Read an Excerpt
Forgiving
Is Smart for Your Heart
By Carol Ann Morrow, R. W. Alley Abbey Press
Copyright © 2003 Carol Ann Morrow
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4976-9655-6
CHAPTER 1
Your Heart Is Smart
Some days have bumps in them. You can get a bump on your knee or on your heart.
Theresa broke Sarah's new pencil. Theresa says she didn't mean to, but Sarah feels sad. James didn't pick Ben for the team. Ben is mad at James.
Sarah and Ben could hold on to their hurt feelings. They could stay sad or mad. But they could also make another choice. They could let go. They could forgive.
Forgiving is good for happy living. Your heart knows how to forgive. When you do it over and over, you get even better at it.
To Forgive Is to Give
The word give is inside the word forgive. Giving and forgiving are a lot alike. When you say, "It's okay," to Jasmine, you are giving her a gift. That gift is letting go of what she did or said. You give away your reason to be mad or hurt.
Forgiving is like erasing a chalkboard. Some teachers write your name on the board when you get in trouble. When your name is gone, everything is all right again. You can erase Jasmine's name from your blackboard by forgiving her.
Forgiving does not mean that nothing happened. You know you could make Jasmine feel bad for what she did. But you want to help her to feel good and be good. You want to give her a new chance.
Forgiving Opens Your Heart
Maybe your mom said she would take you to the circus, but she forgot. Or your uncle said he would bring you a present, but he doesn't have one.
You could be sad and quiet. You could pitch a fit or be mean. You might not talk or be friendly.
Hurting people who hurt you may seem fair. But it really just keeps the hurt going. It traps both of you inside a dark cloud of bad feelings. Forgiving opens your heart, so you can let out the hurt and let love shine in.
How to Forgive
To show forgiveness, you might say: "I'm okay. It's okay." "I know you didn't mean it." "You're my friend. I'll let it pass." "I love you."
Don't say: "It doesn't matter," when it really does. Or, "Forget it," if you wish someone would remember to act another way.
You can also show forgiveness by your actions. Look your friend in the eye and smile or shake hands. Hug your dad or sit close to your mom. Do something extra nice. Don't wait too long, so the person knows this is about forgiving.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Forgiving by Carol Ann Morrow, R. W. Alley. Copyright © 2003 Carol Ann Morrow. Excerpted by permission of Abbey Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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