A woman, who was kicked out by her wealthy father at 16 for being with a poor man, ends up homeless with her four kids after her husband passed away.
Steve Walton wasn’t happy when his butler told him that Pastor Morris was waiting to talk to him. Steve was tired after a long flight from Singapore and didn’t want to hear any lectures or requests for help.
He waved the pastor in and impatiently said, “Just get to the point! What do you want this time?”
“Mr. Walton, I saw Susan,” the pastor said quietly, and Steve’s heart nearly stopped. His daughter had left home almost fifteen years ago and never came back.
“Susan?” Steve asked anxiously. “Where? When? How is she?”
“I was in Los Angeles, helping a friend who works with the homeless, and that’s where I saw her,” the pastor explained.
“Was she volunteering? Did you tell her I’ve been searching for her?” Steve asked.
“No,” Pastor Morris said gently. “She wasn’t a volunteer. She’s homeless. She and her children are living in a car.”
Steve felt so dizzy he had to sit down. “Homeless? My Susan? With children?” he gasped.
“Yes,” the pastor said sadly. “And she wouldn’t even listen when I told her to come home.”
“But why?” Steve asked angrily. “She’s not still with that loser, is she?”
“Her husband passed away three years ago,” the pastor explained. “And she told me she wouldn’t bring her children into a home where their father is hated.”
Steve felt a familiar wave of anger wash over him. Even after fifteen years, Susan was still defying him. He remembered the day in his study, with Susan staring back at him calmly while he shouted.
“Pregnant at sixteen, and with the gardener!” he had yelled. “We’ll take care of that, and he’s fired! You’ll never see him again!”
“That is my baby, Dad,” Susan had said in a shaky 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 angrily. “No more money, nothing! If you marry him, you’re out of my house!”
Susan looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I love you, Dad,” she said, then turned and walked away. Despite hiring detectives to find her, no one had been able to track her down.
“How many children?” Steve asked Pastor Morris.
“Four,” the pastor replied. “Three girls and a boy. Beautiful children.”
Steve grabbed his phone and gave orders to get his plane ready. “Pastor, would you come with me to Los Angeles and take me to my little girl?” he asked softly.
“If you marry that man, you’re on your own, Susan!” Steve yelled angrily. “No more money or support! If you marry him, you have to leave my house!”
With tears in her eyes, Susan said, “I love you, Dad,” and then walked away. Even though Steve hired detectives to search for her, no one could find her.
“How many children?” Steve asked Pastor Morris.
“Four,” the pastor replied. “Three girls and a boy. They’re beautiful.”
Steve quickly called to have his plane prepared. “Pastor, will you come with me to Los Angeles and help me find my daughter?” he asked quietly.
A teenage girl, about fourteen, was laughing as she tickled a younger boy, around seven. They stopped and stared when they saw Steve and Pastor Morris. “Mom!” the girl called out. “That old preacher friend of yours is here!”
From inside the tent, a familiar voice replied, “Preacher Morris?” Then Susan stepped out, and the shock on her face was clear when she saw her father standing beside the pastor.
“Dad?” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
Steve was stunned. Though Susan was only thirty-one, she looked much older. Her face was tired and lined with worry, and her hands were rough from hard work.
“Susan,” Steve said, “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, Dad, and he gave me four beautiful children. He passed away, and I had nowhere to go, but I’ve done my best for them. I’ll always love the father of my children, just like I’ve always loved you.”
Steve felt tears streaming down his face. “Forgive me, Susan,” he cried. “Please forgive me. Come home, all of you. Let me help you take care of the kids!”
Steve held his crying daughter and knew everything would be okay. Susan introduced him to his three granddaughters and then placed her hand on her son’s shoulder. “And this,” she smiled, “is little Stevie!”
“You named him after me?” Steve asked, surprised. “After everything I did?”
“I love you, Dad,” she said softly. “Don’t you know that?”
That afternoon, they all flew back to Texas, starting a new and better life together.
**Lessons from this story:**
– Love and accept your children unconditionally. Steve’s anger at Susan for loving a poor man led to the biggest mistake of his life—losing his daughter.
– Don’t judge people based on wealth or status. Steve disliked his son-in-law for being poor, but he was a loving husband and a devoted father.
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