“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” ~Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
On my 5th birthday, after the song, as I was taking a deep breath and making a wish, my friend swooped in and blew out the candles on my cake (you know who you are Mr. Coles). What followed was nothing short of pure devastation. It took many years but I finally forgave him and even invited him to my birthday dinner again when I was 18.
For a five year old, that’s about as bad as it can get. As I got older the hurts didn’t diminish of course, they got more complicated. And deeper. Sometimes, forgiveness seemed unimaginable. It’s not easy, but holding on to hurt just keeps you stuck in one place and that place is pretty inhospitable. Generally it’s not about you really anyway. When you forgive, it doesn’t necessarily set the other person free – it lets you let go.
Perspectively Yours 