Woman Thanks Ex-Boyfriend's Kid For Making Her Feel Loved
Jen and her brother, Todd, were just 10 and 12 years old when their father began dating Shirley Norton. It was 1986. Their love affair was short-lived, lasting only a year.
And while it may have been brief, it left an impact that stayed with Shirley until she died.
Eighteen years later, Jen received a phone call out of the blue. It was from a bank manager, informing her that Shirley had bequeathed $50,000 each to her and her brother. But in addition to the inheritance, Shirley also left behind a note.
A Random Phone Call
@intoxicatedinsights69 Absolutely gut wrenching story! Step parents truly are angels on earth. Thank you guys for all that you do. Thank you to the endlessly fascinating Jen, for sharing this story with us. Full episode is out. Link in bio
Jen recently shared her story on her podcast, Intoxicated Insights. She also posted a clip of the episode on TikTok where it has gone viral, garnering more than 2 million views, 237,000 likes, and nearly 5,000 comments.
"I get a random phone call, this is like 2004, I have two small children," she explained to her co-host Sage.
"I get this random call from this woman from Utah who's a bank manager telling me that one of my dad's ex-girlfriends has passed away and left me and my brother $50,000 each."
Jen via TikTok
Initially, she thought she was being punked. It took the bank manager more than half an hour to finally convince Jen to provide her address.
She explained to Sage that the woman the bank manager called her about was "legit" one of her father's ex-girlfriends and they had only dated for one year before he broke up with her. But throughout that year, Shirley took care of Jen, buying her clothes, decorating her room, and being "absolutely sweet" to her.
Jen remembers the day Shirley left. She begged Shirley to take her with her.
"I might have seen her like maybe one or two more times but my dad got a new girlfriend and that was that."
Until 18 years later...
When Jen received the mail from the bank manager she discovered that in addition to the cash, Shirley had also left behind a two-page letter.
Jen has held onto that letter for 20 years.
The Letter From Her Father's Ex-Girlfriend
Jen's father's ex-girlfriend bequeathed $50,000 each to her and her brother. But in addition to the inheritance, she also left behind a note.
Youtube/intoxicatedinsights
Holding back tears, Jen read Shirley's letter aloud:
"Dear Todd and Jenny, I bet you both are asking yourself, who is she?" the letter began.
"I met you and your father in 1986 when you were about 10 and 12 years old. You each made a remarkable impact on me. You were both great kids. You were friendly and made me feel welcome in your lives."
To further jog the siblings' memories, Shirley wrote that at the time Jen wanted to be an actress and own a pink Ferrari. She talked about going to SeaWorld and spending Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe. She reminisced about Knotts Berry Farm and eating dinner together on the Queen Mary.
"Todd, when we went to Circus Circus, you won a little stuffed lion for me," she added. "I still have it."
And when Jenny went to camp? She made Shirley a wall hanging out of a pie plate. "I still have it too," Shirley wrote.
"I never had any children of my own," she added. "But for that one year you made me feel like I was part of your family."
Cue the tears.
Shirley also shared in the letter that she'd had a kidney transplant in 1992. "This gift of life gave me many extra years so I could enjoy this amazing world."
She ended the letter, writing: "I had a good life. I would like to make your life a little easier and more secure. I pray you both have wonderful lives. P.S. Jenny, please don't buy a pink Ferrari," she joked before adding, "But if you really want one, buy it."
"We don't always know the impact we make on someone's life"
@intoxicatedinsights69 Replying to @AileneTH jen says thank you!
The money came at a time when Jen needed it most. In a follow-up TikTok she explains her son had just been diagnosed with autism.
"At the time my youngest son had just got diagnosed with autism and so the money was great because I paid for a lot of therapies for him."
She also shared that the family moved "and it did make my life a lot better." (Although she never did get that pink Ferrari).
But it's the letter that is truly priceless.
"The letter was the best. I've held onto it for all these years. I read it, it's sad, and it always touches my heart."
Jen via TikTok
It's also touched the hearts of more than 2 million TikTok viewers.
"Perfect example that we don’t always know the impact we make on someone’s life. She never forgot you," one commenter wrote.
"Omg I’m sobbing 😭.. that was so so sweet," wrote another. "All the memories she still had of the kids ❤️❤️"
A third said, "As an adult child of divorce who’s Dad had many girlfriends that I loved but never got to say goodbye to, this helped to heal me. Maybe they loved me as much as I loved them."
