That's Just How We're Made
By Laura Cade | On August 10, 2006 | In Spirituality | Rated 
This is an enlightening spiritual short story that remind us all what it's like to feel deeply, even when it seems like we may have temporarily forgotten.
“Why is Mommy crying?” the little girl wondered, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. “I was just trying to be nice.” Little Katie’s mother had just burst into tears after Katie had mentioned that Daddy seemed a lot happier lately. “You’ll understand when you’re older, sweetheart,” her mother said in between sobs. Her mother had been acting strange lately—moping around the house, wearing her bathrobe all day, she had even poured coffee into little Katie’s cereal bowl this morning! Something was up, and little Katie was going to get to the bottom of it. People didn’t call her determined for nothing. As her mommy wailed on and on, little Katie devised a plan. “Ooh, this was going to be a good one,” she thought, a mischievous grin spreading across her cute face.
After dinner that night when her daddy sat down in his recliner to read the paper, Katie came up and sat down beside him. Resting her head on his shoulder, her daddy peered at her little golden ringlets over his reading glasses.
“What’s up, Katie?”
“Daddy, why is Mommy sad?”
He cleared his throat, tossed the paper aside, and moved Katie to his lap. “Some things you just won’t be able to understand until you’re older, honey.”
“That’s what Mommy said, too! I know I’m old enough to see that Mommy got sad around the same time you got happy, Daddy. It looks like you being happy is making her said. Why is that, Daddy?” her ringlets shook as she cocked her stubborn little head.
His eyes were as big as those sand dollars she saw on the beach when they visited Aunt Martha and Uncle Phil’s house last month. He cleared his throat a few more times before he finally said, “Katie, look, I guess it’s only fair for you to know that Mommy and I have some different interests these days, and Mommy feels like it’s pulling us apart.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to be close to Mommy?” she glared at him accusingly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to; it just kind of happened that way.”
“I don’t believe you, Daddy. I know that if I was in love I would never want to hurt that person, no matter what.”
“Oh, Katie…”
“Daddy, listen to me. You love Mommy, she loves you. What’s the problem?!” Just then, her mommy walked into the room, took one look at them sitting in the recliner together and ran upstairs sobbing. “See what you’ve done, Daddy?”
“Katie, I know you want everybody to be happy, but it’s just not possible sometimes. I have other— "
“Can’t you feel her pain, Daddy?? I can. It feels like someone threw a baseball right into my stomach and stuck a golf ball into my throat. She’s miserable and you love her. Show her you love her.”
“How old are you again, Katie?” he asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Six and a half.”
“For a second there I thought you had aged thirty years overnight.”
“Huh?”
“Nevermind. How is it that you feel so deeply, Katie?”
“It’s part of being alive, Daddy. That’s just how we’re made.”
Neither of them said a word for a long time, and Katie was sure her Daddy had fallen asleep. Just as she was about to get up and play with her jump rope, he picked her up as he got up from the recliner.
Holding her in his arms, he said, “Thank you, Katie. Just… thank you.” With tears running down his face and his chin quivering at an uncontrollable rate, he sprinted upstairs to his wife. Katie heard him say, “My love, I am so deeply sorry…” as the bedroom door closed behind him. Grinning from ear to ear, Katie silently called out, “See, Daddy, I told you that’s how we’re made.”
END
Laura share's her stories with like-minded individuals at http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com While much of our inspiration comes from books and movies, equally as much comes from delving deep within ourselves to understand universal truths.
After dinner that night when her daddy sat down in his recliner to read the paper, Katie came up and sat down beside him. Resting her head on his shoulder, her daddy peered at her little golden ringlets over his reading glasses.
“What’s up, Katie?”
“Daddy, why is Mommy sad?”
He cleared his throat, tossed the paper aside, and moved Katie to his lap. “Some things you just won’t be able to understand until you’re older, honey.”
“That’s what Mommy said, too! I know I’m old enough to see that Mommy got sad around the same time you got happy, Daddy. It looks like you being happy is making her said. Why is that, Daddy?” her ringlets shook as she cocked her stubborn little head.
His eyes were as big as those sand dollars she saw on the beach when they visited Aunt Martha and Uncle Phil’s house last month. He cleared his throat a few more times before he finally said, “Katie, look, I guess it’s only fair for you to know that Mommy and I have some different interests these days, and Mommy feels like it’s pulling us apart.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to be close to Mommy?” she glared at him accusingly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to; it just kind of happened that way.”
“I don’t believe you, Daddy. I know that if I was in love I would never want to hurt that person, no matter what.”
“Oh, Katie…”
“Daddy, listen to me. You love Mommy, she loves you. What’s the problem?!” Just then, her mommy walked into the room, took one look at them sitting in the recliner together and ran upstairs sobbing. “See what you’ve done, Daddy?”
“Katie, I know you want everybody to be happy, but it’s just not possible sometimes. I have other— "
“Can’t you feel her pain, Daddy?? I can. It feels like someone threw a baseball right into my stomach and stuck a golf ball into my throat. She’s miserable and you love her. Show her you love her.”
“How old are you again, Katie?” he asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Six and a half.”
“For a second there I thought you had aged thirty years overnight.”
“Huh?”
“Nevermind. How is it that you feel so deeply, Katie?”
“It’s part of being alive, Daddy. That’s just how we’re made.”
Neither of them said a word for a long time, and Katie was sure her Daddy had fallen asleep. Just as she was about to get up and play with her jump rope, he picked her up as he got up from the recliner.
Holding her in his arms, he said, “Thank you, Katie. Just… thank you.” With tears running down his face and his chin quivering at an uncontrollable rate, he sprinted upstairs to his wife. Katie heard him say, “My love, I am so deeply sorry…” as the bedroom door closed behind him. Grinning from ear to ear, Katie silently called out, “See, Daddy, I told you that’s how we’re made.”
END
Laura share's her stories with like-minded individuals at http://www.spiritual-short-stories.com While much of our inspiration comes from books and movies, equally as much comes from delving deep within ourselves to understand universal truths.