HEALTH | INSPIRATION

The Grace of Forgiving Yourself [a poem]

You are allowed to forgive yourself.

One day, perhaps, you will remember the person you once were
without sorrow laying claim to the memory.

You will see how little they knew,
how much they carried in the silence of their uncertainty,
how earnestly they sought their way
by the imperfect light of what they understood.
You will remember the choices you would now make differently,
the words you would soften with the wisdom of hindsight,
the moments you would meet with greater tenderness.
Yet remembrance will no longer be confined to regret.
You will discern the longing beneath the missteps,
the vulnerability concealed within conviction,
the quiet courage of a heart
still learning what it meant to be human.