Our journey towards mindfulness is very important, but there are a few things we need to do to get there. One of the most important things is to acknowledge our past, make amends, and seek forgiveness. Forgiveness from others is always good to have, but you also need to forgive yourself. So I’ve composed a letter to acknowledge my scarred past and set my path towards forgiveness and enlightenment.

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I wanted to address this letter to “Dear Friend”, but chances are if you are reading this, you are not a friend, and that is my fault. Perhaps you are an old friend, an ex-boyfriend, or just an acquaintance. Maybe you hate my guts, or you’re indifferent towards me, or you just think I’m plain crazy. I don’t blame you. I’ve pushed a lot of people in my life away because most of my life I’ve dealt with untreated trauma and mental illness. I have been rude, manipulative, insulting, or frustrating plenty of times in my life. I have a past, as most of us do, and mine is tainted with darkness. I don’t say this to gain sympathy from you or to justify my words or actions. I say this because I chose to look inward and try to fix those traits and expel them from my personality and who I want to be. I might have hurt you, embarrassed you, angered you, or frightened you, and I want to take this moment to say how very deeply sorry I am. I know that my apology can in no way erase the hurt I may have caused you, but I hope you will take solace in knowing that I am working diligently in becoming a better person who seeks to restore my honor and integrity. I still have a long way to go, but this is something that I work on every day and will continue to work on. I also want to take this moment to make it up to you. If I have hurt you, I encourage you to reach out to me so I can make amends and right the wrongs I committed to you. I hope that we can come together and heal the wounds I created and move forward in our lives with love.

All the best,

Frances

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Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

James 5:16

I encourage all my friends and followers to take a moment to write a letter or make a phone call to someone you may have hurt. It’s good for your mental health and theirs, but most importantly it can start an era of healing in other’s lives that they might not even know they need. Just apologize and be sincere, then turn over a new leaf and do better.