Forgiveness

As the holidays are approaching I find myself thinking a lot about families, and those, like mine have been, with conflict amongst their members. Old wounds, grudges, and bad feelings can rob so many of joy and contentment this time of year. It can keep families apart, ruin gatherings, and leave innocent members with sadness, hurt, and heartbreak. 

Forgiveness is hard. Most all religions say that to be forgiven one must first forgive. I believe that with all my heart. 

Holding onto anger, resentment, and bad feelings hurts you as much or more than the other person. But when it’s within a close family, it ends up hurting others and solving nothing. Let it go.

You can forgive someone without liking them. You can forgive someone and never trust them again. I know, I’ve been there and done that. Forgiveness isn’t easy, but anything worth doing seldom is. You will never truly be happy, or have inner peace as long as you continue to hold onto things others have done to you or those you love. Let go and let Karma, and fate, and the Goddess and Gods handle it. Don’t let the actions of others continue to impact you and who you are, because not finding forgiveness and letting things be in the past does just that – it changes you, defines you, it makes you judgmental, and leaves them with power over you. Don’t give them that. 

So as your holidays draw near, try to find a way to forgive, to let go of old hurt, and heal old wounds. Do it for you, and do it for those you love. Life is too short, and none of us know how many holidays with those we love are left.