I’m not sure why the luxury of forgiving pulls so strongly at me this morning, but perhaps it has to do with a beautiful story shared by Gena Riede that got me thinking.
It’s an account of a woman distracted by three dogs who becomes confused about her place in line at a Starbucks drive-through. She apparently cut off another woman, who proceeded to scream obscenities at her in obvious anger and frustration. The woman with dogs backed up and let her in–and what follows is a true revelation and reminder that forgiving and empathy can make our road in life a little less bumpy for all.
Forgiving.
It’s all about letting go. The act of forgiving can be one of the most liberating things we do–and very often, the best place to start is with ourselves. Consider the magic of truly feeling these words:
I am forgiven.
By forgiving ourselves, which may the hardest thing we ever do, we are then freed to forgive others and perhaps understand our purpose in life a little better. I regret I did not spending more time with my parents while they were alive. I regret so many omissions (far more in number than my comissions) and wish there could be re-dos for so many lost opportunities. But it feel so good to take a deep, meditative breath and say, “I am forgiven…I am.”
The forgiving of self and others allows me to see life through a clearer lens and peer more deeply and with more understanding into the pain and joys of others–and my own. And if you read the beautiful story above, you’ll understand why I am going to look for the opportunity some day soon to pay someone’s way–or just do something that makes a difference in another’s outlook.
