Michael Testa

Journal 1

8/30/19

Forgiveness can be a powerful tool to help you in life. Learning to forgive others is one of the harder but
more rewarding things you can do. If you do not forgive then you hold onto those feelings forever.
Holding on to negative thoughts and feelings can have a negative affect on you and those around you.
Learning to forgive will help you to release those feelings and move forward with your life.

People like you have already learned the power of forgiving others. It does no good to the person who
was wronged to hold onto that anger. Just like with the car that cursed at you, it would do you no
benefit stay angry at this person and let it affect the school day that you were about to start. You were
able to use forgiveness to move past this small moment in your life and focus on bigger things. Much like
in the story Hector shows us that forgiving others can bring about an inner peace within ourselves.

I agree with the author that forgiveness is possible in every situation. Holding on to negative feelings can
only hurt the bearer. Like he said in the story that not forgiving someone who wronged you is like taking
poison and expecting the other person to die. Once you find the ability to forgive you can finally begin to
heal. Until then it will always be a fresh wound and will always be a source of pain.

I can relate to Hector in this story because I agree with him that holding on to negative feelings is
unhealthy. Learning to forgive others will help you to devolope as a person and sometimes you yourself
will ask for forgivness. I can not say I could be as strong or forgving as the author as he went as far as
visting and even sending gifts to the person who killed his daughter. I feel that in some ways almost
dishonors her memory. I belive in forgiving but I do not belive in forgetting.