Forgiveness is simply love put into action. – Kent Nerburn
This seems to be a good way to frame what I’m doing when I take 3 or 4 hours out of my day to go feed my dad. I’m just forgiving him. I don’t know if he’s receiving it. He certainly hasn’t asked for my forgiveness. But now I understand the nature of forgiveness a little better than I did. So the outcome doesn’t matter, since it’s out of my hands. I just do what I can do.
I wonder now how I can go about putting forgiveness into action with my mom. My wife questioned whether giving her a book to read would be effective. She’s right. Better for me to write a letter to mom, or just take her out for a meal and just listen, just try to understand her fears and conflicting emotions without trying to change her. Seems like a better idea.