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During one of those nights at the kitchen table, I looked across at him and asked, “What if one day I get tired of being the bigger person, Dad?”.
Leaning back in his chair and watching me with careful attention, he replied, “Then that just means your heart’s been working hard, baby girl. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of”.
I swallowed hard, shaking my head slightly as I confessed, “But what if I don’t always want to be that strong?”.
Dad simply smiled, but the weight of his answer stayed with me, following me all the way to that graduation stage years later.
With graduation just three weeks away, the school principal asked me to deliver the student speech.
I accepted the offer before my nerves had a chance to set in, only to spend my entire walk home questioning why on earth I had agreed to do it.
Dad greeted me at the front door before I even had a chance to set down my bag. “Good news or panic?” he asked.
“Both,” I replied. “I have to give the graduation speech”.
Dad’s face broke into a grin so incredibly wide that the smile lines around his eyes deepened significantly. “Claire, that’s wonderful,” he beamed.