Monique Ocampo Writes
Forgive and forget
That’s how it’s supposed to work, right?
I’m supposed to wish the best for those I hate,
give love until it hurts to those who caused the hurt.
Forgiveness does not come easily.
It’s so much easier to plot revenge
to turn the people — the bullies — into monsters
Soulless and heartless
Chaotic and uncaring
What nobody tells you
is that forgiveness ia process.
It’s not something that comes overnight
It’s more like drinking water
after years, lifetimes, from feasting on poison
You’ve become so used to tasting the toxicity of revenge
that forgiveness, by contrast,
is sickeningly sweet
It’s like putting together a thousand-tile jigsaw puzzle
or the pieces of a shattered mirror
never knowing if the picture will ever be complete
Until one day you finally see another reflection
The ghosts of your past are in the corner of your eye
But they’re haunting someone else
All of a sudden, you realize that you’re strong enough to chase them away
Where did this strength and power come from?
How did you get out of the woods?
How did you find the way out of the labyrinth?
Forgiveness is the key.
Like a seed, forgiveness grows unseen
Taking root in our hearts until the armor of our hate is shattered
Until our resentment and revenge fantasies evanesce like a storm cloud
We find ourselves free-falling
Surprised at what we thought was unimaginable
Then, through love, we are given wings to fly
because through forgiveness, we set ourselves free
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