A man who lost his family chooses to adopt a little boy that no one wants because he has Down syndrome. Years later, a lawyer contacts him with surprising news.
David walked back and forth in the hospital waiting room. His brother Jack said, “Calm down, Dave! You’d think no one ever had a baby before!”
David smiled. “I know,” he replied. “I’m just really nervous! I’ve always wanted to be a dad!”
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Jack smiled and patted his brother on the back. “Get ready to be a dad, my man!” Just then, the doctor walked in and went straight to David. The look on his face made all the laughter stop, and David knew something was wrong.
The doctor said it was one of those rare accidents that had cost Rita and their baby their lives. David listened calmly and nodded in the right places.
He didn’t even cry, but when he tried to walk, his knees gave out. A crying Jack had to help his brother and carry him home like a child.
Days later, after Rita and their baby were buried, and everyone seemed ready to forget, David woke up in a quiet house. He reached out to Rita’s side of the bed. Empty.
Parents often make heartbreaking decisions for their children’s welfare.
He got up and walked down the hall to the nursery and turned on the nightlight that shone soft stars on the ceiling. He and Rita had filled that room with both hope and sadness. Now it was all gone.
David sat in the rocking chair Rita insisted they needed and cried. His heart and home were empty, and his dreams were lost. He wanted to tear that nursery apart to escape that emptiness.
Suddenly, a thought came to him. “You can’t fill a hole with anger, only with love.” Who said that? David wondered. He had heard it somewhere before. Maybe that idea could save him.
David contacted social services to ask about adopting or fostering a child. At first, the social worker hesitated. “We don’t usually give children to single parents,” she said. “But it’s becoming more common.”
“I have a good life,” David said. “I have so much love to give a child. My wife and I dreamed of being parents, and I want to make that dream come true.”
The social worker picked up a file with colorful stickers. “Would you consider a child with special needs?” she asked.
David shrugged. “All children are special. They all have needs,” he said softly. “We never know what life might bring. I want to help the child who needs me.”
David had to go through many interviews and attend parenting workshops, but soon, the big day arrived. They told him he had a son.
“We have a little boy who has been in three different foster families,” the social worker said. “His name is Sam, and he is two years old. He has Down syndrome…”
“Where is he?” David asked.
“Sam has some health issues you should know about,” the social worker replied.
“I’ll take him to the doctor,” David said. “Whatever he needs, he will get.”
When David met Sam, it was love at first sight. Sam was the cutest little boy he had ever seen!
At first, Sam was shy, but when he felt David’s love and care, he slowly opened up. David couldn’t understand how anyone could not want such a sweet child!
It took Sam a little longer to reach his milestones, and the doctor said they needed to watch his heart, but in almost every way, he was perfect!
The best part of David’s day was when he picked Sam up from daycare, and his little boy ran to him with open arms. David would lift Sam high and tickle his belly, and his heart was filled with joy.
“Rita,” he’d whisper to his late wife as he watched Sam sleep. “I made our dream come true. I filled the hole you and our baby left in my life with love.”
The years passed, and Sam grew just like any other child. The doctor said his heart was doing well. He was a happy boy who made friends with everyone he met. No one could resist Sam and his big smile!
The phone rang constantly with invites for sleepovers and playdates, and David could hardly keep up with Sam’s busy social life!
When Sam turned twelve, he wanted to hang out with friends on his own like the big boy he was. It was hard for David, but like every parent, he learned to give his son space.
One day, he got a phone call from a lawyer. “Mr. Wallace,” the man said. “I’m calling about your adoptive son’s birth parent…”
“What do you want?” David asked sharply.
“I would like to talk to you…” the lawyer replied.
“I’m not interested,” David said. “Those people abandoned my son. There’s nothing you could say that I want to hear.”
“Please, Mr. Wallace,” the lawyer said. “For Sam’s sake.”
Reluctantly, David agreed to meet the lawyer. When he arrived, the man handed David a letter. “This will explain everything much better than I can, Mr. Wallace,” he said.
David opened the envelope and began reading: “Dear Mr. Wallace, if you are reading this, I am finally at peace with my wife. Thank you for loving my dear Sam and taking care of him.
“Before Sam was born, the doctors told us he had Down syndrome, but it didn’t matter to us. We welcomed him with joy. We thought we would have many happy years as a family, but it was not to be.
“When Sam was three months old, he had some tests at the hospital. My wife, Emily, and I went to pick him up, and we were hit by a truck.
“Emily died instantly, and I survived but became paralyzed. For twelve years, I felt like a dead man who still breathed and cried.
“I was not the father Sam deserved. I wanted better for him, so I placed him for adoption. I was right, Mr. Wallace, because you took my boy in and have been the best father.
“One day, I hope you can tell Sam that his birth parents loved him and wanted him. I never want him to think we abandoned him.
“Please, tell him! My lawyer will give you the papers for Sam’s trust fund, which will be in your care. Thank you again, Mr. Wallace, for loving my Sam and for being the father I should have been.”
The lawyer gave David access to Sam’s trust fund, which was worth $1.2 million. David promised to use the money to secure his son’s future, just as his biological father wished.
David thought about the families who had turned away from Sam. Would they have rejected him if they had known about the money? Sam’s biological father was right to hide the fortune so that his son could be loved for who he truly was.
Karen Grassle, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ actress, is still lighting up our screens at 79 years old
The Ingalls family and their life on the farm in Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota stole the hearts of many. Viewers were eagerly waiting for each new episode and each new adventure. “Little House on the Prairie” attracted millions of fans and many can’t help but wonder what some of their favorite actors from the show are up to nowadays.
The mom of the family, Caroline Ingalls, or as the children called her, Ma, was portrayed by Karen Grassle who was quickly dubbed America’s sweetheart. Even today, she is known as one of the most iconic American moms in TV history.
As she turned 80, Grassle still stuns with her beauty and acting, although she seemed to disappear from the screens for some time before she turned to her first love, Broadway.
Grassle studied at the University of California, but completed her acting education at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
“That was one of the most exciting learning experiences of my life: the school was superb and we could go to the theater in London and see the finest actors and productions in the English language,” Grassle said, referring to her college life in the U.K.
She recalls how she went to an audition for a role she was looking forwards to get, and when she was turned down, she tried her luck with “Little House on the Prairie” probably not assuming back then that this role would help her shot to fame.
The show premiered on September 11, 1974 and lasted until 1983, but Grassle left it the year before. Producers tried convincing her to continue portraying Ma’s role but she didn’t accept the offer so the show was eventually canceled.
After appearing on stage for many years in classics such as “Cabaret” and “Driving Miss Daisy,” Grassle set up her own theater company. Then in 1994, she stared along Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp.
Three years ago, Grassle were both uncertain and happy to answer to a challenge and try something completely different from what she has been doing her whole life so she accepted a role in the horror movie Lasso.
“Finally, my son tells me, “Oh just do it, Mom. You’ll have fun! You’ll run screaming in the night!” So, I said, “Okay, I’ll do it.” It’s a total change for me,” she said.
I’m sure this stunning actress still has a lot to offer, despite her age. She looks completely stunning and still takes our breath away.
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