This is exciting! The blog’s first “guest post” – a milestone. After reading my post on regrets, my sister-in-law and I texted back and forth and she is sharing her thoughts:
I am the sister-in-law Susan is writing about in this post on the subject of regrets. I had no idea that I had stirred up such thoughts, but I was glad to do so. I too love questions. It helps me solidify what I believe.
Susan asked me to respond to her blog. I would be happy to. First of all, let me preface this post by saying that I’m a Christian, and I believe that I am forgiven for my transgressions. That does give me peace, yes. But when I think back through my life at the some of the footprints I’ve left behind on people’s lives, I can’t say that I rejoice over my frailties and failures. Just the opposite.
There are many kinds of regrets, such as those things we do and say that don’t offer this world anything good or lovely. Then there are regrets for the things we should have done and said, but didn’t. The list could be huge, but one example is the way we treat others. For instance, it is so easy to walk into a party and within seconds make a plethora of judgments—that is, which people are worth our time and which ones are not. We may be tempted to gravitate to those guests who can be useful to our careers rather than spending time with those folks who might be lonely and in desperate need of a kind word. In the past, I have on occasion been guilty of this behavior. Loads of other people are guilty too, and yet that doesn’t make me feel any less sad about the selfishness and pride that is obviously behind such behavior.
So, in the midst of these spiritual spasms, what is the positive that can be gleaned here, Susan? I am grateful for forgiveness, and I am hoping in the future I’ve learned that these manipulative choices are not just worthless, they are harmful to everyone, including me. This life is quite a journey. Thanks, Susan, for helping me to ponder this important topic in greater detail!
And there she goes, posing another question in the first sentence of the last paragraph! Thank you, my SIL, for moving us from monologue to discussion! Anyone else want to join in?
ETA: I will come back to this discussion of regrets. I’m so sorry to have left in mid-conversation. It has been a busy and challenging couple of weeks and I’m sure some of it will spill over into the blog!
my mother, my cat and me 