"Let bygones be bygones"

Forgiveness is a very important lesson to learn. Unforgiveness holds prisoners of all involved. I recently have been through a very disheartening situation. I come from a dysfunctional family and have siblings that share the same father but not the same mother. We have never been extremely close due to distance and age gaps. I received a phone call last night informing me of that one of my half-sisters is dying - she is in the last stages of lung cancer. She made my brother promise not to tell me of her illness until she had passed. Why? Four years ago, she sent me a photo album that I had made for my father when he was living. I received it the week before I was to act as director for the first time at the Women of Purpose Conference. It was a reminder to me of where God had brought me from and how faithful He is. I had put it away and after the conference, had forgotten about it. I had not sent a thank you card to show my appreciation....and she was hurt. In February, after losing my oldest brother to a stroke, I felt a strong urge to reconnect with the rest of my family that I had not been in touch with and I sent her a family newsletter informing her of my family's news along with a note thanking her for her thoughtfulness in sending me the photo album. It was apparently too little, too late. So, because of resentment on her part, she would go to the grave with unresolved unforgiveness. I don't know if it was her intent to punish me. How sad! All of it could have been resolved with as little as a phone call. I struggled all night with this information...cried...prayed. It was all I could think about because I cannot make it right. Today I realized that I have no control and that she was the one with the grudge. I have prayed continuously over the years for her salvation and I pray that she made her peace. My point is this...life is too short. Our former director, Eleanor Grossglass, had a saying that has always stuck with me..."let it go, Louie, let it go!" Many times those words have resounded in my ears. So much heartache and disillusionment would be dissolved if we would just let it go! If you have unresolved conflicts in your life, either settle them or let them go and retain your peace. "Let it go, Louie, let it go!"