posted February 16, 2006 08:15 AM         

***

A story tells that two friends were walking
through the desert. During some
point of the journey they had an argument, and
one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt,
but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,
where they decided to take a bath. The one who
had been slapped got stuck in the mire and
started drowning, but the friend saved him.
After he recovered from the near
drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and
saved his best friend asked him,
"After I hurt you, you wrote in the
sand and now, you write on a stone,
why?" The other friend replied "When someone
hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds
of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone
does something good for us, we must engrave
it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND
AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

***

posted February 16, 2006 01:13 PM         

"When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away."

I agree and that's simple enough for me to do. I cant hold a grudge. But, what about when they keep hurting you? And dont give you much to engrave about? You still love that person just the same, but dont know what to do. I guess then it becomes your problem and not theirs.

Some things are just so heavy....you know? Youve got to deal with them, and sort it all out the only way you know how. Might seem wrong to someone else, but that's not what it's about. All you can do is keep giving your love. Some of us need to balance our 'spiritual checkbooks' more than others. I know I do. That's what life is telling me. But, really, life is perfect in all of these imperfections. We're human beings and we're entitled to feel hurt, angry, sad, whatever. But as spriritual beings it's our job to transform all of that. Step out of ego-Land. Isnt easy sometimes, but necessary to progress.

I'm getting to the point where I dont care about the 'shoulds' and 'shouldnts' anymore. We are all living in our own little uni-verses and making up our own rules within them. I see my thoughts creating my reality all the time. The people in my life speaking 'Me' back to 'me', and find messages/answers in just about everything. They can be rude little awakenings sometimes.

Be true to You and dont feel like you have to answer to anyone or live by their standards. We all k-Now what's 'right' within. If everyone did that we wouldnt need forgiveness.

posted February 16, 2006 01:19 PM         

Always.

posted February 17, 2006 09:15 AM         

quote:

---

Thanks for getting me thinking and letting me ramble

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Thinking and rambling is good, especially when you're doing it here...

quote:

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...it just occured to me that the only person you really need to forgive is yourself.
Always.

No one else needs another's forgiveness. Unless you think you do.

---

I agree. If you're sorry you hurt someone but still riddled with guilt because that other person hasn't forgiven you then you won't heal. You don't need to depend on the other person to heal you, you can only heal yourself. That person has freewill to forgive or not to forgive, if they don't that is their choice, but your own truth of the matter, the way you are truly sorry will never change, and by forgiving yourself you can heal. And in the meantime hopefully the other person will see the light, but that's up to the other person, not you.

I've always felt that way...