Such a magical little thing is light
slipping quietly through clear water.
I wonder: what would we expect
if we could not expect,
(and expect to expect)
forgiveness?
The standard of conduct set by all the world’s major religions would be cruelly hard if not tempered with forgiveness. The standard expected by all the Messengers of God, and indeed the standard that They set in Their very own lives, resonates clear as the example that we should aspire to, and in aspiring to, being the best and the happiest that we can be. And yet, being human, only human—merely human—we will fail, and fail often. Forgiveness acts as the glue that holds our journey together, in the sense that it allows us to fail, but also then allows us to retry, and, hopefully, in the end, to succeed with whatever spiritual battle we are facing.
Thank you so much for reading In this glass. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed it and I humbly appreciate your visiting the Book of Pain. As always, I look forward to your comments.
john
© 2013 by John Etheridge; all rights reserved. This poem, either alone or with the notes that accompany it, may be printed and distributed—in part or amalgamated with other works—as long as the copyright notice and the address, https://bookofpain.wordpress.com, are also clearly printed with it and there is no fee charged.
the Book of Pain 
Good post. New on WordPress … looking for some blogs to follow. Forgiveness, its power emphasized in your post, I think. I hope you’ll take a quick look at my blog. Peace, T
Daniel, thank you. I have noticed that family and managing relationships is a central theme to your blog. Much of my work resonates with that. Thank you for visiting the Book of Pain.
Two big F’s – failure and forgiveness. To do both is human. Uplifting post.
Wow, for a moment there, I thought you were saying that my post ‘failed’ with an ‘F’ grade, not once, but twice! Seeing it change into a compliment—and a nice one too—was a relief! Thank you.