FORGIVE AND FORGET ~ CAN WE?

Sometimes someone says something out of the blue that stops us dead in our tracks. The words cut, the tone of voice...the attitude...the pain...the disrespect. It belittles, it hurts, it shows you who they are in a way we never noticed before, or perhaps chose not to. It throws us off track. It pulls the props out from under us.

You know if you open your mouth, it will serve only to make things worse. The words replay in your head over and over again, and you can't stop them.

Lessons learned, more often than not, hurt, maim, and throw us so off balance sometimes, we wonder if we will ever be set upright again.

Every choice that any of us chooses to make in this life has consequences, some are good, others bad. So we must choose carefully what we say, how we treat others, and how we live our lives. And we must, above all, be prepared to pay the price or reap the rewards.

I remember being told once that when someone shows you who they believe them.

But this hurts. We want to pull the proverbial blanket over our heads and not see, not believe and and more importantly, not accept. So what do we do?

Perhaps when times get tough, we should never bow down to our circumstances. People can be cruel, unforgiving, hurtful and judgmental, but we should never allow anyone to steal our joy to only throw us off course. Push past other people’s judgments of you. Push past afraid. Push past those boundaries!

Okay, I agree. But isn't this just a little easier said than done?

I love this quote I stole from a friend, "Every decision you make ~ every decision~ is not a decision about what to do.  It's a decision about WHO YOU ARE!  So here is the deal, forgive and forget!  It is often easier to forgive than to forget the feelings of being hurt."

"It's a lie to say we've let go of the past.  Nobody let's go of memories.  Each tear is an unforgettable memory.  Each smile is an undeniable mark and each heartbreak is a scar that cannot be erased.  Because really, there is no such thing as forgetting.  Only acceptance!"

~Jerose Bautista

The chaos in our lives created by others is destructive! So perhaps the answer lies in learning to take care of ourselves and not let others steal our joy.  For in our hearts we will be told what is the right thing to do.

"Just living is not enough, said the butterfly, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

~Hans Christian Anderson

I leave you with this.

"At the end of your life you will know that nothing you have done will matter ~ only who you have been while you have done it.  Have you been happy? Have you been caring, and compassionate, and considerate of others?  You will see that it is who you have been, not what you have done, that matters to your soul.

~~Neal Donald Walsch

Maybe, just maybe, more people should take heed to this!


Photo Courtesy/Gina Hill