Today I forgive myself and will set myself free
I free myself of the guilt of the things I may never be
This path of being ill I never picked it was thrown into my life
When I think of what could have been the guilt creeps in and stabs me like a knife
Guilt of missing a lunch date, birthday party, or Holiday event
Family and friends being disappointed and they begin to resent
Those days I spent alone, in pain, missing out, and full of guilt
I hide inside my secure space and inside the the walls of shame I had built
Many believe I am selfish or just making an excuse
And for years I tolerated this pointless abuse
No longer will I let the guilt attach to me and make me ashamed
No longer will I let it bring me down because I am not to be blamed
So today I forgive myself and will set myself free
I will no longer morn for the things I once wanted to be
I will embrace myself and accept the new me with unconditional love
I will send my anger, resentment, and guilt into the clouds like a beautiful white dove.
By, Jen Reynolds
Thank you Jen. It should really be our mission statement. I thought it was extremely well written and it is apparent you have quite a gift
Thank You,
Laurin Dykstra
Wow…absolutely beautiful!. I am new to the fibro diagnosis, but this poem touched me deeply. If not for the last verse, I could have written this myself. The last verse is wonderfully freeing though, and it is something I have been working hard on accepting these past few months. Thanks for the inspiration to keep trying!
Sorry to hear that Michelle.. But— welcome to The Club!
Just remember: you are NOT alone! NEVER alone! And it’s not our fault!
We’re not just thousands – we’re MILLIONS… And we’re all here to support each other.
This poem is something we all have to keep in mind at all times, I believe..
Words to live by!
Jen, I love this..
This is beautiful… ! You always wrote poetry so well!!! I’m so happy you wrote this…
I loved it!!!
It made me cry.. very very well done
BEAUTIFULLY PUT. I THINK EVERYONE WITH THESE DISEASES CAN RELATE TO SOME OF THIS..
i can really understand where you’re coming from , what a very true and lovely touching poem x
This poem is so touching because it is so very true! Very well written Jen…you’ve described how all of us feel most of the time…it’s so hard to get away from the guilt even though we can’t help what we have but it helps to have others who understand…thanks
)
Jen –
Thank you for linking to this on Google+ yesterday. That’s the day that I discovered that my husband of 20+ years has been cheating on me, and one of his primary “excuses” was that I don’t “have a life” anymore, and I can’t do the things he enjoys (high endurance sports) so your poem was very timely for me.