Showing Sorry

By Hilary M. Hendricks

(Based on a true story)

Help me, dear Father, to truly repent, making things right, and changing my ways (Children’s Songbook, 99).

1. Eli ran through the living room, jumping over piles of laundry on the floor as his baby brother, Asher, watched.

Woo-hoo!

Be careful not to land on the laundry.

2. Eli’s foot knocked over a stack of washcloths. Asher laughed as the washcloths flew all over. Eli laughed too. They both laughed as he jumped from one stack of laundry to the next and kicked them over.

3. Mom walked back into the room. Eli stopped in the middle of a kick and fell down on Asher. Asher started to cry.

Oh, Eli!

Sorry, Asher. Sorry, Mom.

4. Thank you for saying sorry, but what are you going to do to fix this problem?

I don’t know. Can I go play with my toys?

5. Eli, when we do something that hurts someone and we say sorry, there is something else we need to do.

What?

We need to show we are sorry by making things better.

6. Eli wanted to show he was sorry. He ran to Asher’s toy box, grabbed a stuffed cheetah, and waved it in front of Asher’s face. Then he did a silly dance. Asher laughed.

7. Next, Eli helped Mom fold all of the washcloths he knocked over.

Good job.

8. Then Eli ran to the piano and made up a new song for his mom.

Wow, Eli. That is my most favorite song ever.

Now am I done being sorry?

Absolutely. And I’m done being angry too.

Illustrations by Elise Black