On our way home from Australia many years ago, we stopped at Yosemite for a couple of days. I'd never been to the western US before, let alone seen the marvel that is Yosemite. We spent the evening in the Mountain Room Bar. The thing that kept us in the bar wasn't the alcohol (we were teetotalers at the time), but the soundtrack playing, Don Henley's The End of the Innocence, which had come out just a couple of years before.
Henley's song, The Heart of the Matter, resonated deeply with me. Go here to see Don sing this song.
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I'm learning again
I've been tryin' to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it's about...forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don't love me anymore
Ah...these times are so uncertain
There's a yearning undefined
And people filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age?
(partial lyrics to The Heart of the Matter)
I'm with Don. I think it's about ... forgiveness.
I grew up in the Christian church, so I had been hearing about forgiveness since my earliest days. I took a long, long time to recognize that without forgiveness of myself, there was no way to accept forgiveness being offered by anyone else, human or divine.
Indeed, I had wondered why I didn't "feel" forgiven when I had heard this message at least a million times. Another aha moment when I figured out that until I was willing to accept and forgive myself, I could not receive the acceptance and forgiveness of others.
The power is immense in the question, "Will you forgive me?" and the answer. "Yes." It's much more powerful to add that question to the words, "I'm sorry." (I'm sorry I am unable to remember the source where I read this information the first time. Will you forgive me for posting without attribution?)
How about you? Have you forgiven yourself? For being human, for being imperfect?
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15 comments:
Nicely stated. Forgiveness provides such a great release that unburdens us from an unnecessary weight. To forgive and be forgiven is freedom.
Good A to Z post.
Lee
A Faraway View
An A to Z Co-host blog
Forgiveness is freedom. I'm always forgiving others, but I forget to forgive myself. Thank you for the reminder!
Jamie Dement (LadyJai)
Http://writebackwards.we3dements.com
Reminds me of the Paulo Coelho novel,Aleph, which states that forgiveness is very important! Cheers! Good post
http://jiljilramamani.blogspot.com
Forgiving myself is a lifelong challenge for me - but I'm working on it. A great topic for 'F'.
Forgiveness is like cleansing the soul. We all need to cleanse our soul, but it' a pity we don't alway forgive.
Thanks for sharing. It is good to know that God does forgive us whether we feel it or not. :)
Mary
www.maryeagius.com
Forgiveness is one of the hardest thing to do, but has the best results if you do. Like one of the other posters noted, forgiving sets you free.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
www.wearinglemon.blogspot.com
"I was willing to accept and forgive myself, I could not receive the acceptance and forgiveness of others..." This really says it ALL for me. It took a long, long time, but yes...at last.
I like the somewhat horter format. My writing is ALWAYS too long so I appreciate examples of how others manage to do the job more succinctly.
Nice! cynthia x
Good post. Learning to forgive and forget is a necessary skill to learn
Nice post. Forgiveness is everything. :)
- A fellow blogger from A to Z!
I think it's hard to understand what forgiveness is- so much easier to say than to do!
Again, thanks for visiting my blog. I am glad that I got the chance to visit your blog. I am slowly learning to love myslef and forgive myslef. I am a work in progress :) http://beingpositivewithadepressivesoul.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-to-z-challenge-glorious.html
We all need a little tenderness.
This is so true. Thanks for sharing these words.
Damyanti @Daily(w)rite
Co-host, A to Z Challenge 2013
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
http://tagboard.com/AtoZChallenge
Love this post! Yes, I have forgiven myself for being myself and truly accepted that I AM forgiven!
This is one of my favorite songs of all times! Beautifully written post... Thanks for visiting my Blog. Looking forward to the rest of your posts.
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