I am a writer, poet, craftsperson, avid blogger, vegetarian cook and author of Not Just for Vegetarians: Delicious Homestyle Cooking, the Meatless Way.
I love to knit and crochet; usually with some "help" from feline friend, yarn-loving Mr. Cheddar! :<)
I hope you will visit and enjoy all of my blogs. Namaste!
I always try to pray those that harm me “to their highest good” and just let them go from my thoughts. It is not easy, and like anything takes discipline and focus. Many times my thoughts slip and I revert back into my negative thinking but then I remember that I’m only hurting myself. Hugs!
Geraldine, the “unforgivable” says a lot — maybe it shouldn’t be forgiven. Or forgotten. There are some things which, to me, are not possible to forgive. But that’s just me. I try to understand, to comprehend, and in some instances it’s not possible to understand. But generally I don’t have a hard time forgiving. We all make mistakes. We all do things we shouldn’t. They say forgiveness if more about the person giving it than the transgressor, but I don’t know. If someone shows remorse, regret, makes amends…then I think forgiveness is more about them than it is about me. It shows they are learning their life lessons through the mistakes they make. Sorry, this is turning into a novel!
A very interesting article, Geraldine, and a topic to which we should pay a lot of attention. Thank you! I like the quote about resentment being a poison that we drink ourselves. But it requires, I think, a huge amount of discipline to follow these healthy principles. They don’t come naturally, to me anyway. It also depends, I suppose, on the degree of the hurt. I would much rather forget…
Hi Ruinwen, That’s a lovely thought, to actually pray for those people who have hurt you. And so true, we are only hurting ourselves, holding on to the pain and anger.
Hi Brian, Yes, definitely not a cheap word that is just bandied about without any real meaning behind it, I totally agree.
Hi Talon, There are some things that IMO too, are in the unforgivable category. I guess that’s where forget kicks in, if nothing else. So hard at times but as Ruinwen says above, we are only hurting ourselves by dwelling on the hurt someone has caused us.
Hi Vesper, I found that ‘poison’ ref. very interesting and helpful too. I zeroed in on the point about replaying the same story over and over, that’s so easy to end up doing. I try to replace a bad thought, memory….etc. with a good one. It takes a mighty effort at times but it does help to ease thoughts away from the negative and on to better, more hopeful ones.
Thanks for sharing your thoughtful insights, most appreciated, G
March 13, 2013 at 4:28 am
I always try to pray those that harm me “to their highest good” and just let them go from my thoughts. It is not easy, and like anything takes discipline and focus. Many times my thoughts slip and I revert back into my negative thinking but then I remember that I’m only hurting myself. Hugs!
March 13, 2013 at 5:16 am
forgiveness is something we always should be learning and relearning…what it really means and not just a cheap word without much thought…..
March 13, 2013 at 7:15 am
Geraldine, the “unforgivable” says a lot — maybe it shouldn’t be forgiven. Or forgotten. There are some things which, to me, are not possible to forgive. But that’s just me. I try to understand, to comprehend, and in some instances it’s not possible to understand. But generally I don’t have a hard time forgiving. We all make mistakes. We all do things we shouldn’t. They say forgiveness if more about the person giving it than the transgressor, but I don’t know. If someone shows remorse, regret, makes amends…then I think forgiveness is more about them than it is about me. It shows they are learning their life lessons through the mistakes they make. Sorry, this is turning into a novel!
March 13, 2013 at 9:30 am
A very interesting article, Geraldine, and a topic to which we should pay a lot of attention. Thank you! I like the quote about resentment being a poison that we drink ourselves. But it requires, I think, a huge amount of discipline to follow these healthy principles. They don’t come naturally, to me anyway. It also depends, I suppose, on the degree of the hurt. I would much rather forget…
March 13, 2013 at 9:53 am
Hi Ruinwen, That’s a lovely thought, to actually pray for those people who have hurt you. And so true, we are only hurting ourselves, holding on to the pain and anger.
Hi Brian, Yes, definitely not a cheap word that is just bandied about without any real meaning behind it, I totally agree.
Hi Talon, There are some things that IMO too, are in the unforgivable category. I guess that’s where forget kicks in, if nothing else. So hard at times but as Ruinwen says above, we are only hurting ourselves by dwelling on the hurt someone has caused us.
Hi Vesper, I found that ‘poison’ ref. very interesting and helpful too. I zeroed in on the point about replaying the same story over and over, that’s so easy to end up doing. I try to replace a bad thought, memory….etc. with a good one. It takes a mighty effort at times but it does help to ease thoughts away from the negative and on to better, more hopeful ones.
Thanks for sharing your thoughtful insights, most appreciated, G
March 13, 2013 at 8:01 pm
Forgiveness is for ourselves. It relieves a person of the pain someone else is causing. Just can’t dwell on it or it can make us sick or worse.
March 14, 2013 at 1:06 am
Yes, I find that when I forgive others for the harm they’ve done to me, I forgive myself as well, and releases so much tension
March 15, 2013 at 12:32 pm
I read a quote that said “not forgiving someone or holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die”…