Forgiveness

Forgiveness,

It can be quite a word,

Can it not?

It can be given easily sometimes,

Much like candy on Halloween,

When it is for something rather small,

And rather inconsequential.

But when it is for something larger,

For something that cut our hearts apart,

We tend not to give it out as easily,

Like our arms when we need a shot.

Some say a chosen few do not deserve to be forgiven,

That they cannot be let back into your life,

But that is not what forgiveness is.

It is not trusting the person with everything again,

Believing that they won't make the same mistake again,

But it is letting go of the pain,

The anguished memories,

Like helping a dove fly back into the wild,

And moving on with your life.

That is why forgive and forget go well together.

Of course,

It is much easier said than done,

But trying to forgive,

Surely sounds much easier,

And sounds much better,

Than clutching that dead cactus the person gave you,

Its spines sinking into your skin,

For the rest of your life?

So let the pain go,

Either by imagining dropping that cactus,

Again and again,

By going to someone for counsel,

Again and again,

Or whatever works for you,

But let that pain go,

And forgive.

For their sake,

As well as yours.