Rising Above the Storm Clouds: What It's Like to Forgive

Forgiveness is like flying above storm clouds and bouncing on big white cotton ball clouds in a clear blue sky.

It’s like the cat sharing her warm spot by the evening fire with the dog who fought with her that morning.

It’s like a mole sharing his underground home with a prickly porcupine through the cold winter.

When Freddy B. and Ezzie arrive tussling and tattling in their father's quiet study, he decides to lead them on an imaginary journey through the landscape of forgiveness. Together they see what it's like to forgive, and discover that forgiveness can feel good to the forgiver, perhaps even more than the forgiven.

In a Note to Parents, author and psychologist Robert Enright, PhD, defines forgiveness, differentiates it from reconciliation, and guides parents in helping their children learn how and why to forgive.