12-year-old Faith was a talented seamstress by genes, and all she wanted was to help her disabled dad and little siblings through her sewing. One Easter, everything changes for her family when a fashion tycoon visits their house, and Faith recognizes the woman.
With only a week before Easter knocked on their door, Faith sat at her old sewing machine—a special gift from her late mother aside from her sewing skills—secretly sewing new outfits for her father and three younger siblings she would gift them on Easter.
Faith was the eldest daughter in the family and responsible enough to shoulder her disabled father’s responsibilities. After her father, George, lost his arm in an accident at his workplace, he was sacked from his carpentry job and worked multiple shifts as a security guard.
Despite his disability, George did his best to raise his children, but money was tight, and there were a lot of mouths to feed. Yet, poverty was never seen as a curse in the Wilson household since everyone looked out for and supported one another.
When George couldn’t afford new beds for his children as they grew taller and older, he made new furniture with one hand as he couldn’t pay for a prosthetic arm. It took him several restless nights to arrange the supplies and complete the work, but he did it. Out of gratitude, Faith decided to do something for him a week before Easter…
“Let’s have a festive dinner, Dad!” she told George. “We haven’t celebrated anything since Mom’s death. Let’s make a change this Easter! Please!”
“Honey,” George said helplessly. “You already know we can’t. I barely have any money left, and I’d hate to see my children go to bed starving.”
But then George looked at the sadness in his children’s eyes and realized he shouldn’t have said that. His kids had only been supportive since his wife’s passing, helping him move on from his grief. He couldn’t be a sadistic father and ask them not to celebrate Easter.
No amount of wealth can compare to the love and warmth of a family.
“But,” he added. “I guess I can try, can’t I? I can get some eggs and flour, and yeah, let’s get your mother’s cookbook from the attic. She had these inexpensive and delicious recipes in there. How about that?”
“Oh, perfect!” Faith chirped. “You’re the best, Dad! Guys, we’ll finally have a proper Easter dinner!” she exclaimed to her younger siblings, and the joy on his kids’ cheeks made George realize that nothing was more important to him than the happiness of his children.
As time passed and there was just a week till Easter, Faith couldn’t stop dreaming about how she’d make the special day perfect for her family. She’d already retrieved her mother’s recipe book from the attic and begun sewing new clothes for the family. She’d also planned to attend church and so much more!
George was also looking forward to Easter, although he was concerned about his finances. He’d spent all his savings on his late wife’s treatment, but he couldn’t save her, and she died of a brain tumor. Helpless, he requested his boss, Mr. Sullivan, to assign him additional shifts so he could save enough to buy ham besides eggs and flour.
Mr. Sullivan was stingy but agreed, and George could take his kids shopping before Easter. The single father rolled his shopping cart through the aisles, picking up a large bag of flour, a dozen eggs, and cheap sliced ham.
It wasn’t much, but it was ideal for their small family of five.
Once they were done shopping, George and his children decided to walk home because the grocery store was only a few blocks away. Faith was strolling behind the younger kids as they sped along the lane.
No one noticed George carrying the groceries alone with only one arm. One of his shopping bags slipped, and he knelt to pick it up, unaware of the SUV rushing toward him. The car’s horn blared, and its tires screeched to a halt, but the harm was done before George could act.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Faith turned around after hearing her father scream but couldn’t locate him. When she dashed down the street with her siblings, she found George on the road in front of the SUV.
The flour bag was ripped open on his stomach, covering his face and arms in white powder; the eggs lay cracked on the pavement, the ham was dunked in the roadside dirt, and a woman in an expensive suit and French manicure got out of the car.
She was rushing to get to a meeting and didn’t notice George on the street. However, she didn’t care. She was relieved George wasn’t seriously hurt because she didn’t want any police hassle.
“Dad! Oh no!” Faith cried as she and her siblings helped their father to stand. “Are you alright?”
“We lost everything, Faith! We lost all our groceries!” George cried, looking around him. “Our Easter… it’s ruined!”
“Dad, it’s fine. We can—” Before Faith would finish, the rich woman cut her off.
“Oh gosh! What a mess!” she sneered. “Where the hell were you looking? I guess you’re not only disabled in your arm but also in your eyes! Well, I don’t want a scene or the cops meddling, so I’ll compensate for the damage. Here,” she said, offering all the money she had in her wallet.
“Have fun, and forget we ever crossed paths! I bet this is a lot more than, well,” she snorted as she looked at the ruined groceries, “whatever teeny weeny shopping you’d done.”
