Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is not saying what happened was OK, it is giving up on the hope that the past could have been any different."

This is the best saying when it comes to understanding what it means to forgive someone.  Anyone that knows me knows that I hate fighting.  I want everyone to get along and when people don't it upsets me to no end.

When I was in college I read a book by Mitch Albom that changed my life.  The book was titled,  The Five People You Meet in Heaven.  If you have not read this book I highly recommend it.  The book tries to answer the age old question. . ."Why am I here?"  A man dies and he meets 5 people on his way to heaven that explain things to him.  The entire book is fantastic, but there is one part of the book that led me to forgive people that have done wrong in my life and it is the best thing that I could have ever done.

  “Holding anger is a poison...It eats you from inside...We think that by hating someone we hurt them...But hatred is a curved blade...and the harm we do to others...we also do to ourselves.”
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

I can't hold a grudge for too long with people.  Life is so short.  You really never know what tomorrow can bring.  Hatred seems to be a common theme when you turn on the nightly news and see all the terrible stories they start the broadcast with.  Wouldn't it be great to start with a story of forgiveness and love?   

Having a chronic disease like Multiple Sclerosis has put things like this into perspective for me.  I am sure this is true for others as well.  Or it could be brought to light in some people after loosing someone they had a grudge with and missing that opportunity to forgive them.  My hope is that others can learn this lesson about forgiveness without being confronted with a life changing event such as this.


What if today was your last day on earth?  I don't want to leave this world with any hatred in my heart.  Love each other, forgive each other, be quick to listen and slow to anger.