February 28, 2026

Lara texted tonight to say Mom’s surgery has been scheduled—April 3rd. In the same message, she added that Mom’s “mind is not good now.”

Of course it isn’t. Her entire life has been uprooted.

I reminded Lara of the physical and emotional toll this separation is taking on her. She pushed back at first, but there wasn’t much she could say. Instead, she shifted to insisting how much better off Mom is without Dad.

We went back and forth for a while. I stayed calm. I didn’t want to escalate things.

But then she said Dad “could not bring himself to apologize to anyone.” (See screenshot of text exchange below).

I couldn’t let that go. I knew it wasn’t true.

When I pressed her, her story changed. She admitted he had apologized—or as she put it: “He tried to apologize one time in church, but it was pathetic. He didn’t cry, and it just fell at his feet. It was embarrassing.”

So now, she—and more importantly, those in charge—believe they can judge the sincerity of someone’s apology based on how it looks. Whether there are tears. Whether it’s emotional enough. Whether it meets their standard.

That’s not discernment. That’s control.

And with that kind of control, I doubt Dad will ever be deemed “worthy” enough to be accepted back.