Forgiveness

 

Forgiveness 

My father once said, “If they hurt you, forgive them, but never forget what they’ve done.”

This has always been a reminder to me every time I meet someone new. Yet, at times, it feels exhausting. It’s frustrating to show kindness only to receive pain in return. It’s disheartening to admire someone, only to find them backstabbing you.

One day, I asked my father, “Do they deserve my forgiveness?”

He smiled and set aside the newspaper he had been reading—a part of his morning routine, checking the mailbox for something to engage with.

“Child, everyone deserves forgiveness. If they wrong you once, they deserve it. If they do it twice, give them another chance. But if they hurt you a third time, that’s when the forgiveness should be for yourself.”

I must have looked puzzled, with a huge invisible question mark hovering over my head. My father chuckled at my confusion, then handed me a candy and clasped my hands in his.

“Forgive yourself for believing in them and getting disappointed. Forgive yourself for trusting too much. Forgive yourself for taking risks in the hope of something better. And, my dear, give yourself the chance to be free—free from hatred, revenge, and the weight of your past.”

One morning, I found him in front of my mother, tears streaming down his face. He had been betrayed by a friend for many years. I asked him if he now hated his friend, and he simply smiled and shook his head.

“My heart doesn’t have space for hatred. I won’t suffer because of it. I’ve forgiven him, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what he did. The next time he sees me smiling, despite everything, he’ll know who truly suffered.”

Wiping his tears with the favourite handkerchief I had gifted him for his birthday, he added, “You know the best thing you can give to someone who hurts you? It’s to live a better life after what they did. We only live once, so don’t waste your time on those who have left scars in your heart. Let them see what they’ve lost. Let them understand how they inadvertently helped you grow.”

In that moment, I realized that without his wisdom, I would still be haunted by burdens that weren’t my fault.

"The Meaning of Life"

 

‘The Meaning Of Life!’

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Alex who was always searching for the meaning of life. He read books, consulted philosophers, and talked to wise men, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

One day, he decided to embark on a journey to find the answer himself. He left his home and travelled far and wide, visiting different places and meeting people from all walks of life. He saw the beauty of nature, witnessed the kindness of strangers, and experienced the joys and sorrows of life.

Years went by, and Alex had not found the answer he was looking for. He became tired and disillusioned, thinking that maybe the meaning of life was just an illusion. But then one day, as he sat under a tree, he noticed a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon. The butterfly seemed to be in great pain, and Alex thought he could help by breaking open the cocoon.

But as he reached out to help, a wise old man appeared before him and warned him not to interfere. "The butterfly needs to struggle to break free," he said. "It is only through the struggle that it gains the strength it needs to fly."

Alex realized that the same was true for humans. It is through the struggles and challenges of life that we gain strength, wisdom, and character. The meaning of life is not to avoid the struggles but to face them with courage and determination, and to use them as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.

From that day on, Alex stopped searching for the meaning of life and instead focused on living his life to the fullest, embracing its challenges and joys with open arms. He found happiness and contentment in the present moment, knowing that the true meaning of life is not a destination to be reached, but a journey to be experienced.

 

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Johnny Duhan - " a tribute"

 

The Voyage - Johnny Duhan

I am a sailor, you're my first mate
We signed on together, we coupled our fate
Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail
For the hearts treasure, together we set sail

With no maps to guide us we steered our own course
Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together we learned how to cope

Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

Together we're in this relationship
We built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination's not marked on any charts
We're navigating to the shores of the heart

Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgtk0OlZ-Jw&ab_channel=JohnnyDuhan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wNTMq6an-U&ab_channel=JohnnyDuhan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wNTMq6an-U&ab_channel=JohnnyDuhan

" Pause and Remember loved ones"

 

NO MORE TIME

When death comes knocking on your door

Will you be ready to say your goodbye

Or will you beg for just a little more

As you were never ready to die.

If only life could work that way

We’d all just ask for a little more time

Because we’re never ready to go away

When we’re still learning how to climb.

But, life never gives us these chances,

It just creeps in when you least expect

And it don’t care about circumstances

That you were so eager to perfect.

