Forgiveness, a Gift

Within sixty seconds of opening my eyes this morning, I heard something that will surely impact me the rest of my life. Our call to a new day is a clock radio, tuned to the NPR station. And as I was coming into a state of wakefulness, it is amazing how quickly my mind began to pick up the ideas streaming from the radio and to kick-in to its job of interpreting those ideas.

Even before my eyelids lifted, I surmised that a talk show was being aired, and the guest was an author. The commentator, asked about the author's mother's death. The author replied that during her emergency surgery, his mother died on the operating table. And he added that he felt it was a blessing, as his mother would not have wanted to continue living with the consequences of the surgery.

"What were the last words that you had with your mother?" the commentator asked.

The author replied, "It was just before her surgery. She was in a comatose state. Standing by her bedside, I took her hand, leaned toward her ear, and told her I forgave her. She had done many hurtful things to me in her lifetime. We both knew that. But being the proud woman she was, she could never bring herself to apologize for them. I never heard her say 'I'm sorry' to anyone. And she could never have asked for my forgiveness, even on her deathbed. But I forgave her, for me as much as for her. I wanted us both to be free. And I hope that some day, when I'm dying, someone will do the same for me... tell me that I am forgiven of all the wrongs I committed throughout my life. "

Lying on my back, I still had not yet opened my eyes. Tear drops seeped through my eye lashes and trickled down toward my ears. I knew that I had just heard a message meant for me.

What greater gift can I receive at the conclusion of this earthly journey than forgiveness for my lifetime of errors? Forgiveness for hurtful things I've said and done, intentional and unintentional. Forgiveness for things I could have done to help another and didn't do, because I didn't want to or because I was clueless.

The beautiful thing about forgiveness is that it is a gift for any moment, not just special occasions like counseling sessions, church, or deathbed scenes. We can ask for forgiveness any time along the way.

Forgiveness may be the greatest gift possible on this planet, greater even than the gift of birth. It is the gift that exponentially blesses and frees the receiver and the giver. Forgiveness is the open door to change everything, forever, for both. Forgiveness occurs in a simple moment of choice in the giver's mind, and that choice is between forgiveness and freedom on the one hand, or the poison of judgment and resentment on the other hand. And whichever I choose remains in my mind.

So, I ask you, you reading this post, will you please forgive me? I'm serious here. For every stupid thing or hurtful thing, that I have ever done to you or said to you or that you are even aware of my doing, please forgive me. For every disappointment I have caused you, please forgive me. For every thought of me that has ever caused you any feeling less than joy or peace, please forgive me.

Please do not let your knee-jerk-denial get in the way here... thinking, "But I have nothing to forgive you for." We all share the same ego mind which is enmeshed in duality thinking, we all have loving and unloving thoughts about one another. Please, will you forgive me my unloving thoughts? All I ask from you is three little words... I forgive you.