Forgive and Forget

When a person refuses to forgive, he is locking
doors that some day he might need to open.
When we hold grudges and harbor resentment,
who are we hurting the most? Ourselves.
Jim and Jerry were childhood friends but for
whatever reasons, the relationship fell apart and
they hadn't spoken for 25 years. Jerry was on
his deathbed and didn't want to enter eternity
with a heavy heart. So he called Jim, apologized
and said, "Let's forgive each other and be done
for the past." Jim thought it was a good idea
and decided to visit Jerry at the hospital. They
caught up on 25 years, patched up their
differences and spent a couple of hours together.
As Jim was leaving, Jerry shouted from behind,
"Jim, just in case I don't die; remember, this
forgiveness doesn't count." Life is too short to
hold grudges. It is not worth it.
While it is not worth holding grudges, it doesn't
make sense to be bitten time and again. It is
well said, "You cheat me once, shame on you;
you cheat me twice, shame on me."
John Kennedy once said, "Forgive the other
person but don't forget their name." I am sure
that his message was that one should not get
cheated twice.