We went to the diner on 4th Street. We ate burgers and talked. Not about weddings or houses, but about her job, her crazy roommates, and the book she was reading.
Two years later, Vanessa got married. It wasn’t to Marcus, and it wasn’t a six-figure gala. She met a guy named David, an electrician who made her laugh. They got married in the park. She wore a simple white dress she bought off the rack.
“Thanks for not paying for this,” she whispered.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too, Dad.”
As I sat down and watched her say her vows, I realized that the twist in our story wasn’t that she lost the house or the fiancé. The twist was that she had to lose everything she thought she wanted to find the person she was meant to be. I had almost robbed her of that opportunity by protecting her from the world.
Saving your children doesn’t always mean saving them from trouble. Sometimes, it means letting them fall so they can learn how to stand up on their own.
Moral of the Story:
True love isn’t about giving someone everything they ask for; it’s about giving them what they need to grow, even when it hurts. Money can buy a house, but it can never buy character.
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