Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world, is to resist the urge to just blow up and lay everything out on the line. But you see, I was raised to not air my dirty laundry. The feeling that if I don't start swinging now and get on the offensive, I am going to be spending a lot of time on the defensive. But it's simply not in my nature. In fact, doing THIS much really isn't either. But here's something that I learned from my grandfather.
When my grandparents got divorced, my grandmother went to some far ends to make my grandfather look bad. She spent the rest of her years telling horrible stories about him. I hated the man and I had never met him. Then one day, I decided to find him. When I finally met him, I found him to be a wonderful man. Then he pulled me to the side, away from the rest of the family, and asked my why I had taken so long to find him. I told him the things my grandmother had taught me about him. His response was one of sadness. "That ain't right .None of that happened". "What DID happen, then?" He looked at me, and I could see the heartbreak in his eyes. "It's not my place to talk her down, and i'm not going to start now. What you've heard about me is untrue, but I will not talk bad about her".
You see, that example spoke volumes. It was more important to him to maintain his integrity, than it was to speak ill of another person just to defend himself. I'm thankful for that example. It is because of that, that I will not defend myself, nor will I disparage anyone else. If you know me, you know my character, and that should speak for itself. I'm sad that things have to be the way they have become. I would give anything to change them. But, I can't.
"...and that's all I got to say about that"
- Forrest Gump
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