Day 636

We have lost three Rokus, two remotes, three phones, a cable cord and a variety of anything soft in our house! Lilly and Ranger took out our kitchen flooring, Oreo ate a couch arm, and a host of other belongings have disappeared. Our precious canines embrace the destruction of our "things" with gleeful abandon. Are they forgiven? Absolutely! In the final analysis, they only choose to chew belongings that have been touched by their humans.

Forgiveness in relationships can fall into so many categories. Letting someone off the hook for causing your heart to hurt can be a challenge at best. When your heart hurts, it is difficult to find kindness in that same heart towards the cause of that pain.

The older I get, the easier it is to let go of those hurt feelings and embrace forgiveness. Letting go can be freeing and enlightening. It is akin to carrying a huge load of books around and struggling under their weight. Putting them down and moving on lightens the emotional load beyond measure.

Forgiving dogs or people is freeing for the "forgiver." Whether it is a ripped slipper or an unkind act, just put that load down. Otherwise you might carry it around forever. Putting that load down might not only heal your heart, but the "forgiven" might just feel your kindness and pay it forward.