Mama Says Om: Forgive

6.29.2006

I had been tossing around the idea of forgiveness all week, trying to hit the mama says om theme. I am not one to carry a grudge, I get mad, I yell and then I make up with the person. But today I got this awful email from a "concerned neighbor" and I can't get mad and make up because it was sent with no name. But I thought maybe I should try to forgive this person anyway. Read on:

Are you planning on doing anything with your backyard? It is
an awful site to see. You have a tent with no cover that you sit under with just
the frame to eat dinner. You have a rainbow brite painted playset that is an eye
sore, you have toys all over the backyard (we all have kids and seem to be able
to pick up their toys and put them away each night), and you have a rusted out
smoker along the fence. This is a disgrace to our neighborhood and you should be
ashamed. Your backyard sticks out like a sore thumb when driving on . It looks like there should be a doublewide on that lot instead of a
home. Please take care of this.

Signed,
Concerned
Neighbors

Here is the said disgrace and the sore thumb playhouse.

I did take down the tent frame after I got the email but that's about it.

So to my concerned neighbor I say to you...

I forgive you...

for being so petty and mean-spirited.

for ruining what had started as a beautiful day for my girls and I.

for making me cry and in turn making my 2 year old cry.

for not seeing beyond yourself and your world.

for choosing apperances over substance.

for not being able to find your inner child.

for being a coward.

for being a mother who thinks it's important to clean up the toys every night.

for thinking that painting a playhouse purple and not cleaning up toys is shameful.

for watching my family as we eat dinner in my backyard.

for buying in to the prefab, preprogrammed set of rules for taste.

for not doing something better with your time then opening up the email account uglybackyard@######.com.

but mostly I forgive you just because you are my neighboor and that's what I do, I forgive people because no matter what the act is it is not sum of the person. I have seen too many people lose a lifetime with the people they love because they were unable to forgive. I hope that I am never put in the situation where I would rather share a lonely evening with my grudge then a monday night with my family.

Happy forgiving and clean up those damn toys!