Daughter Finds Father After Discovering Book he Authored
Morgan King never imagined she would find her long lost father on the back cover of a book sleeve. King, a Colorado native, grew up knowing she was raised by her stepfather. Her mother told her the name of her father, Tommy Carson, and some details about his life (he lived in New Rochelle and his father was a preacher). King was determined to find her father but after searching for a while, she came up empty-handed.
One day, while reading through The Journal News, she happened upon an article mentioning the church retirement of Clarence Carson in 1997 and also an obituary from 2002 which listed a son, C. Thomas Carson.
King used the name C. Thomas Carson to search the internet and she discovered a book on Amazon.com written by a man with that name. Once the book arrived, King turned it over to research the picture on the back cover. Her fiancé noticed the family resemblance immediately.
While reading through the book, King was even more certain that the author was in fact her long lost father. The book detailed the life of a man who was a drug addict for 20 years before transforming into a pastor and community leader. King was unsure if she should contact the author, still feeling hesitant. Her thought changed when she read this passage, “I am clueless as to whether I have a son or daughter…I often think about this. My prayer is that this book will open some doors to set the record straight once and for all. I will leave that up to God. If it is true and there is a good reason for us to have contact, then it will happen.” After reading this passage King decided to contact her father.
Carson was unaware of the new twist his life was about to take, although he was no stranger to tumultuous times. He grew up in New Rochelle and was raised by his mother and father who was the pastor of Union Baptist Church. Though Carson was believed to be a model child as a pastor’s son, internally he struggled. As a result, he spent twenty years of his life addicted to drugs and alcohol, living on the street. During his years of addiction, his girlfriend became pregnant but eventually left him because of his drug use. “I was too deeply into drugs to respond,” Carson said. “I’m not proud of that.”
Even in the midst of Carson’s darkest years, his family stood by him. The church was also conflicted and saddened by the hardships the family faced. “The family did what they could to try to help Tommy,” Jean Anderson, Union Baptist member said. “The community was aware of the problems, but it was a private struggle for them.”
In 1997, Carson had a near-death experience which catapulted him out of his addiction and into reality. He became closer to God and credits his faith with keeping him clean. After sobering up for years and feeling like he needed to make amends to all the people he hurt, he wrote the book, “A Journey Through the Shadows of Death”.
In his book, Carson details the years of abuse and how he struggled finding himself. “I would become like a wild animal, existing by instinct, not caring about my appearance, territorial and single-minded in my day to day approach. Get money, get drugs, get high; get money, get drugs and get high.”
Once Carson started his new drug-free life, he got a job and moved near his parents. He started building up his career and eventually moved to a town where he formed an Action Team community group. He became a minister and was granted custody of his other daughter, Ashley.
Presently, Carson pastors Family Christian Fellowship in Stony Point and has a prison ministry where he talks to inmates about his life story and its resurrection.
Even though Carson’s life had turned around, he still desired to know his daughter. One of the purposes for writing his book was to make amends with those he hurt and he hoped the book would help him find the answers to her whereabouts. “I had to apologize to tons and tons of people for so many things,” he said. “For lying, for stealing, for not being there as a father.”
Carson’s dream was about to come true as King contacted her father after being so affected by his written words. The two chatted for a while about the book before talking about their relation. King told Carson that she grew up in Colorado and when she told him her mother’s name, Carson replied, “Are you my daughter?”
“Yes sir, I am,” King said.
The two have been talking frequently and are scheduled to meet in person very soon. Carson and his other daughter Ashley will travel to King’s house in North Carolina to meet her and her daughter, Maya.
Though King is ready to talk about the past with her father, her mother is still not ready. “There’s a lot of hurt,” King said.
King is very excited to finally meet her dad and also the half-sister she never knew she had. “We’re very excited,” she said. “We hope we can form a lasting relationship.”