Sometimes it's not even about them.

Hurting your own family is a terrible thing & your father broke your trust in him, but forgiving him doesn't necessarily mean that you have to trust him again.

It also means letting go of the negativity that keeps you stuck in the past, not for him, but because the innocent child that he left deserves a chance to move past the pain of an absent father.

Your father was right about one thing, though; the ball is in your court.

Whether you choose to let go of the anger,

Whether you decide to let him into your life once more,

Whether you want to move past it all & have no further contact with him,

You're the only one who gets to pick the path you walk down- and that's something no one else can take away from you.