Strong Enough
"It was like my forever, my eternity, was in her eyes. I knew that at that moment, even though Jamie had forgiven me long before, I needed to hear her tell me that I was forgiven. I needed to hear her say that everything was okay."
Landon stopped talking, as tears again flowed down his cheeks. He tried to continue, without looking up.
"I'm just lucky that she forgave me. She looked at me, and said in that same loving voice 'It's alright Landon, I forgive you. I forgave you so long ago. I love you with all my heart, and you know I never stayed mad at you.' We just sat there in the room for awhile, holding each other and crying onto each others' shoulders. It was at that moment that I felt like I really became whole. God had given me this wonderful woman, she had accepted me, and she had forgiven me for all the terrible things I did to her."
Landon gripped the edges of the lectern, and looked to his right… where Jamie lay in an open casket for her memorial service.
"And now, standing here, saying goodbye to Jamie… my wife… I understand that Jamie showed me everything. She showed me what love really is. The Bible says that love is always ready to excuse, and that's how Jamie lived her life. She never held grudges against anyone. It was like… no one ever had to apologize to her for anything. But if I told you Jamie taught me that love means never having to say you're sorry, like some people have told me, I wouldn't be capturing Jamie's full understanding of love. Because even though Jamie never held grudges, she never hesitated to say she was sorry to other people."
He turned now, to face the casket. "Jamie, you've shown me more and opened my heart to more than I ever would have imagined. Thank you for your love, and for your kindness. You see, I understand now. I know now that love means more than just never having to say you're sorry. Love means being strong enough to forgive… and it means being strong enough to say you're sorry."
"It was like my forever, my eternity, was in her eyes. I knew that at that moment, even though Jamie had forgiven me long before, I needed to hear her tell me that I was forgiven. I needed to hear her say that everything was okay."
Landon stopped talking, as tears again flowed down his cheeks. He tried to continue, without looking up.
"I'm just lucky that she forgave me. She looked at me, and said in that same loving voice 'It's alright Landon, I forgive you. I forgave you so long ago. I love you with all my heart, and you know I never stayed mad at you.' We just sat there in the room for awhile, holding each other and crying onto each others' shoulders. It was at that moment that I felt like I really became whole. God had given me this wonderful woman, she had accepted me, and she had forgiven me for all the terrible things I did to her."
Landon gripped the edges of the lectern, and looked to his right… where Jamie lay in an open casket for her memorial service.
"And now, standing here, saying goodbye to Jamie… my wife… I understand that Jamie showed me everything. She showed me what love really is. The Bible says that love is always ready to excuse, and that's how Jamie lived her life. She never held grudges against anyone. It was like… no one ever had to apologize to her for anything. But if I told you Jamie taught me that love means never having to say you're sorry, like some people have told me, I wouldn't be capturing Jamie's full understanding of love. Because even though Jamie never held grudges, she never hesitated to say she was sorry to other people."
He turned now, to face the casket. "Jamie, you've shown me more and opened my heart to more than I ever would have imagined. Thank you for your love, and for your kindness. You see, I understand now. I know now that love means more than just never having to say you're sorry. Love means being strong enough to forgive… and it means being strong enough to say you're sorry."