7. Forgiveness

ONE DAY AT A TIME
Meditations for Carers

7. Forgiveness

Psalm 32.1, 2a

It’s weird – I just didn’t recognize what was going on. I look back and wonder why I didn’t see that he was ill. Now that I know better, I feel so sorry – for wasted time while he was in the earliest stages when we could have got help, for wasted energy and unhappiness on both sides. A friend said to me recently that knowing my loved one is ill must make forgiveness easier. And that’s true. In fact, there is no need for forgiveness – because there is no blame. You don’t have to forgive illness: there is only compassion – and love.

Forgiving myself is much, much harder but just as necessary. Not spotting the symptoms seems to be quite common. Being bewildered about what’s going on and struggling to cope add to the problems. So, let’s not make our burdens worse by being unnecessarily harsh on ourselves...

Taken from One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers by Dorothy M.Stewart

Published by SPCK