I know you denounce the laws I abide
And feel chained and tethered standing at my side
But why can’t you let me draw in the light?
Why keep my world in this eternal night?

I know there are demons that lurk in your path
And times when you can’t help but feel their wrath
But why can’t you for once just try to shine?
Why live your life in steady decline?

I know there are horrors that you can’t forget
And the apologies and lies that you can’t accept
But why can’t you restart and try to relive?
What stops you from ever learning to forgive?

— OrcasTogether

Forgiveness isn't, "I'll forgive you,
if you'll forgive me,"
its a symphony of lilacs in the
springtime fields,
and a song from the wren's
delicate heart,
its when you awaken after a
bitter night of anger melted
into tiredness, and moments
of grief turned to lavender
scented pillows lulling you
into a resplendent dream,
of white doves ascending to
Heaven carrying whispers
of the world praying,
as little workers in your mind
build a bridge of steel cables
of peace forged by God,
whether there's reunion with
those you've forgiven, or not.

I am sorry for my failures
Sorry for being depressed
Always being self-absorbed
Worried and constantly stressed

I am sorry I don't show gratitude
Sorry for causing you grief
Bearing sorrow as a weapon
Sword I cannot sheath

I am sorry I whine so much
Unload troubles on your ears
Sorry I'm uncomfortable
Showing others my tears

Sorry for getting on nerves
Clinging to your side so tight
I am sorry when we argue
Hard to admit you're right

I am sorry I'm perpetually sad
Emotions are beyond my control
Sorry you are the one left to repair
Damaged fragments of my soul

I am sorry I have changed so drastically
In years since we first met
Sorry for slipping downwards
Doing all that I regret

Sorry you often take care of me
I can't do it myself
Ignoring many problems
Instead of getting help

I am sorry I'm the way I am
For what I cannot be
Becoming who I swore I wouldn't
Sorry you're stuck loving me

i still carry
the scabs i picked
off the wound you
inflicted on me years ago
leaving it as open as the first time
you did it. see how my heart forgave
but never forgotten.

if anything,
i forgive you.

i don’t care
if you’ve changed
or if you’re still
the same person
that broke me
years ago.

one thing’s for sure:

it’s not my job to trust you anymore.

We have an opportunity to take this one step at a time.
To move our feet, left then right then left then right.
We can be optimistic even when our steps are moving backward.
We have an opportunity to take this one movement at a time.

You see it is like this...
We are at a threshold where our minds and our hearts are trying to find a bridge to one another.
But the way forward has fallen into the ravine.
It has been rebuilt several times, but it keeps crumbling beneath our feet.

You see it is like this...
We have an opportunity to take a leap of faith.
We have a chance to walk over the invisible bridge.

Let's shift this to a more personal level.
Let's examine my heart for a little bit.
A little selfish I know, but my brokenness is something I guess I like to share.
My brokenness is something that could inspire hope.

I believe in a Love that transcends time and space.
I believe in forgiveness that leads me to reconcile those who don't deserve it.
I believe in a Love that helps me forgive others who have hurt me.
I believe in a heart that beats and makes me realize that I am still alive.

Is it fine to share the innermost secrets of my heart?
I don't know.
It could go either way.
Well, let's dive into it, shall we?

I am a control freak, I want it to go my way.
I have hurt someone close because this tension has not been let go.
I didn't look out into the valley and walk by faith.
I did it my way and used God as a crutch to justify my unjust judgment.
I am not a man who likes to be alone with his thoughts too long.

I am a liar.
I am a thief.
I am a murderer.
I am not worthy of the forgiveness that Love presents to me.

But here we are.
But here we lay.
In the mud, I find my home, but one day that mud will be wiped away.
One day I will walk across that invisible bridge to a land where I am meant to be.

A land where Love has a form.
A land where hope is not just a feeling, but where I can grasp it and see it.
A Land where borders are torn down and we are all one.
A land where Love has made my body clean.

We have an opportunity to take this one step at a time.
To move our feet, left then right then left then right.
We can be optimistic even when our steps are moving backward.
We have an opportunity to take this one movement at a time.

This road before us might take years to go through.
Maybe we must take paths we never knew were there.
We might need to grow new trees along different paths to remember where we have been.
We might need to forgive those who may never care or know we have forgiven them.

Love light my path.
Love help me to cross the invisible bridge.
Love teach me how to forgive.
Love teach me how to walk with one foot in front of the other.
Love when I die, I want to keep moving on.