Promise

Learned a valuable lesson at the start of the year.

My daughter has been prodding me to go sledding. Countless times I've said yes. Sad thing is that it never happened.

This morning when she woke up, she asked me the same question, again. Hearing the same response which I have said numerous times, this time she reached with her pinkie finger and with an amazed look, followed it up with this:

“Promise???”

Those words pierced my inner being, for I've never realized that during all those times I was mindlessly just saying yes, she was expecting it. I felt crushed, as it dawned on me that I have been letting her down for quite a while.

Next thing I did was tell her to go put on her jacket and snow pants. We went to the nearby hill within her school and enjoyed a good afternoon, with me watching her have the time of her life.

I learned a lesson. Promises, whether said or unsaid, needs to be kept. Don’t let a promise wither without you doing an effort to make it happen.