Apologies

"I didn't try to do it!" Connor told his sister when her card tower toppled over after he ran by too fast and bumped the edge of the table.Sophia glared at him. "Mom would tell you to apologize.""But Mom's not here." Connor hurried away and pulled on his shoes, trying to ignore the guilt he felt over how he was acting.His best friend Griffin lived next door, and Connor was looking forward to spending the day with him. Griffin's dad was getting off work early to take them to the aquarium."My dad just called," Griffin said with a frown when Connor stepped into the house. "He might not make it on time.""What?" Connor's heart deflated. "But we've been looking forward to this forever.""I know." Griffin sighed. "We can still hang out if you want."It wasn't as fun as going to the aquarium, but Connor followed his friend to the driveway to shoot some hoops. They'd been playing for a while when Griffin's dad's car pulled into the driveway. Mr. Jackson got out and made his way over to them. "I'm sorry, boys," he said. "I really wanted to get back in time to take you to the aquarium, but something came up."Griffin sighed. "It's okay, Dad."Mr. Jackson turned toward Connor. "I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?""Sure. I forgive you." Connor's brows knitted together. "I didn't know adults apologized."Mr. Jackson smiled. "Maybe we don't as much as we should, but I know I feel a lot better when I do. Jesus forgives me whenever I mess up, and I always hope that whoever I've wronged will too. Apologizing shows that we care about our relationship with that person and are sorry we hurt them."Connor thought of Sophia and her card tower. He had been feeling bad about that since he'd run out of the house. "I think I need to go home now," he told Griffin and his dad. Sophia was in the living room, and Connor sat down beside her. "I'm sorry about your tower.""It's okay," Sophia said."I can help you build a new one if you want," Connor offered.His sister's eyes brightened. "Really?""Sure," Connor said. "With us working together, we can make it taller than ever. -Bethany Acker