There would be no war, no divorce and relatively little conflict if we could forgive one another. To forgive is easier said than done. Edward Fitzgerald wrote: The moving finger writes; and having writ moves on: nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line nor all your tears wash out a word of it. So why do we hold on to old grudges? Some of us have been angry so long we have forgotten why we are angry.  

Peter went up to Jesus and said, “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times? Jesus answered, “Not seven, I tell you, but seventy seven times.” 

Our pride keeps us from forgiving, we don’t want to feel weak and taken advantage of, and we want to see the person who wounded us wounded equally. We literally want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 

If people and nations could forgive one another there would be no war, because there would be nothing to fight about, there would be no divorce and relatively little conflict because everyone would basically get along. 

So there is someone you haven’t spoken to in a very long time. Pick up the phone and call them. In the grand scheme of things we can fall out over the silliest of things. So someone called you fat and ugly and you got mad; look in the mirror, you probably are fat and ugly.  My point is shake it all off and forgive the perpetrator. Stop being mad about something someone said about you... Stop and think of how wonderful it would be if you weren’t mad anymore. Just laugh it off and call that old friend and say: “Let’s do lunch!”

In the words of my dad: “Stay away from the pig ears and fried pork chops.  Eat more fruits and vegetables.”