It just comes without any invitation

And tells you it’s your time to go,

Never caring about your obligation

You made to the friends you know.

It’s kinda sad how our life just ends

In the blink of our naked eyes

Leaving us torn from family and friends

That wish they too, had goodbyes.

.

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me

When tomorrow starts without me,

And I'm not there to see,

If the sun should rise and find your eyes

all filled with tears for me,

I wish so much you wouldn't cry

The way you did today,

While thinking of the many things,

We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,

As much as I love you,

and each time that you think of me,

I know you'll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me,

Please try to understand,

That an angel came and called my name,

And took me by the hand,

and said my place was ready,

In heaven far above,

And that I'd have to leave behind

All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,

A tear fell from my eye

For all my life, I'd always thought,

I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,

So much left yet to do,

It seemed almost impossible,

That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays

The good ones and the bad,

I thought of all the love we shared,

and all the fun we had

If I could re-live yesterday

Just even for a while,

I'd say good-bye and kiss you

And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,

That this could never be,

For emptiness and memories,

would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,

I might miss come tomorrow,

I thought of you, and when I did,

My heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,

I felt so much at home

When God looked down and smiled at me,

From His great golden throne.

He said, "This is eternity,

And all I've promised you."

Today your life on earth is past,

But here life starts anew

I promise no tomorrow,

But today will always last,

And since each day's the same way

There's no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful,

So trusting and so true.

Though there were times

You did some things

You knew you shouldn't do.

But you have been forgiven

And now at last you're free.

So won't you come and take my hand

And share my life with me?

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Don't think we're far apart,

For every time you think of me,

I'm right here, in your heart.

Author believed to be

~ David Romano

 

“The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said, and never explained. It’s the sudden silence, the unspoken words, the unanswered questions that haunt you at night. You lie awake, your mind replaying every moment, every word, every touch, searching for the reason why. But there is no answer, just an emptiness that stretches into eternity. It’s the pain of not knowing, of not understanding, of being left in the dark with only your own thoughts to keep you company. And in that darkness, you slowly come to realize that you may never know why, and that is perhaps the hardest truth of all.”

 

 Suggestions for those in the land of the living.

"Do the right thing"

 

 The only moments in our lives that count for anything are those when we do the right thing, when we don’t have to look down at the table but can raise our heads and look each other in the eye. Nothing else matters. Alexei Navalny, PATRIOT . 239 .

 

“It’s not always easy to do what’s right.” Well, that’s true. Doing the next right thing has consequences just as doing the next wrong thing. However, doing the next right thing leaves one with a feeling of satisfaction of doing what is right regardless of the consequences.                                                                                                                                       In a sea of corruption, Alexei Navalny became a leader among millions of Russians who want a democracy and do away with corruption. For his work, Navalny was poisoned, imprisoned under false pretences, and finally murdered in prison. Murdered for doing the next right thing.                                                                                                                                    This happens on a daily basis in terms of character assassination around the “water cooler” in offices; it happens daily, nowadays, in various media where the name of good people is destroyed.                                                                                                                         “The only moments in our lives that count for anything are those when we do the right thing…” there is a tremendous satisfaction in a healthy sense when we do something we know to be right, to take  a stand against those whose words and behavior is bent on destruction. It was said of Jesus “It is better that one man die for the country.” It was thought that if Mahatma Gandhi, Dag Hammarskjold or Martin Luther King, were out of the way then things could “get back to normal. These men lived doing ‘the next right thing” and for doing so they  paid the price.                                                                                                                      In school yards. Offices, in the work place, students, men and women are shunned, silenced, abandoned, sneered at, for daring to do the next right thing and, despite all the jeering, they0 stand their ground because they know that what they are doing is Right.                 Across the world today in church and in society, locally, nationally, internationally, there are those who stand for equality, respect, democracy, justice, and they will pay the price of following their conscience, following Jesus, living the Beatitudes, their scripture.                      Creator God, Great Spirit, I give thanks for those men and women who shine a light in the darkness to offer us hope for a better future. May the Holy Spirit guide us in these dark days to do the Right thing regardless of the price to be paid so that future generations will live in peace and freedom with respect and justice for all. Amen