My sister emailed this to me today and it is well worth repeating:
Two friends were walking through the desert. During 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. When 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 friend replied:
“When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where the 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.”
Never were more profound thoughts written. Forgiveness and unconditional love are more important than almost anything else in this world. Thanks, sis!
What a beautiful story. Something I’ve realized in the past year or so is that the anger I felt toward people (including people I haven’t seen for decades and will probably never see again) had been eating me up inside. Writing in sand is a perfect metaphor for a healthier way of dealing with hurt.
You have very deep thoughts for us lady!
This is a fabulous blog….Can’t wait to read your book!
I’ll be back soon for sure.
Keep discovering your joy : )
Casey
Very true. And on a less elevated note: purely from the point of view of self-interest it is always better to let go of grudges. Refusal to forgive only leads to bitterness and bitterness corrodes the soul and harms no one but oneself.
Needed this today! Thank you