Children Receive Invitations to Old Father’s Funeral, See Him at Home Two Days Later – Story of the Day

When Grant couldn't get his children to come to his house for the holidays, he came up with an idea and sent them shocking letters. They showed up at his home and were surprised to see him for a specific reason.

"I'm sorry, Dad. We can't fly home to California. Bob can't take any time off, and we're saving for the summer vacation. The kids want to go to Disneyland," Grant's daughter, Kate, informed him when he asked her to come home for the holidays. Out of his three children, he thought she might say yes. His boys, John and Daniel, had already given him excuses.

Grant was tired of living alone in California while his kids were scattered around the country. While Kate was closer in Nevada, John was in New York, and Daniel lived in Miami.

His wife, Kayla, died several years ago, and he hoped his children would come visit him for the holidays so he could have the entire family together for once.

"You know I'm getting old, Kate," Grant hedged, trying to use guilt to sway his daughter.

But she didn't fall for it. "Please, Dad. You're in perfect shape. We'll see you in the summer when we go to Disneyland together. How does that sound?" she replied, laughing at her father's blatant manipulation.

"Ok, honey. That's fine," Grant replied, smiling sheepishly.

After a few more minutes, they hung up their video chat, and he breathed a sigh. He was lonely once again. Their calls every week were fun, and he got to see his grandchildren, but they were not enough for him.

It was time to do something, and he had an idea. It was a bit drastic, and they might get mad at him, but it might work.

A few months after the Christmas holidays, he sent three identical letters to his children, and the contents couldn't have been more shocking.

***

Kate opened her letter when she returned home from the supermarket. She cried all night, thinking about how she missed the holidays with her dad and would never get those memories again.

John's wife opened his and called him at work. He rushed home, cried in her arms, and they made plans. Meanwhile, Daniel grabbed his on his way out for a jog and stopped in the middle of the street to bawl his eyes out.

They called each other immediately and made plans. Their father was gone, and apparently, he had hired a lawyer to handle his funeral along with everything else regarding his burial. All they needed to do was show up for the funeral and the service, which would occur at his home. Afterward, the lawyer would read them his will.

John, Kate, and Daniel made arrangements with their respective families and flew to California for their father's funeral. They made it home at the same time.

"Where's everybody?" Daniel wondered, buttoning his suit jacket and walking the yard toward his father's house.

"What do you mean 'everybody?'" John asked, pushing a stroller up the path as he and his wife had to bring their newborn baby over.

"His friends. His neighbors. I don't know," Daniel replied, solemnly looking at their father's home.

"I don't know. Are we early?" John asked, looking around to see if his wife was following.

Kate approached and kissed both of them on the cheek. "What's going on?" she asked.

"There's no one else here. Are we early?" Daniel told his sister.

"I think so. They'll come soon. Let's go in and get settled before we leave for the cemetery," Kate suggested, and they all headed to the front door.

But as they entered the house, they stopped in their tracks. There was a vast rectangular table in the middle of the living room. There were place settings, flowers, the works. And suddenly, Grant stepped out holding a tray with the biggest turkey you could imagine.

"DAD!" Kate, John, and Daniel yelled at the same time.

"Hello! Come in! Come in!" Grant greeted with a big smile and placed the tray in the middle of the table.

"Dad, for God's sakes! What's happening?" John bellowed, anger coloring his tone, while Kate started to cry next to her brother.

"This was the only way I could think of to get you guys here together! Please forgive me for scaring you. But now that we're all here, let's enjoy that we're all alive and healthy," Grant said, shrugging at his children and grinning crookedly.

Daniel started laughing, even as a tear slipped away from his eye, and he wiped it away. He always had a better sense of humor than his siblings, who were still troubled about this revelation.

"Come on, guys. Dad is healthy and thriving. Let's celebrate," he said, pushing his siblings inside.

The rest of their families acted awkwardly at first, but the kids ran to their grandfather and hugged him fiercely. That seemed to stop Kate's tears, and she finally calmed down. John was still angry, but he was mostly relieved that their father was alive.

They ate dinner, rejoiced in being together, and the fact that their father was not dead. But John had some profound words for Grant that night, warning him never to do something like that again.

"If you guys don't visit me more often, I might do it again," Grant joked, then he laughed. Needless to say, his kids visited every single holiday from then on.

What can we learn from this story?

• Visit your parents more often. Life can get so busy, but you should always take time and visit your parents before it's too late.
• Forgive easily because life is too short. Grant's kids could have been angrier, but they forgave their father quickly because he was alive and well. That's all that mattered.

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