Hands I Let Go (Father)

Mmm… if I could rewind time… even once…

There was a time your hand was small enough to fit in mine,

When you’d wobble down the hall and look over your shoulder

just to make sure I was still following.

I remember how you’d laugh at shadows on the wall

and ask me questions that were too big for your tiny voice—

questions I didn’t always answer right,

questions I wish I’d slowed down enough to hear.

I thought being a father meant working harder, staying busy,

building a life that would keep you safe.

But somewhere in all the deadlines and tired nights,

I missed the way you kept growing

even when I wasn’t watching.

Now the house is quieter than it should be,

and every picture frame stares back at me

like a moment I forgot to hold onto.

Every memory feels like a gentle ache,

a reminder of the days I only half-lived.

I hope you know I loved you, even when I didn’t show.

I hope you know I held you, even when I let you go.

If I ever seemed far away, I was learning how to stay—

and I know I learned too late…

But I’m here now, if you’ll let me find my place.

I still hear your little footsteps in my dreams—

you running down the hallway,

calling my name like I was the whole world.

I didn’t realize then

that one day I’d wake up wishing for those sounds again.

I carried expectations heavier than truth,

and I didn’t always understand the softness you needed.

But I remember your eyes—

bright as morning light—

trying to read me, trying to understand

why I wasn’t always gentle with my words.

It wasn’t you.

It was the boy inside me still trying to convince himself

he deserved to be loved right.

If your heart is tired, if your steps feel slow,

I’m here—no pride, no walls, no distance.

Come back home.

Let me fix what I broke

one honest word at a time.

I hope you know I loved you, even when I couldn’t show.

I hope you know I held you, even when I let you go.

If I failed you yesterday,

I’m trying harder today…

I’m right here now—

in every way I couldn’t be before.

If you’ll reach out your hand…

I won’t let go again.