We all welcome a genuine apology.  It can mend fences and bring relationships back into harmony.  What constitutes a genuine apology?  It comes from the heart, it takes responsibility for actions, accountability for effects, it doesn’t justify or defend, and afterward we feel neutral about the event that occurred to warrant the apology in the first place.  An apology that includes forgiveness doesn’t say, “Your actions or what you did to me was ok” – it says “I am no longer willing to be a vessel for anger or resentment in response to your actions.” As a vessel for these emotions, most realize this is the beginning of illness and stress in our own lives. Read the rest of this entry »