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
You Have Been Paid For
It was Maya Angelou who said that each of us has been paid for by those who came before us, and so therefore it is our duty to pay for those who are yet to come.
Think about it: Every chance and opportunity you have ever been offered has only been available because somebody, somewhere, at some point in time, fought for your freedom. "Each of you," Angelou wrote, "Black, White, Brown, Yellow, Red—whatever pigment you use to describe yourselves—has been paid for."
For that reason alone, wouldn't it be a shame if you were to go through your whole life having never maximized every opportunity? Having never fully known what you could have been, because you were too lazy or too broke or too absorbed in your own justifications for not being able to take the leap?
You Have Been Paid For
Realize now that choosing to live out the life of your dreams is so much bigger than simply satisfying yourself. You are also satisfying your father who sacrificed his chance at a good education so you could have yours; your mother who worked tirelessly so you could grow up never knowing the struggles she knew all too well; your grandmothers and grandfathers; your ancestors of centuries ago who could only dream of the privileges and opportunities present in your life today.
Following your dreams is perhaps the most selfless act there is. Because everyone knows that when you truly follow your heart, it riddles your life with uncertainty. There is always a voice in the back of your head telling you that if you get too complacent you could fail; that you should give up early while you're still on top; that it would be in your best interest to just accept and move on from whatever little success you had and pursue the safer option from now on.
But it takes a deeper, instinctual awareness to persist despite hardship. An awareness that you have been paid for – that you have been paid for in the form of the clothes on your back and the food in your fridge, the room you have been allowed to rent and the bed you get to rest your head in every night.
Perhaps you believe in something bigger than yourself that has paid for you: the Universe, or God, or Allah, or Buddha, all of the above or none of the above. Whatever you believe, we are each balls of star energy walking around on a rock floating in space... It is difficult to accept that our existence here is anything but magic.
So whenever I read a story of someone who committed suicide or gave up on their dream or died too young, or all three, I always affirm to myself: "I'm taking that person with me. I'm taking that person with me the next time I get on a stage, or do a job interview, or have anything to do that requires great courage."
I'm bringing them with me. Because they deserve to be honored. Because they remind me that I'm doing what I do not just for selfish purposes; that I'm also doing it for everyone who for whatever reason couldn't make it this far. Who saw no escape, who saw no light.
I want to be that light.
Because we have each been paid for on this planet, and it is our duty to live out the dreams of others who saw no possibility to live them themselves.
Remind yourself of this fact and you will never question your conviction towards the things that set your soul on fire.