A woman who was kicked out by her rich father at sixteen for taking up with a poor man ends up living on the streets with her four children after her husband died.
Steve Walton was far from thrilled when his butler told him that Pastor Morris was waiting to see him. He was tired after a long flight from Singapore and in no mood for the man’s lectures or pleas for support for the community.
He had the pastor shown in and waved an impatient hand at his greeting. “Get on with it, man!” he snapped. “What is it that you want this time?”
“Mr. Walton, I saw Susan,” the pastor said quietly, and Steve’s heart nearly stopped. His only daughter had left his house nearly fifteen years before, never to be seen again…
“Susan?” Steve cried anxiously. “Where? When? How is she?”
“I was in Los Angeles, helping out a friend who has a mission among the homeless and that’s where I saw her,” the pastor said.
“She was a volunteer? Did you tell her I’ve been looking for her?” asked Steve.
“No,” Pastor Morris said gently. “She wasn’t a volunteer, Mr. Walton. She’s homeless. She and her children are living in a car.”
Steve found himself so dizzy he had to sit down. “Homeless? My Susan? Children?” he gasped.
“I’m afraid so,” the pastor said. “And she wouldn’t even listen to me when I told her to come home.”
“But why?” asked Steve angrily. “She’s not with that loser anymore, is she?”
“Her husband passed away three years ago, Mr. Walton,” the pastor explained. “And she told me she wouldn’t bring her children into a house where their father is despised.”
Steve Walton felt that old familiar wave of rage sweep through him. Fifteen years later, Susan was still defying him! He remembered the scene in his study, and Susan’s steady eyes looking into his as he ranted.
“Pregnant at sixteen, and by the GARDNER!” he’d screamed. “Well, we are going to have THAT taken care of, and HE’S fired! You will never see that man again!”
“THAT is my baby, daddy,” Susan had said in a tremulous voice. “And HE is the man I love. I’m going to marry him.”
“You marry that man and you’re on your own, Susan, do you hear?” Steve shouted furiously. “No more money, nothing! You marry him and you get out of my house!”
Susan had looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I love you, daddy,” she’d said. Then she turned around and walked away. Even though Steve had set detectives to find her, no one had been able to trace her.
“How many children?” he asked Pastor Morris.
“Four,” the pastor said. “Three girls and a boy. Beautiful children.”
Steve picked up his phone and spat out orders for his plane to be readied. “Pastor, would you come with me to Los Angeles, take me to my little girl?” he asked quietly.
The pastor nodded, and within two hours, the two men were on board Steve’s private jet winging their way south. There was a limo waiting for them, and the pastor directed them to a parking lot outside a large mall.
At the furthest end of the lot, a pickup truck was parked, with a tent set up at the back. Pastor Morris had told Steve that when Susan’s husband died in a work accident, the insurance company had refused to pay out and the bank foreclosed on the mortgage.
Susan had piled the children and their few belongings into the old pickup. She worked at the mall as a cleaner. She and the children used the mall’s facilities and bought whatever was leftover at the restaurants at the end of the night.
Still, she had managed to keep the four children fed, clean, and in school. As the two men approached the truck, they heard cheerful voices and laughter. Then two children tumbled out of the back.
The biggest girl, about fourteen, was laughing as she tickled a boy of about seven. The children stopped and gaped at Steve and Pastor Morris. “Mom!” the girl yelled. “That old preacher friend of yours is here!”
A well-remembered voice asked from inside the tent, “Preacher Morris?” Then Susan climbed out and Steve could see the shock in her face when she saw him standing next to the pastor.
“Daddy?” she asked, and her eyes filled with tears.
Steve was shocked. His daughter was barely thirty-one, but she looked much older. Her face was worn and lined with worry and suffering, her hands coarsened by hard work.
“Susan,” Steve cried. “Look at you! Look at what HE did to my princess! I wanted so much for you! And you married that loser! What could he give you? Poverty?”
Susan shook her head and said, “He loved me, daddy, and he gave me 4 beautiful children. He died, and I had nowhere to go, but I’ve done what I can for my children. I will always love the father of my children, daddy, just like I’ve always loved you.”
Steve found that he had tears running down his face. “Forgive me, Susan,” he sobbed. “Please forgive me. Come home, I want you all to come home with me. Let me help you take care of the children!”
Steve found himself holding his weeping daughter and knew that everything was going to be alright. Susan introduced him to his three granddaughters, then she placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And this,” she smiled, “is little Stevie!”
“You named him after me?” Steve asked, astounded. “After what I did?”
“I love you, daddy,” she said softly. “Don’t you know that?”
That afternoon, they all flew home to Texas. It was the beginning of a better life for all of them.
What can we learn from this story?
Love and accept your children unconditionally. Steve was furious with Susan for loving a poor man and made the biggest mistake of his life by losing his daughter.
Don’t judge people for their wealth or influence. Steve hated his son-in-law because he was poor, but he was a loving husband to Susan and a dedicated dad.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
A courageous puppy cries out for help and battles to save its mother from a giant python’s attack
A brave little pup shows extraordinary courage by raising the alarm to save his mother from the clutches of a giant python in a heartbreaking and breathtaking scene caught on camera.
The harrowing incident occurred in a remote village, illustrating the surprising bond between a pup and his mother, as well as the resilient spirit of animals in the face of danger.
An astonishing story of daring and survival unfolded before the eyes of stunned people in a small, remote community where nature and wildlife intertwined.
This heart-stopping story revealed the steadfast strength and close relationship formed by a small dog and his mother as they faced an imposing threat from a massive python.
The theological encounter occurred in the quiet of the village, where daily life went on according to natural rhythms.
However, the peace was disrupted when a gigantic python coiled itself tightly around the mother dog, threatening her very survival. The mother dog found herself in a dangerous situation, caught in the clutches of the reptilian predator.
But help was not far away. A brave and cunning dog, barely a few months old, became a witness to the dangerous event unfolding before his eyes.
The young canine understood that he had to act quickly and with determination, driven by a natural resolve and an unbreakable relationship with his mother.
The brave pup unleashed a tremendous cry for help, his frantic call echoing throughout the community, with every ounce of power and bravery he possessed. The urgency and anxiety in his voice was unmistakable, prompting local residents to search for the cause of the uproar.
Locals rushed towards the terrified dog, guided by the pup’s heartfelt call, aware that time was of the essence.
As they approached the scene, their eyes widened in amazement and bewilderment at what they saw. The mother dog, wrapped in the python’s tight embrace, struggled feverishly for freedom, her life hanging in the balance.
The people fearlessly worked together to save the mother dog from the clutches of the vicious snake. Armed with tools and their collective strength, they developed a strategy to rescue the mother dog from the python’s grasp.
The villagers carried out their strategy with precision, patiently loosening the python’s coils and eventually releasing their hold on the mother dog in a display of unwavering bravery and timing.
As the tension eased and the python’s grip loosened, hope ignited in the hearts of all who witnessed the rescue effort.
Finally, with one last concentrated attempt, the villagers managed to completely free the mother dog from the python’s suffocating grip. As the brave canine was reunited with her resilient young pup, the crowd erupted in relief and gratitude.
This extraordinary story of bravery and survival serves as a poignant reminder of the tremendous bonds that exist in the animal kingdom, as well as the impressive strength displayed by creatures great and small.
The narrative of the pup’s brave call for help and the villagers’ collaborative attempt to save the mother dog from the clutches of a gigantic python exemplifies the indomitable spirit that dwells in every living being.
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