Sometimes people aren't meant to stay in our lives. They are there for a short time and then they're gone. But just because they are no longer with us, it doesn't mean they are forgotten.
Shirley never forgot the time she spent with Jenny and Todd, even two decades later. Her generous bequest and heartfelt letter were a testament to the deep impact their brief connection had on her life.
It's also a sweet reminder that blood isn't what binds a family together. It's love, no matter how briefly we get to share it.
*Featured image contains photo by cottonbro studio
Stop Settling and Start Designing Your Life with Purpose
For this article, I thought I would circle back to the beginning of my journey in my book, Success with Goals, and more specifically to the portion about designing your life with purpose. I realized when I set out to write a book about setting goals that not only are there a ton of books already out there about goal-setting, but that the concept is somewhat dry and at times even boring, because most people think they already know what it means.
The reality is that this is not correct. There are literally tens of millions, if not legitimately hundreds of millions of people who don’t really set goals. They may have some dreams. They might have written some things down. But they don’t really have a committed plan to execute and follow through to achieve their goals in life. If we reference the Pareto Principle, we could surmise that 80% of the US population doesn’t set goals, or at least make sufficient plans to achieve them (which is the single distinguishing factor between a goal and a dream). That would suggest that 80% of the 330 million people in the US either don’t set goals or don't have a specific plan to achieve them. Quick math: that’s approximately 250 million people!
Stop Settling and Start Designing Your Life with Purpose
Most of us think about things we’d like to have or do someday, or the goals that would be nice to achieve. It’s easy to take a trip to “Someday Isle” -- more appropriately called “Someday I’ll” -- and think about all the things you will do some day. You know, when all the stars are in alignment, everything is in your favor, or you have the time.
Guess what, I’m here to tell you that never happens. NEVER! I know, I too have had more trips to “Someday Isle” than I’d like to admit. Just like most of us. Even some of the most successful people we know struggle with this.
You see, the concept of designing your life with purpose means to live your life with intention. You don’t allow yourself to meander through life aimlessly, bouncing from one challenge and obstacle to the next, never quite seeming to get ahead. This describes the significant percentage of people who are frustrated with their lives, unsatisfied either with their financial, relationship, personal, or career circumstances, and who aren’t really clear about what to do about them. You see if you are living your life with purpose, you are consciously aware of what is important to you, based on your values and what truly moves you.
What moves you?
By knowing what your values are and being aware of what truly inspires you, you can make better, more informed, conscious decisions about your life and the direction you are going in. You then set goals that will lead you in this direction. This conscious approach to making decisions and preparing yourself for the challenges allows you to course-correct as necessary and make the best decisions for your ideal path in life.
This likely sounds great in theory, and many of you might be thinking, "Yeah, that’s great Eric, but [insert your excuse here]." I have lived this for as long as many of you reading this blog have been born. And I can tell you, that you can either choose to make excuses, or you can choose to design your life. If you truly want the life you claim, you will need to step up to the plate and make some changes to achieve it.
Why live a life you are unhappy with? Life is WAY TOO SHORT to live even a few years feeling miserable in circumstances that make you unhappy. Now, don’t get me wrong, life won’t be all sunshine and rainbows just because you are setting and achieving goals. You may even fail more than people living average lives. But who wants average anyway? Average is what we sell ourselves to feel more comfortable about what we don’t have. Average is generally not having what you really want and settling for what life gives you.
So what's stopping you?
The truth is you can have more -- a better job, better finances, better relationships with your parents, kids, spouse, friends, or family. How about having more time for your spiritual beliefs, traveling more, or contributing more to those in need? How about more time to create or build things, or better yet, what if if you gave more of your time teaching? We certainly could use more good teachers in this world. This is just a sampling of things we may want, but that we often trade off for something else, fully believing that we have to give up on on our true desires and accept the status quo.
The world has always favored those who strike out and go after what they want in life. These people generally live more fulfilled lives and get more of what they want, because they choose to go after it.
I’m here to tell you that you can do the same. You must take the time to first decide what that is, and then be prepared to work your butt off to get it! If you are one of those people who is tired of not having what you truly want in life then check out our coaching programs and let us help you get started on the path of designing your life with purpose.
Thanks for reading, here’s to a great second half of 2017!