Editor’s Corner: The ability to forgive

Life is full of situations which take us by surprise and we don’t always handle surprises very well. That’s where the words “I’m sorry” come into play.

According to Erich Segal’s best selling novel Love Story, “love means not ever having to say you’re sorry,” but in reality that just doesn’t wash. When we chose not to forgive, we destroy a part of our own soul.

Matthews 6:14-15 states: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses.”

Let’s look at a few other famous quotes on the subject. They give us reason to stop and think.

• “True remorse is never just a regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive.” - Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

• “A stiff apology is a second insult... The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.” - G. K. Chesterton

• “An apology is the super glue of life. It can repair just about anything.” - Lynn Johnston

• “In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry.” - Margaret Laurence

• “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” - Kimberly Johnson

• “Forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet which still clings fast to the heel that crushed it.” - George Roemisch

• “Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” - William Arthur Ward

• “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” - Mahatma Gandhi

• “Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself.” - Harriet Nelson

• “There's no point in burying a hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site.” - Sydney Harris

• “Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it forgoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury.” - E.H. Chapin

• “He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” - George Herbert

So, whatever life dishes your way, know that the key to surviving comes in forgiving others as well as yourself. To say you’re sorry is to show your ability to love.

Sandra Brand is the editor of the NEA Town Courier and The Osceola Times. She may be reached by phone at 870-763-4461 or 870-563-2615 or by email at brand@osceolatimes.com.