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.
The Remarkable Journey of Laura Ingraham
Uncovering the Female Figure Behind the TV Screen
With her fascinating personality and powerful voice, Laura Ingraham, one of today’s most prominent talk show hosts and a familiar face on Fox News, has captivated audiences. When the cameras are off, though, who is she? Let us explore this remarkable woman’s life.
Childhood and Schooling
Laura Ingraham was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, on June 19, 1963, and raised in a working-class household. Her mother, Anne Caroline Kozak, worked as a server and at the local school, while her father, James Frederick Ingraham III, was a World War II veteran and ran a car wash. Laura, who grew up with three older brothers, remembers her early years as “rough and tumble.”
Following her 1981 graduation from Glastonbury High School, Laura attended the prestigious University of Dartmouth in New Hampshire to further her studies. As the chief editor of the school newspaper, the well-known conservative Dartmouth Review, she caused quite a stir there. Laura, who doesn’t hesitate to stir up controversy, gained notoriety when she dispatched an undercover journalist to look into an LGBTQ student organization.
From the Media to Politics’
Laura Ingraham found herself employed as a speechwriter for the Secretary of Transportation in the Reagan administration after graduating from college. Her love of the law drove her to work as a judicial clerk before she entered the media in the middle of the 1990s. She started her successful radio career with “The Laura Ingraham Show” after hosting her own program, “Watch It!” on MSNBC. Her radio show gained enormous popularity, making her a well-known conservative political voice.
The success Laura Ingraham had on television didn’t end there. Her popularity increased even further when she appeared as a guest host on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.” This helped pave the way for the debut of her own program, “The Ingraham Angle,” which took off right away.
A Political and Cultural Powerhouse
Laura Ingraham rose to prominence in the industry as one of the most powerful women thanks to her eloquence and sincere approach to political and cultural analysis. She wrote several New York Times best-selling novels and was featured on the cover of “The New York Times Magazine.”
Ingraham Laura’s Private Life
Although Laura Ingraham’s professional life and conservative opinions have garnered media attention, many people are equally curious about her personal life. Laura has remained single despite having dated well-known men including political analyst Keith Olbermann and former senator Robert Torricelli.
She still prioritizes her work and her relationships with her three adoptive children. Laura has welcomed Maria from Guatemala and her sons Dmitri and Nikolai from Russia into her loving home. She is an advocate for both domestic and international adoption.
It is incredibly motivating to see Laura Ingraham’s transformation from a conservative journalist to a well-known talk show host. Her unwavering dedication and her ability to express her passionate thoughts have solidified her status as a significant player in the media sector.
Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about this amazing story!
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