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Thanks for the support and encouragement, guys! I actually don't react; I am too much of a wimp. I also got teased a lot when I was a kid (nerd, bookworm, and always the new kid) and never wanted to give satisfaction to the many, many bullies I encountered over the years. I also got a lot of garbage from my mom - if I got upset, she would yell and curse at me and call me 'stupid', etc - so I learned not to react at home (she's come a long way). I have been thinking, and I'm pretty sure that most of the behavior is more thoughtless and inconsiderate than malicious, which at least makes it better to forgive. It's more little things, like when I told my mom I was in a wreck a few hours after it happened and she used the opportunity to criticize our life rather than to be supportive and give much-needed 'hugs'.
I have been working hard on forgiveness; I've been trying in my nightly prayers to think of any grudges I might have and let them go at that point. I just wish I could get to the point where it doesn't affect me, KWIM?
My mom told me many years ago that the only people we can really hurt are the people we care most about (this was back when I felt like all I did was hurt the people around me; teen angst days). That stuck in my head. The people we don't care about are far easier to shrug off.
Thanks again, all!
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