Over a decade ago, I lost my job and family because I didn\u2019t take myself seriously.<\/p>\n
After slowly piecing my life together, I finally have a chance at redemption with my estranged daughter.<\/p>\n
I used to be an ambitious young man with the world at my feet.<\/p>\n
I always saw myself running my own business, and for a while, I believed that I was on the right path. Looking back, I think this passion made my ex-wife, Rebecca, first fall in love with me.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She even supported me during the humble beginnings of my old repair shop.<\/p>\n
Rebecca and I had our daughter, Harriet, during this time. Unfortunately, my repair shop went bankrupt. I began to feel depressed and lost motivation. I worked as a waiter to make ends meet, but I couldn\u2019t provide a stable lifestyle for my family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen are you going to get a real job?\u201d Rebecca asked me. I had no answer. Even though I had a great relationship with Harriet during her childhood, my marriage slowly fell apart.<\/p>\n
Rebecca and I fought all the time, and we grew further apart. One day, I was called into the restaurant and told they could no longer keep me on the staff. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to let you go, Jimmy,\u201d my manager told me.<\/p>\n
At the time, I was at such a low point in my life that I didn\u2019t even care. Perhaps I thought Rebecca could care for me while I looked for a new job. That day I went home and took a walk with my family. Harriet was riding in her little car with foot pedals. Rebecca had a solemn demeanor, and I sensed something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m leaving you, Jimmy. I just can\u2019t do this anymore. It\u2019s obvious that you\u2019ve given up on everything,\u201d She told me. In one day, my entire world had come crashing down. I tried to convince Rebecca to give me one more chance, but her mind had already been made up. I gave my daughter a big hug.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom always told me you were a loser and I should forget about you, but I can see that you\u2019ve changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy will always love you no matter, okay Harriet?\u201d I told her. I could tell that she didn\u2019t understand what was going on. By the following day, Rebecca and Harriet were out of the house, and I was all alone. Rebecca took full custody of our daughter as I was unemployed.<\/p>\n
It was only then that I realized how much of a loser I was. I couldn\u2019t even take care of Harriet as I had no savings or job lined up. In what felt like a few months, Rebecca had already moved in with a new partner, Eric. \u201cUntil you get your life in order, don\u2019t even think about talking to Harriet,\u201d Rebecca told me.<\/p>\n
I used the last of my money to buy Harriet a gift for her birthday party, a small bunny rabbit. I also wrote a note which read, \u201cI miss you so much. Happy Birthday. Love Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I reached Eric\u2019s house, I saw he was pretty rich. He had thrown a big birthday party for Harriet, with mascots and a jumping castle. I felt ashamed. My daughter had a new dad. Eric could provide Harriet with things I couldn\u2019t even dream of buying.<\/p>\n
I left my gift at their front gate and left. At this point, I was in a very dark place and couldn\u2019t see a way forward. I decided to leave the coast and move cities. All I had to my name was the house my father, Frank, left me.<\/p>\n
Since I was flat broke, I sold the house and moved into an apartment in a town in a different state.<\/p>\n
I worked odd jobs at times to make a bit of money. Two years after I left my family behind, I was broke again. The following month, I was evicted. I found myself out on the street with nowhere to turn.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t keep living like this, I realized. I walked into the local store and begged for a job. The manager recognized me from around town and gave me a chance as a cleaner in the store. In the next few months, I was promoted to cashier, and within a year, I was made administrator of the whole store.<\/p>\n
Even though I was finally financially stable and had cleaned up my act, I was still very lonely. Years flew by, and I still wasn\u2019t in contact with any of my family, and I had no real friends. I regularly gave some of my money to charity because I had no one to spend it on.<\/p>\n
That all changed today, as for the first time in ages, I received mail that wasn\u2019t an outstanding bill. It was a Christmas letter from Harriet!<\/p>\n
It has been 13 years since I\u2019ve seen I have seen or heard from my daughter but I\u2019ve been blessed with a Christmas miracle. Her words warmed my heart in a way that I haven\u2019t felt in years. Her letter read:<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Dad. I\u2019ve finally found you! This may come as a shock, but I\u2019ll be flying in to see you tomorrow. We have so much to talk about. Even though mom and Eric provided me with everything growing up, I always wondered when you would come back.<\/p>\n
Mom always told me you were a loser and I should forget about you, but I can see that you\u2019ve changed and got yourself together. Just so you know, I still have the stuffed bunny you left me for my birthday. I named him Jimmy, so in a way, you\u2019ve been with me all along!<\/p>\n
See you soon. I love you, and I can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n
Merry Christmas, Dad!\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the most incredible day of my life. I\u2019ve missed my daughter so much, and I never thought I\u2019d get this opportunity. I changed my life for the better and did what I could to help my community.<\/p>\n
Although I felt too ashamed to return home, God has blessed me with a second chance with Harriet. This time, I\u2019ll do everything I can to make her proud and make up for all the time we missed together. After 13 long years, I finally have my shot at redemption.<\/p>\n
Have you ever had a moment when you needed to start life with a clean slate? How did you survive it?<\/p>\n
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over a decade ago, I lost my job and family because I didn\u2019t take myself seriously. After slowly piecing my life together, I finally have a chance… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24180,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24179","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n