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Ben Greenfield wrote his parents an apology letter for 20 years of disrespect after their divorce. He explains how that act of forgiveness freed him and urges you to do the same: write the hard letter, make the call, have the conversation.
Ben Greenfield wrote his parents an apology letter for 20 years of disrespect after their divorce. He explains how that act of forgiveness freed him and urges you to do the same: write the hard letter, make the call, have the conversation.
Hey, I want to tell you about a letter that I recently wrote to my mom and my dad. Went like this. Dear mom and dad, last night I realized something. Ever since you divorced, I've had a subconscious disrespect for you. Since that time, I've actually justified dishonoring you. Namely, manifested in me speaking harshly or with judgment to mom and being embarrassed of and not showing proper reverence to my father. And that's not right. God told us to honor our father and mother, period. Not to honor our father and mother if they're still married or so long as we agree with them about everything. No, he told us to honor our father and mother no matter what. So I'm sorry for being a dishonorable son. Please forgive me. I'm gonna change. I did it. After 20 years of treating my parents crappy. At least in my opinion. I feel different now. Cause I committed to mending that relationship.
What kind of relationships do you need to mend? Mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew, family member, co worker, employer, employee. Well, you know what? You can do it. Write the difficult letter, make the difficult phone call. Have the difficult conversation. Be humble. Forgive and be forgiven. It feels so good. It's like a weight lifted off your back. You don't have to identify with the relationship being that way any longer. So I encourage you to think about what relationships in your life you need to mend. And then, no excuses. You just do. Feels great. Try it.
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