The Power of Sorry
“Sorry” is an important word for a strong family. We all make mistakes. We all say and do things, accidentally or intentionally, that hurt other family members from time to time. Sorry helps bring restoration. I came across a quote that offers a tremendous summary of saying “sorry.” It not only shows how saying sorry leaves us vulnerable, but how it repairs and restores relationship. It elevates “sorry” to its proper place as a precious gift of healing. Hope you like the quote.
“Sorry.
Sorry means you feel the pulse of other people’s pain as well as your own, and saying it means you take a share of it. And so it binds us together, makes us trodden and sodden as one another.
Sorry is a lot of things. It’s a hole refilled. A debt repaid.
Sorry is the wake of misdeed. It’s the crippling ripple of consequence.
Sorry is sadness, just as knowing is sadness.
Sorry is sometimes self-pity.
But Sorry, really, is not about you. It’s theirs to take or leave.
Sorry means you leave yourself open, to embrace or to ridicule or to revenge.
Sorry is a question that begs forgiveness, because the metronome of a good heart won’t settle until things are set right and true.
Sorry doesn’t take things back, but it pushes things forward. It bridges the gap.
Sorry is a sacrament. It’s an offering. A gift.” ― Craig Silvey, Jasper Jones
Practice saying “sorry” as often as needed with your spouse, your children, and your parents. Your family will grow stronger and more intimate each time you accept the responsibility of “sorry.”