She stuffed the money in George’s fist and was about to leave. But George refused to accept the money.
“Take it back, miss!” he said, limping over to her and handing her the money. “I may be poor, but I can’t take money from a woman. My father didn’t raise me to become such a man. Have a good Easter. Try to be kinder and more empathetic to others if at all possible!”
The rich woman couldn’t believe it. She stood there stunned and amazed as she watched George hobbling and his four children walk up the street toward their house. How could a poor father with four children decline such a large sum of money?
Two days before Easter, George visited Mr. Sullivan and asked him for additional shifts again since he needed to get groceries for Easter.
Mr. Sullivan looked him in the eye and refused. “We’ve already assigned someone, George. You were late,” he sighed.
George requested that he needed money urgently for his family as he’d lost everything after the accident, but Mr. Sullivan didn’t budge. He eventually lost his temper and kicked George out of his office.
The poor father of four had no idea what to do. He didn’t have any money to get his children the ingredients for the festive dinner they were all looking forward to. George returned home and burst into tears, telling Faith he was a lousy father.
“I…I couldn’t even do this for you. I feel terrible,” he sobbed. “I’m sorry, Faith. I’m sorry you and your siblings have to go through this.”
“Hey, hey, Dad, don’t say that,” Faith wrapped her arms around her father and told him not to worry. She had a brilliant idea to help him!
For the next two days, Faith didn’t sleep a wink. She sat at her old sewing machine, stitching new garments for an online sale. Faith’s classmates brought her old clothes from their houses to help her, and all she had to do was implement her sewing skills on the fabrics.
When Faith showed her handmade outfits to her classmates and teachers, they couldn’t stop gushing over them. From frilly dresses to pleated skirts and vintage cardigans—her mother’s forte—everyone fell in love with Faith’s designs.
Some even complimented her that she would become a famous fashion designer someday.
Faith blushed at the comments but never expected her stitching to bring her fame or great fortune.
All she wanted was to provide her poor, disabled dad and little siblings with a good Easter dinner. Faith asked George to help her take nice shots of the outfits she’d made so she could post them online for sale.
The widowed father was shocked to see his daughter’s beautiful handmade designs, and for a moment, he got emotional. “You sure got that talent from your mother!” he cried. “Oh, she would’ve been so proud of you if she were here!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I bet she would be,” Faith smiled as she hugged her dad. The daughter-dad duo worked hard to ensure they only got good shots of the outfits and posted them online.
On Easter morning, Faith got a strange message from a woman named Emma. “Hi, Faith! This is Emma. I just wanted to express how much I admire your designs. Do you make your own? I might be able to make you an offer. And in that case, would you be up for a meeting?”
Faith was so delighted that her heart started racing. She immediately wrote a reply: “Hi Emma! Thank you! I’m so glad you liked my designs. Yes, I make them independently and would love to collaborate with you (if you’re the person of interest.) Please contact me on this number if you’re interested. Thanks!”
As Faith pressed the send button, she began anxiously pacing across her bedroom, waiting for a reply. If the deal brought her enough money, she could plan the perfect Easter for her family!
Within seconds, her phone beeped with a reply from Emma. “Wonderful! If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to meet you. Could we please agree on a location? Or could you come to my office?”
“Oh my god! Oh my god! What should I say?” Faith invited Emma to her home because she couldn’t afford to travel to her office. She texted Emma her address, and their meeting was fixed!
***
The next day, Faith got up early to prepare for the meeting and ensured everything was ready before Emma arrived. When she heard the sound of tires on the gravel outside her house, she raced to the window and saw a familiar SUV pull up.
Faith gasped in shock as a woman got out of the car and walked up to her front door. As Faith opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with a fashion tycoon, a woman she would never forget.
“So you’re Emma?” Faith asked. “I can’t believe this!”
“And you’re…Faith? Wow, you’re so young…” she paused. “Wait a minute! You’re the one! The girl… the poor man’s daughter! Look, I apologize for what happened previously. It was just an accident!”
Emma was the woman who had hit George with her car and wanted to ‘settle’ the problem with her money because she didn’t want the cops to get involved. She thought Faith would cancel their meeting, but she was in for a shock.
“Oh, you apologized, so it’s all right. Please come in,” Faith said.
“Wait, really?”
“Yes!” Faith chuckled. “Please come in!”
