My Family: Dad

A simple apology from my dad last weekend brought new freedom, new understanding, and new appreciation for his love.

His simple sentence of regret was seemingly unnecessary. The situation that occurred earlier that evening was my fault, not his. While working on the house, I had left him standing on the ladder waiting. My duty was to return with a paintbrush, and I got sidetracked. He called out my name, and I didn’t hear. He waited longer, and I never came. I was forgetful, and he was frustrated.

It was one of those small things – one that if you just dropped it, it wouldn’t matter later. It would be forgotten the next time you saw one another. It was a moment of tension not a threat to the relationship. Interactions such as this occur frequently in close family relationships.

But this time my dad said sorry – a humble statement, a genuine heart, a turn in the right direction. At the end of the night, nearing the door of his car, he turned back to face me and said, “Kristi… I’m sorry for getting frustrated with you earlier.”

Everything I felt an hour before was instantly erased. Surprise melted any hesitation I still held. I responded to him with a lighter heart – one that had still not fully processed the beauty of what he had just done.

Now today - the day after Father’s Day, a little over a week later – I’m still grateful for that one little sentence. It’s one of the most unnecessary apologies I’ve ever received, and yet one of the most needed.

My heart has been blessed.

My life has been tweaked.

And I’m now very aware of the gift I’ve been given in my dad.

I truly love you, Dad. I see the sacrifices you have made for me. I see the love that you have felt for me. I see the pride that you have in me. And I feel it back.