At the end of the day, a loving family should find everything forgivable.
—Mark V. Olsen
It’s not easy for some people to say, “I’m sorry.” We’ve all had a falling-out with a friend or family member, and it’s such a yucky feeling having to worry about the awkward moment when you’ll see them again. Maria’s daughter Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt wrote an informative how-to book called The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring Stories from Those Who Have Overcome the Unforgivable. When I spoke with her, Katherine explained that she interviewed twenty-two people who found peace by letting go of resentment. She said it was her own struggle with forgiveness that sparked the idea for this topic. “When I decided to write this book, I thought I had practiced forgiveness already,” she said, “and so during the process of writing this book and interviewing these amazing people about their experiences, I realized I actually needed to go back and do more work.” Katherine said, “Forgiveness takes time, but you can get there by hearing other people’s stories.” The reward, she says, is a feeling of freedom, of a weight being lifted. Relief, right? Maybe today’s a good day to try . . .