Can you smell the violet?

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Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. -Mark Twain Think about that for a moment. Are you the violet or are you the heel? I will tell you that there have been many times in my life that if I did not let go and let God do his work and forgive the situation, I would not be the jolly person that everyone thinks I am. There is so much hatred in this world, it is so easy to hate, and so easy to hate others for whatever they "did" to you. That sucks so much energy out of your soul, you really have no recourse but to stop doing it. If you don't stop the hate, you will never get out of that hole you keep digging for yourself that you fall into every time you walk around the same block. You don't have to forget whatever has been done to you, but set a boundary. STICK TO IT. Continue to forgive the person, love them through it. But don't ever let them do it again. In my case, the person I had to forgive the most to bring me out of the pit of the lowest time of my life was myself. Sure, I went through the normal stages, anger, denial, despondence, depression after my relationship with Darius in college. This was the lowest time of my life. I couldn't forgive myself for letting myself believe in someone so much that I ignored my friends/family who cared about me and honestly, ignored blatant facts. How did I let myself get so blindsided and fooled? I was pissed at myself, and mostly disappointed in the people that surrounded him who did not have MY best interest in mind. People who I thought were my friends. I lost my belief in trust in human kind - not just Darius. I was really disheartened. And I will tell you, this has NEVER happened to me again. The key to that is forgiveness. Not just caution. Sure I am cautious now, but I also realize that human nature is not always going to deliver good to you. It took me at least 5 long years - from 21 to 26 to forgive myself. LOTS of therapy, journaling, lots of failed relationships (both friends and boyfriends). It took a lot of work. A lot of introspection. A lot of honesty with myself. And then one day, it was just there. The fragrance of the violet.
Post for 4/11

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