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The Truth
The woman introduced herself as Carol. She was a retired social worker, and this place—Sunshine House—was a foster care center and transitional daycare for children in crisis.
Some of the kids had been removed from unstable homes. Some were waiting on court dates or adoption matches. Others just needed a place to feel safe while their families worked through life’s hardest chapters.
Jake had been volunteering every Saturday for two months.
He never mentioned it because he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. He wasn’t doing it for attention. He was doing it because he’d once said, “Every kid deserves to feel like someone is proud to see them.”
Carol explained that kids there were allowed to call the volunteers “Mom” or “Dad” if they felt safe doing so. It helped them feel normal—even just for a few hours a week.
Tim hadn’t misunderstood. He’d just taken what he saw at face value. He thought the other kids were his siblings. He thought it was a secret because Jake told him not to spoil the surprise, not because he was hiding something.
A Different Kind of Love
I drove home in silence that day. Not with anger—but with awe. I felt ashamed of the horrible scenarios my mind had painted. I had doubted the man I married, when in reality, he was doing something brave, compassionate, and selfless.
He didn’t have another family.
He was giving his heart to kids who didn’t have one.
That evening, I hugged Jake tighter than I had in weeks. I thanked him—not just for being honest, but for being the kind of person who shows up for children who desperately need someone to believe in them.
And then we sat down and talked with Tim.
We told him everything, in the gentlest way possible. We explained who those kids were, and why Daddy helps take care of them. He nodded slowly and said, “I like them. They’re nice. Can I bring my turtle next time?”
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