To Forgive Like A Child
What if?
Over the phone, my sister and I have our usual banter, always loaded with humor. Her monologue, like stand-up, has me rolling on the other end of the line, as she relays her day-to-day — over wet noodles smashed into the carpet, or strawberry milk in the dog bowl, or maybe both at the same time — amidst parenting two headstrong little girls. After the laughter died down though, my sister lamented that she, at times, loses control. She told me a story.
“I always apologize after I lose it,” she said. “I tell them I shouldn’t have yelled, that it wasn’t right; I should be more calm.”
It seemed normal, I thought. Things happen, you feel bad.
She continued, “But when I say sorry, right away, my daughter responds — that’s ok, I forgive you mom. So, I stop her there. I tell her that she can’t forgive someone that quickly, she needs to think about it more, take time, and really feel the forgiveness.”
After I heard her story, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
I thought: Maybe 5-year-olds know more about forgiveness than we adults do. What if?
What if it were possible to forgive someone that fast? Like blinking the eyes. Blink=forgive.
What is forgiveness anyway? And who needs it the most?