Emma was stunned as she walked inside and found Faith’s entire family greeting her. George made her some lemonade since the weather was hot and asked if she had trouble finding their house. Emma was embarrassed by the family’s hospitality. They didn’t make her feel like an outsider or stranger.
After she sat down, she apologized to Faith and George. “I can’t believe I was so rude to people like you. Actually, I didn’t have enough time yesterday, and you know, in that hurry, I didn’t even apologize properly. Are you better now?” she asked George as he served her lemonade.
“Perfectly fine!” he smiled. “Please don’t worry about it. I’m glad we cleared the air between us.”
“Thank you,” Emma smiled back. “You’re a wonderful person.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
When Faith showed Emma her designs, the businesswoman was shocked that Faith had sewn the outfits from old fabric on an outdated sewing machine! She told Faith she used to manage a boutique that solely sold designer clothing, but her business had gone bankrupt, so she was looking for young designers who could design outfits for the younger generation.
“Oh, that would be great, but I don’t just make clothes for girls and boys my age. I made this for my dad…It’s an Easter gift for him!”
When Faith showed Emma the pullover she’d sewn for George, an idea struck Emma. Faith could put her talent into sewing clothes for the specially-abled too!
So Emma offered a deal to Faith to work at the boutique and also a considerable advance, but Faith politely declined the advance. “I just need money to get my family a good Easter dinner. It won’t be a big amount. That’s all I need for now.”
Emma smiled. “Well then, how about I buy myself a dress from you? Sounds good, yeah? You’re so talented, Faith, and so…young!”
“OMG!” Faith chirped in tears. “Thank you! Yes! That would be just perfect!”
So Emma bought a dress from Faith and paid for it. George felt blessed that Emma had come to their help when they really needed it, so he asked her to join them for Easter dinner, which really moved Emma.
She hadn’t celebrated Easter since she was 14 when she lost her parents. And when she finally met a man she’d planned on marrying, he dumped her because of her childfree views. So Emma had always been self-sufficient and believed she didn’t need anyone.
But now, she felt jealous of Faith because the young girl had a family—three siblings and a devoted dad—who loved her regardless. The Wilsons didn’t have enough money, but they had one another.
Emma was initially hesitant to accept the invitation, but then she agreed. “Well, I’ve never really had a family since losing my parents. I would love to join y’all for dinner. Thank you. And Faith, can you please come to visit my office tomorrow? I have something for you!” she added.
***
The Easter dinner was simple but perfect. George had made chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, his late wife’s signature roasted lamb, slice ham, and a simnel cake. Emma relished every moment she spent with the Wilsons and couldn’t wait to repay their kindness.
The next morning Faith was very nervous when she arrived at Emma’s office. But Emma welcomed her with a hug and gave her a big parcel with a red bow on top.
“Open it!” she said. “It’s for you!”
Genuine efforts are always rewarded.
Emma opened the gift hesitantly and found a brand-new sewing machine inside. “I saw your machine is quite old,” Emma said. “So I thought this would be a perfect way to return the kindness George showed by inviting me for dinner.”
“Oh well,” Faith said. “Thank you so much, Emma, but the machine I own is precious to me. It’s my mom’s. We have, like, so many memories of spending time together, learning to sew on it… I can’t accept this. And Dad… invited you because we were really happy to have you over. Please don’t think that you need to pay us back or anything.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Emma was moved by the love Faith harbored for her mother. Emma’s love for her late parents was no different, so she didn’t feel bad that Faith refused to accept her gift.
That entire year, Faith worked at Emma’s boutique, and she launched a side business. With the money she made, she got George a prosthetic arm and enrolled herself in a fashion design course.
But what really changed Faith and her family’s lives was Emma’s tradition of joining them for all holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Emma’s presence filled the vacuum left by Faith’s mother’s death, and the Wilsons adored her.
One day, Emma visited George and the kids and was shocked to find several newly made wooden tables and stools in his workroom. “Did you make them with one hand?” she asked, laughing.
“Yep! And no!” he chuckled proudly, lifting his prosthetic arm. “By the way, they’re all for your boutique’s ladies and seamstresses. Wanted to do my bit to help your business grow and surprise you. So yeah…do you like ’em?”
Emma fell head over heels in love with George that instant, and the rest is history.
What can we learn from this story?
- No amount of wealth can compare to the love and warmth of a family. After visiting the Wilsons, Emma has a change of heart and realizes that family comes above all.
- Genuine efforts are always rewarded, sooner or later. All Faith wanted to do with her sewing was to help her family.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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