I made another mistake today. In calculating the cost of the electricity heater in my sunroom I mistook the cost of electricity to be nearly $1 per KWH, rather than nearly 10 cents per KWH as it is. Also I sent a friend the draft of a letter I wrote on behalf of a number of persons about the issue of teaching military science on the Marquette University Campus. He pointed out what I already know — that I am poor in grammar and spelling (as any of you know who have read a posting here that has not been edited by Tegan Dowling). For the draft letter to Marquette University I had a religious sister who had taught for many years in school proofread and correct my mistakes. I pray and hope that Tegan corrects these postings, but for any significant writing I do make sure someone proofs and reads it. My wife, a librarian, is an excellent proofreader but she is busy these days with her library work. So I am constantly seeking proofreaders. As my friend pointed out, people discard things with spelling and grammar errors.

I make mistakes in GP gardening but I am not judged by these mistakes, and when I realize them they are easy to correct and become a learning experience. This is not true with words. If you say or write the wrong things the words are frozen in time and no matter what else you say or write they live on. You can make mistakes in this society but they had better not be in spoken words or writing.

Tonight a friend called me to tell me that our mutual friend was in hospice and dying. My friend who called also told me that he had just made a retreat where the person counseling him, a Jesuit friend of mine, asked him if he had forgiven himself for his mistakes in life. My friend had to stop and reflect on that question. He concluded that he could only desire to forgive himself for his mistakes but that forgiveness was a gift of God.

Nature moves with a great desire to grow, but when mistakes happen it just continues moving around the mistakes to grow. Humans make mistakes, but when they happen humans need to make a conscious effort to let them go in order to grow and move on. To make a mistake is only human but it is only divine to forgive mistakes.

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