Reconciliation Day

Greetings Dear Reader,

Recently a colleague at work hurt me deeply. The individual’s actions were thoughtless and really they were responding to other pressures, not what I had done. I avoided them for a few days, unwilling to deal with my pain and forgive them. I noticed that I was taking on other grudges at work. I was easily offended by other things and not as patient with my students. It was obvious that the unreconciled hurt was bleeding over into my other relationships. I acted to mend the fence and was thrilled to see the discomfort roll off of me.

Thursday, April 2nd is reconciliation day. Although the relationship I would like reconciled most does not seem possible, I am determined to reconcile other things in my life. I have reached out to family members in an attempt to reconnect with them. Old injuries never really go away. They only scar over and either lay there waiting to be reopened or they fester.

Think about the people you avoid. What do you have against them or what do they have against you? Who is wrong or right does not really matter. It is instead who will be the first to try. One must be willing to forgo their rights and their pride and do what it takes to make peace. No matter what you do the other person may be unwilling to bend. They may be trapped in their own pain or bitterness and not see a way out. We must still try. Even if we try and our efforts are rejected, we know we have tried.

I am writing about this early to give you a chance to build your courage to the moment. You can use the day as an excuse if you need to do so. The point is, we must try. We must attempt to heal the wounds they have been created along the way so that we may move forward whole. I have spent much of the last few months trying to repair some of the hurts I have caused and trying to avoid harboring hurts done to me.

So you have a head start. Write a letter, make a phone call, or send a candy gram (don’t know if you can still do that last one). The point is that if you take that first step you will know where you stand or you will heal a relationship. As one who has been doing regularly of late, it works.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn