On the subject of forgiveness, it is never too late and always worth it.
To harbor bitter pains in your soul will never bring joy to your life or the lives of those around you. When we are hurt, either by another person's actions or a situation that we happened through, we must feel that pain in its entirety. Pretending there is nothing wrong will cause pressure to build up which will one day explode hurting everyone it touches. Feel the hurt, sadness, betrayal, anger. Evaluate it honestly and look at ways to avoid it in the future. Perhaps record your feelings or share them with a close confidant. Then let them go. Some situations may take seconds to overcome while others may take hours. Occasionally, when the pain is very great it will take days, weeks or months. I have found that sadness is the pain that lasts longest for me. Sadness over the death of a friend, or the loss of a relationship that I held very close to my heart. The disintegration of dreams and plans is a difficult pain to let go of, because the old dreams must be replaced with new possibilities before peace can really be achieved. It is possible.
The important part is to try. Forgive those who have hurt you, and most importantly forgive yourself. Each moment that we stay angry or sad we are giving control of our lives to someone else. We allow the person who hurt us to continue hurting us. It removes our ability to bring light into other peoples lives as the cloud of ill-will strengthens its bind on us. In time, the unresolved pains will fester like rotted meat, once necessary for nourishment and support, but now only capable of making people sick.
Happiness is a choice. While certain circumstances might "make it easier" to choose happiness, it is available at any time and any place. We can have happiness in any difficult time of our lives, great or small, if we choose it. Love and forgiveness must replace self indulging emotions of bitterness. Each person has struggles in life. Individual hardships and pains we cannot see, and being shrouded by negative emotions will only blind us more. Choose happiness. Choose love. Choose to help those around you and brighten the lives of family, friends and strangers.
-Megan Elizabeth Martin
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