In 2008 a friend took us to park, Lettuce Lake, outside of Tampa, Fl. It was there in that park that my fascination with orchids began. I was excited when my local discount food store had some beautiful orchards on sale. I purchased one and have done so many times since. Orchids last in their beauty for a long time but eventually the flowers die away. However, they are easy to care for, requiring only direct light and watering once and awhile. They often come back and flower again. The orchid on the right is one that came back from the dead and now shines in my living room. I have another one on the way back and a few more that are in dormant stages.
With the speaker at Marquette today, Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda, speaking about forgiveness my thoughts have been focused on forgiveness. Somehow this orchard in my living room speaks forgiveness to me. It is partially because of the orchid’s beauty, and the beauty of true forgiveness, while the image of the orchid lingers in my mind. But it is more than that. As I tried to explain to my faith sharing group this morning the various stages of orchids, dormant, flowering and full beauty, speak to me of forgiveness. The need to give or receive forgiveness lingers in our soul at times. With awareness it begins to flourish and with acceptance it shines in our lives with all its beauty.
A question came up in our discussions about forgiveness: Is forgiveness possible without two parties, the one giving the forgiveness and the one accepting it, both agreeing. My answer is yes. Unconditional forgiveness, with or without acceptance, seems to be the norm for persons like Immaculee, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Jesus. We can forgive or ask for forgiveness but cannot control the other parties acceptance, rejection or ignoring our asking for or giving of forgiveness.
There are a few people now, past friends, who say to others that I have offended them. I have asked personally over and over again for reconciliation and forgiveness of my offenses, real or as they perceive them. They just continue to ignore my request for forgiveness or my forgiving them for what they have said behind my back about my character. I keep trying to ask for forgiveness but accept that all I can do is forgive them. Non-reciprocated forgiveness is hard but I must do it to free myself from the burden of not forgiving.
The orchid is forgiving of how it is cared for and continues to blossom with its beauty. Forgiveness is orchid, past, present and to come.
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