Live in the World with Grace

From "They Used the Bible to Attack Her. She Used the Bible to Forgive Them." by Jennifer Finney Boylan, an essay about Susan Stanton, the former Largo Florida city manager who was attacked and fired in 2007 for being transgender:

• "Hopefully we can just all get back to loving each other and just being kind to each other ..." – Michael Smith, a current Largo city commissioner
• "I don't find the topic of apology nearly as important as forgiveness, acceptance and joy. ... Life is what we make it. And, Largo did not take anything away that I need back." – Susan Stanton

Boylan writes, "... Admitting to past wrongs can help us move forward, and can keep us from being consumed by loss and hatred. But forgiveness doesn't mean that the past did not happen, or that the harm that was once done to us – or that we have done – has disappeared. In the end, it may be that forgiveness is best understood as an ongoing effort, part of a lifelong practice of trying to live in the world with grace. ..."

(cf On Grace (1999-04-10), Forgiveness and Love (1999-05-06), Light Mind (2002-08-22), Steadiness of Heart (2011-07-13), Forgiveness and Oneness (2013-10-08), Mantra - Forgiven (2016-08-02), The World According to Mister Rogers (2020-03-13), ...) - ^z - 2021-08-10