No Apology Needed to Come Home

The sun has gone down, and now the house is quiet enough to hear the rehearsal begin. You are practicing the sentence you will say when they ask why you stopped coming.

You test the weight of the words, searching for an explanation that won't sound like an excuse, a reason that won't make them worry. But the light does not require a speech to welcome you home.

It saw the woman who wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair; she had no apology prepared, only a broken heart, and he said her many sins were forgiven because her great love had shown. You do not need to justify your absence to the one who knows exactly where you have been.

The gathering dark is not a courtroom where you must defend your silence. It is simply the place where you remember that you are loved not for your attendance, but for your return.

You can walk in without a word, and the light will still call you friend.