Dear Abby: While doing some house cleaning, I came across a column of yours that I had clipped and tucked away. On one of the pages I had dog-eared was the poem, “Decide to Forgive.” I was struck by how timely it is. The message is much needed at this time. Please reprint the poem because, to me, it’s a treasure. — Joanne in Delaware
Dear Joanne: I agree the poem is a treasure. It was written by a former assistant United Nations secretary-general who passed away in 2010 at the age of 87. His words are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
Decide to Forgive
By Robert Muller
Decide to forgive
For resentment is negative
Resentment is poisonous
Resentment diminishes and devours the self.
Be the first to forgive,
To smile and to take the first step
And you will see happiness bloom
On the face of your human brother or sister.
Be always the first
Do not wait for others to forgive
For by forgiving
You become the master of fate
The fashioner of life
A doer of miracles.
To forgive is the highest,
Most beautiful form of love.
In return you will receive
Untold peace and happiness.
And here is the program for achieving a truly forgiving heart:
SUNDAY: Forgive yourself.
MONDAY: Forgive your family.
TUESDAY: Forgive your friends and associates.
WEDNESDAY: Forgive across economic lines within your own nation.
THURSDAY: Forgive across cultural lines within your own nation.
FRIDAY: Forgive across political lines within your own nation.
SATURDAY: Forgive other nations.
Only the brave know how to forgive. A coward never forgives. It is not in his nature.
Dear Abby: I returned from an errand this morning, and my husband was across the street from our house wearing only a robe, naked underneath and talking to the wife of our neighbor. I’m fuming because I feel it was totally disrespectful to me as well as inappropriate, and he should have dressed himself first. What do you think? — Mortified in Arkansas
Dear Mortified: I agree with you. If your husband was hanging out across the street talking with your neighbor’s wife, he should have had on a pair of shorts underneath his robe.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.