As
a society, we don't talk about Forgiveness. We don't want to talk or
think about it, because it's difficult and sometimes hurts. We would
simply rather ignore it. This is primarily because we don't consider
it to ever be an option. Society virtually grants us permission to
seek vengeance or to burden ourselves with negative aspects of our
histories.
There's a huge misunderstanding as to what Forgiveness is. Many people believe that to forgive is to suddenly re-interpret a circumstance as right or just or fair. That's not true. Forgiveness is the ability to look into the past and know that it cannot be changed. Forgiveness is the humility to embrace that realization. Huge traumatic events can derail us, people can offend us and we can make a mistake that leaves us regretting ourselves for years and years. Forgiveness stops those circumstances from hurting us more deeply.
So what does this have to do with the weather? ....... Everything!!!

How is this relevant? It's always relevant. Things change, people change, dates change. It is our responsibility to let go of our feeling that we have the utmost control. Spring,
summer, fall, winter, rain, snow or sunshine, the weather is
constantly changing around us. In most times, we are aware of this
change and are prepared for it. In fact, we adapt to it too. So ask yourself: "How
can my response to the weather guide me through other changes in my
life?" Sometimes,
we might not like that things change, but we can acclimate to it.
This act of accepting that we cannot return things to their original
state is half of the battle for Forgiveness. What happens after we
accept it? We let go and move on. Time only moves in one direction.
As
we are all well aware, bad things happens. So rather than
developing resentment, we learn to forgive. However, this is crucial
to explain resentment from a simpler mind. Resentment, the word
itself, comes in two parts, The first “re” is a prefix to mean
“again.” The second part is related to the word “sentiment,”
from a Latin root, representing the concept of a feeling. Therefore,
to resent is to look at a past event, reminiscing of how you existed
in that past moment, then feeling those emotions a second time. To
resent means you would continue to feel those emotions over and over,
again and again; allowing them to wound you deeper.
“The
longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater becomes their power
to harm us.” [Voltaire]

For those of us who truly understand the act of Forgiveness, it is understood that forgiveness finds source in love. How is love relevant to forgiveness? If someone offends you or hurts you, they deserve to be forgiven because they are also deserving of love. We all experience suffering. Suffering is the reason why forgiveness
is even a virtue. Most times, for most people, any incident that causes
us to suffer from grief, anger, regret or resentment are the times
when Forgiveness is required. Due to our suffering, we become likely
to judge or offend others. We neglect that others are also likely to
experience suffering in their own unique manner. Therefore, love enters to regenerate that
relationship. Love comes in to supersede its own suffering. Love
enters amidst our suffering to sacrifice the ego and aid us with the
healing of the other party so to ensure we experience the healing
power of Love together. Yes, you read that right. The Love of
Forgiveness reaches out to the other individual, maybe even the one
who hurt us, and it reaches out with a spirit of kindness. The
knowledge of love values the relationship to such a degree that it
persists in loving despite its own suffering. This is called unconditional love. And just like that, forgiveness is the act of sacrificing one's ego.
As the weather changes and stirs up our lives, we must remain attentive to how our ego has planned for things to go. We must remain attentive, understanding that we are not in control. “In
three words, I can sum up everything I learned about life: It goes
on.” [Robert Frost] We must find peace with those shifting winds. That is the gift of Forgiveness.
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