorm caught a terrible flu that was doing the rounds and ended up bedridden for several days.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy loved the kids and often helped them. | Source: Pixabay<\/p>\n

Lucy had shown up after school hours with a hot thermos of chicken soup and babied them all. She gave them hot tea and toast, brought them orange juice, and basically played mom.<\/p>\n

To many of the students, some away from home for the first time, Lucy was a godsend. Her ready smile and motherly teasing drew the shy out of their isolation and calmed the anxious.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t despair, because life might just surprise you.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Grandma Lucy,\u201d cried Matthew Frost, one of the students who was just recovering. \u201cYour chicken soup is a magic potion! Your children are very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Matthew\u2019s surprise, Lucy\u2019s eyes filled with tears, and her brilliant smile dimmed. \u201cOh, I have only one daughter, and she lives 3000 miles away in Arizona.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nMatthew was sick and Lucy brought him hot tea and chicken soup. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Matthew said, confused and concerned. \u201cIt\u2019s nearly Thanksgiving, so you\u2019ll be with her soon, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

But Lucy didn\u2019t seem to feel comforted by Matthew\u2019s comment. She pressed her hand to her mouth and ran out of the dorm room. She came back an hour later and her eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious she had been crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Lucy,\u201d Matthew said. \u201cPlease tell me what is wrong. You\u2019ve always been there for me. Remember when I wanted to switch courses and was afraid to tell my dad? Let me be a friend to you as you were to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy sat down at the feet of Matthew\u2019s bed and cried. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she said once she\u2019d calmed down a little. \u201cYou see, I haven\u2019t seen my daughter in over three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy told Matthew that she hadn\u2019t seen her daughter in years. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t afford the trip, and she can\u2019t afford to pay for me either. She has two babies and her husband is unemployed,\u201d Lucy explained. \u201cShe needs help, and I can\u2019t give it to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew held Lucy\u2019s hand while she explained how she had lost all her savings and the pension fund to a scam, and why she had to work so hard at her age.<\/p>\n

Matthew said, \u201cHey, you remember what you said to me when I was down? Life always surprises you, and every difficulty brings new strength. I believed it, now it\u2019s your turn\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy walked out of Matthew\u2019s room feeling oddly comforted, but as she was leaving the dorm, she saw one of the second-year students sitting on the steps crying, with a crumpled envelope in her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiz!\u201d Lucy said, immediately forgetting her own sorrows. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, honey?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy saw Liz sitting on the steps looking very sad. | Source: Unsplash<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Gran Lucy,\u201d Liz sobbed. \u201cI have to drop out. My scholarship only pays three-quarters of my expenses and the bank refused to extend my student loan. My parents are having a hard time, so they can\u2019t help me either\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh dear,\u201d Lucy said, sitting down next to Liz and putting an arm around her shoulder. \u201cAnd you are doing so well too! When do you need that money?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot until September,\u201d Liz said. \u201cBut I can\u2019t see how I\u2019m going to get my hands on $15,000!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Lucy said firmly. \u201cNo more crying, Lizzie, my girl! Chin up! Something will turn up. Like I always say, life has a way of surprising us!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nMatthew had a brilliant idea. | Source: Unsplash<\/p>\n

Lucy was right because, at that very moment, Matthew Frost was busy on his computer. He had a brilliant idea, and he was sure his fellow students would be eager to help bring about a miracle\u2026<\/p>\n

When Lucy went to the ATM to draw on her salary two months later, she had the fright of her life. The balance of her account was $364,563.<\/p>\n

Lucy squinted. That couldn\u2019t be right! She marched into the bank and asked the teller to give her a bank statement. There it was: $364,563.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a mistake!\u201d Lucy said to the teller. \u201cYou made a mistake. That\u2019s not my money!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Martin, the money was deposited into your account three days ago by a Mr. Matthew Frost\u2026\u201d the teller said. A flustered Lucy thanked the woman and ran out.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy had quite a surprise when she checked her bank account. | Source: Pixabay<\/p>\n

She went to the dorm, but Matthew was in class so she waited for him. There he was, walking along with his arm around a pretty girl! \u201cMatthew!\u201d Lucy hollered. \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew walked over to Lucy with a huge grin on his face. \u201cI see you\u2019ve been to the bank\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026but\u2026\u201d Lucy stammered. \u201cWhere did you get all that money?\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew winked. \u201cIt was magic!\u201d he said. \u201cWe started a Go-Fund-Me page, and every student in this college and their parents wanted to show you some love. $363,000 worth of love. You can visit your daughter, Lucy, you can help her, you can move to Arizona to be with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLucy shared her miracle with Liz. | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n

Lucy had tears in her eyes. \u201cYou crazy kids!\u201d she choked. \u201cYou\u2019re crazy, crazy\u2026\u201d But even as she thanked Matthew, Lucy\u2019s mind was working overtime.<\/p>\n

Maybe, just maybe, this wonderful, magical windfall could help someone else! The next day, Lucy knocked on the door of Liz\u2019s room, and in her hand was a check for $20,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is your share of my miracle,\u201d Lucy told her. \u201cBecause you see, when life surprises you, you have to give back a little of that love\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t despair, because life might just surprise you. Lucy was stunned when her students raised money to help her retire and be with her daughter.<\/p>\n

MIracles should be shared. Miracles are a little bit like chocolate ice cream \u2014 they are always better when you share, just like Lucy did with Liz.<\/p>\n

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An older woman forced to work as a cleaner long after retirement age is stunned to find a huge sum of money in her bank account. What is more terrifying than getting old alone and penniless? Lucy Martin was sixty-seven years old and had worked hard all her life as a mid-level administrative in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2008,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions\/2008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}