I force myself out of slumber,
And the comfort of distant dreams;
Knowing the day must proceed,
As unwelcomimg as it seems.

Amidst the small talk that we share,
Our conversation has now turned;
You speak about forgiveness,
And the lessons you have learned.

Should we fail to forgive the past,
We burden ourselves with pain;
Anger escalates out of control,
With nothing positive to gain.

For years I forgave the others,
And alone assumed the blame;
Germinating deep within,
My citadel of shame.

Listening in silent retrospect,
Although I never spoke a word;
You turned toward me and took my hand,
Somehow, my thoughts you heard.

"I feel compelled to tell you,"
You began to say,
"You are not a failure.
This is God's gift to you today."

Your words echoed through my mind,
The truth had come to be;
The time ultimately arrived,
I had to forgive me.

Knowing many days will come,
That the sun will fail to shine;
With light you've placed within my heart,
I now know I'll be fine.