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Daily Question, July 17

When have I experienced forgiveness? What did I learn?

  • Malag

    Frequently. The small transgressions of daily life met with gentle forgiveness. I realise that we are all human and need to give everyone a bit of slack.

  • Hot Sauce
    Sometimes, when I was a teenager, I would fight with my mom (you know how teenagers can be sometimes). She would get mad, but as soon as I apologized, she would always forgive me and continue to love me without holding grudges. I appreciated this because, without this assurance that she will always forgive me if I mess up, I would have not felt like her love was unconditional. From this, I learned how important it is to forgive those you love when they apologize and change so that they will not ...

    Sometimes, when I was a teenager, I would fight with my mom (you know how teenagers can be sometimes). She would get mad, but as soon as I apologized, she would always forgive me and continue to love me without holding grudges. I appreciated this because, without this assurance that she will always forgive me if I mess up, I would have not felt like her love was unconditional. From this, I learned how important it is to forgive those you love when they apologize and change so that they will not have to worry about whether your love is unconditional or not.

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  • Don Jones

    That it is a form of giving… and when I give and receive selflessly and freely I am at peace.

  • Carol

    The following quote from Lama Surya Dass inspired me to write a short poem/prayer.
    “Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past.”

    Life is forgiving but not forgetting.
    Memories are for lessons worth learning.
    Wishes are possibilities worth having.
    Expectations are judgments in disguise.
    Life is for giving not getting.
    With hands and heart open, I great this day.

  • Mica

    Wow – I can point to a few examples of me forgiving others, but I’m not aware of experiencing forgiveness. But I guess I haven’t explicitly said, “I forgive you” to them, so the same is probably true for the people who have forgiven me.

  • Ask Believe Receive

    I experienced both the things. Forgive others and also ask for forgiveness to other/God/Self. Forgive others and yourself is giving you great peace of mind. I experienced that when I passed through rough phase of my relationship. I forgive the person and also to me and miracle happens. Our relation healed and now we are happy together.

    I do my forgiveness practice everyday and it is changing the life.

  • Michele

    I have forgiven my ex. I feel she has made me a better person and I am thankful for that. The hardest person to forgive is myself. I try and there are always good days and bad days. It’s always an effort to stay present and not go to the past all the time. Compassion is everything. I met up with Josh’s mom and family yesterday with my son. It was so hard but there was so much love there. We all have to forgive Josh for taking his own life. He was loved by many.

  • Zenith
    My kids and I had to forgive each other. They for what they perceived as mistakes I made. Me for some of the things they did to me out of their anger toward me that had dire consequences. My for giveness of myself for what I felt were stupid mistakes along life's path. What I have learned is that forgiveness is an ongoing process. We must continue forgiving ourselves each and every day, as well as other people for what we perceive as unkind actions. We gain a measure of peace, Harmony and tranqu...

    My kids and I had to forgive each other. They for what they perceived as mistakes I made. Me for some of the things they did to me out of their anger toward me that had dire consequences. My for giveness of myself for what I felt were stupid mistakes along life’s path. What I have learned is that forgiveness is an ongoing process. We must continue forgiving ourselves each and every day, as well as other people for what we perceive as unkind actions. We gain a measure of peace, Harmony and tranquility in the process.

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  • Diana
    My experience with forgiveness has been both as the forgiven and the forgiver. As the forgiven, I have learned that forgiving myself is the very first and most important aspect of being forgiven. As the forgiver, it doesn’t mean that the other has “gotten away with something” or that what took place was somehow “ok”. Forgiving another is one of the most liberating gifts one can give themselves. Forgiveness – true forgiveness – can be a process. It takes work, but like meditation...

    My experience with forgiveness has been both as the forgiven and the forgiver. As the forgiven, I have learned that forgiving myself is the very first and most important aspect of being forgiven. As the forgiver, it doesn’t mean that the other has “gotten away with something” or that what took place was somehow “ok”. Forgiving another is one of the most liberating gifts one can give themselves. Forgiveness – true forgiveness – can be a process. It takes work, but like meditation, exercise or anything else we want to improve. One must practice it often.

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  • Jackie

    I feel like i am continuously being bathed in forgiveness. How could i move forward in life if i was not released from the many intentional and inadvertant mistakes and misdeeds i have committed? It makes all the difference in the world. Thank God and all God’s children for sweet forgiveness!

  • Carla

    I’ve experienced forgiveness many times over in my life. It has taught me to strive to do the same; practicing compassion for others. My role is not to be judge & jury towards anyone.

  • Katrina
    Mostly I have experienced forgiveness is ways that were forgiving. When people - mostly friends and family, kept loving and accepting me when my words or behavior were unacceptable. Mostly no one said, "I forgive you for saying that.", nor did it generally come after I asked for forgiveness, unless it was an "I'm sorry" slung out in frustration or anger. No - mostly the people I truly care about and who truly care about me have just loved me in spite of myself. Is that a form of forgiveness? Wha...

    Mostly I have experienced forgiveness is ways that were forgiving. When people – mostly friends and family, kept loving and accepting me when my words or behavior were unacceptable. Mostly no one said, “I forgive you for saying that.”, nor did it generally come after I asked for forgiveness, unless it was an “I’m sorry” slung out in frustration or anger. No – mostly the people I truly care about and who truly care about me have just loved me in spite of myself. Is that a form of forgiveness? What I have learned from that is that forgiveness is a way of life – both giving and receiving.

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  • Trish

    It was devastating to my little family when my husband & I divorced. Our lives were filled with chaos & confusion. My ex-husband may never completely understand my need to leave the marriage but his forgiveness has offered me the opportunity to grow without added shame. His continued presence in my life has taught me that forgiveness is freeing & loving. What a gift…..

  • Cathy

    This is a really good question. I’ve sat with it a while this morning and have humbly concluded that I might not understand forgiveness at all.

  • Howie Geib
    Forgiveness is one tool in my toolbox for correction. Awareness is a double edged sword, as it often reveals some way I have been blind to my own behavior, or some product of my actions. But once I am aware, I must ask for forgiveness right away. My lived daily experience internally is suddenly foreground when I am in debt to someone in that way. And so I do seek reconciliation as soon as possible. I sleep better with the settling of accounts. In my late adulthood I have become more appr...

    Forgiveness is one tool in my toolbox for correction. Awareness is a double edged sword, as it often reveals some way I have been blind to my own behavior, or some product of my actions. But once I am aware, I must ask for forgiveness right away.

    My lived daily experience internally is suddenly foreground when I am in debt to someone in that way. And so I do seek reconciliation as soon as possible. I sleep better with the settling of accounts.

    In my late adulthood I have become more appreciative of living with precision. I used to seek the gray area, the fuzziness of commitments and obligations unwritten and presumed. No more!

    When I am sorted in this regard I am at peace. And that is everything.

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  • sunnypatti

    Many times coupled with many great life lessons. The most important, however, being when I finally forgave myself for the “mistakes” I had made in life, realizing they were not mistakes, but indeed lessons. The growth I have experienced since then is the reason I have this gratitude practice. Life is soooo good!

  • devy

    To my parents emotional and sometimes physical abuse. my mother died over 30 years ago and my father a year and a half ago. It has been within 6 months that I have learned to accept fact that my parents had their own problems, that they did the best that they could do in light of their situations. I’ve learned as well to stop holding onto the past for my own self and to look at my experiences as life lessons. I’ve become a better person because of them.

  • EJP

    Numerous times…each providing endless lessons in kindness, love and compassion.

  • Kevin

    I have experienced forgiveness enough times in my life to know that it is always good to also forgive others.

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