A lesson in forgiveness

I received a call from the California Attorney General’s office regarding a trip to Europe that went awry. The woman asked for details about my experience. She knew that the travel agent had filed for bankruptcy and wondered if I had got my money back. I told her I had. I submitted a claim to the Seller of Travel Restitution Organization. After many forms and nearly a year, the money was refunded.

Then the woman wanted to know if I would be willing to be a witness at a trial charging the agent with fraud. I said that I would be uncomfortable with that because I did not believe the agent deliberately defrauded me. What I thought was that she made some poor business decisions and ran into a string of bad luck which cost her the business she had been in for over 10 years. I also said that this trip was through my church and I thought it was a lesson in forgiveness for me. The woman thanked me for my candor and hung up.

What I have become aware of, since this incident, is that I did not listen to that still small voice within me which said, “It is not wise to pay $6,000 for a trip a year in advance,” while another voice said, “You can save over a $1,000 by paying in advance.” The greedy voice won, costing me many hours of aggravation.

My friend asked me if I would be so forgiving had I not received the money. I said, “Yes.” I do not want to punish the agent for what she did, deliberate or not. I do not want to punish anyone. This lesson is well worth the money and the time spent. This lesson in forgiveness is a lesson to pay attention to what that wise inner voice says.

All forgiveness is a gift to my self because, “I and my brother are One.”

Christine L. Assad