A Gentle Reminder from The Tale of Despereaux

And he spoke those words to safe himself

Today I am sharing a line from Kate DiCamillo’s book The Tale of Despereaux. you’ve never read this book, it is about a mouse who doesn’t act like a mouse and falls in love with a human princess. As punishment, he is sent to the dungeons of the castle in which he lives, where he is certain to die at the hands of the rats who live there. He is saved, of course, from this fate and an adventure ensues.

May this quote be a gentle reminder that we get to choose to stay soft.

“Despereaux looked at his father, at his grey-streaked fur and trembling whiskers and his front paws clasped together in front of his heart, and he felt suddenly as if his own heart would break in two. His father looked so small, so sad.
"Forgive me," said Lester again.
Forgiveness, reader, is, I think, something very much like hope and love, a powerful, wonderful thing.
And a ridiculous thing, too.
Isn't it ridiculous, after all, to think that a son could forgive his father for beating the drum that sent him to his death…