Forgiveness

Our local newspaper business section has a weekly column written by Harvery Mackay which I find interesting. He began his column today with the following: "Clara Barton was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and was its president until 1904. A remarkable woman, she made it a rule never to hold resentment against anyone. "

"Once a friend reminded her of a cruel thing that had been done to Barton some years previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident.

Her friend asked her "don't you remember the wrong that was done to you?" "No Clara answered calmly. I distinctly remember forgetting that."

I love her response. All of us at one time of another have experienced a bad comment, hurtful gossip, or mayby even something more serious, but to waste time being angry and unforgiving harms us more than trying to forgive and possibly forget. Think of the time wasted in the negatuve world when a wonderfully positive world is out there waiting for us.

A couple of quote worth stating:

"For every minute you remain angry, you give up 60 seconds of peace of mind."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude. Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.