Forgiving Heart - A Christmas Story of Forgiveness

December 25. It is Christmas day and Lyera is at the hospital with her aunt, daughter and Othie, her husband. Her aunt flew from Colorado interrupting her vacation just so she can be with her niece whom she considered to be her own daughter. She is very happy today, it is Christmastime and she reconciled with her mom and this is the second time she went back to the hospital upon knowing that her estranged mother met an accident. Her mind and heart still can’t believe it, it happens too fast. Her mom became stronger when she squeezed her hands, she had forgiven her mom and she feels happiest.

Othie is seating beside her, it feels so good, it was only two days ago that all things were worst and today, she is having all her hearts desire. She looked at Othie and she knew they will have happier years ahead. All along, her husband was communicating with her mom when they were separated because of his infidelity. She remembered waking up and finding Othie beside her, pleading her to forgive him for the nth time. She accepted him because she can’t let him go anymore, she is still in love with him and he deserve a second chance. She feels better now, her head is not aching anymore and her back is getting better, still she needs to follow up on her prenatal check up. She feels good knowing that the baby in her womb will be with her family and theirs will be intact again. She is thinking of the yeasr to come and the promise of a new life for her, Othie, her mom and her older daughter Kirstie, who keeps her sane during the times that she is down.

God is good she said, she whispered it and almost cried, she felt the renewed strength and hope. She hugged Othie and there was a cool breeze of wind that touched her face. She squeezed her moms hand for the second time and she responded. She knows her mom will recover slowly and this is the beginning of their new relationship. She knows that financially she still has a problem but deep inside, she can feel God will provide.

Lyera can’t sleep, she keeps on fidgeting. It will be two days more and it will be Christmas day. She was so tired today from cleaning the house, got her eleven years old daughter from school then she climbed the stairs carefully to the attic to get the Christmas tree and decorated it. She doesn’t like to have anything to do with Christmas anymore but she followed her daughter’s wishes just the same. She feels that her daughter is the only thing she has and she loved her to death.

Her back was aching, and the pain was unbearable. She didn’t felt this before when she was pregnant with Kirstie. She held her stomach and slightly move her fingers around it. She closed her eyes sat down again and felt a pang about Othie. She still missed him from time to time. He was a good man but he changed in the last months that they were together. He started to be irritated until she found a motel receipt in his wallet one morning last spring. That was eight months ago. He confronted him and he admitted to having an affair. They separated and she moved to another town just before her birthday four months ago. She was brokenhearted and the only person she could turn to was her aunt, her moms sister who is living a few blocks away. It broked her heart and she felt a pain just like the times when she lost her brother after the Christmas when she was eight years old. Fifteen years later she lost her father too. She stood up, walked to the bedroom door, stopped and looked at the stairs of the three bedroom house her father built with his hands. And now it is on the brink of being repossessed by the bank. Times are hard and she felt really alone. She remembered her brother running up and down the stairs and she could hear their laughter together and he was smiling at her. They use to play hide and seek. She loved her brother so much that she was sad when she passed away. She kept the spin toy her brother liked to play. With and put it in his room. She can see that it is still there.

She remembered so well when her dad died of a heart attack before the Christmas day. During the funeral, she waited for her mom to show up, but didn’t until her father was sent to final resting place. She felt so alone and if not for her aunt who consoled her, she could have killed herself too.

She never prayed again after the funeral. Her aunt Millie arranged the funeral and she hated her mom more than ever after that. At thirty three she thinks she had enough. She felt alone and that the world was crumbling at her feet and there is nobody to turn to except her aunt. She always thought that life is unfair it is never fair, she thought so.

She peeped at the door of her sleeping daughter and then she was about to picked up the phone to call her aunt when suddenly someone is knocking at her door. It was past 3 am and she wondered who could it be.

That was yesterday and her head started to ache. She drank the coffee she is holding and push it aside, it is her second coffee this morning. She knew that coffee is bad for pregnant women, but she felt the need to drink more. Her head was spinning after she talked to the policemen who was knocking at the door early this am. Her mother was in in serious condition after a truck bumped the car she was driving. Her address was the only contact information of her mother. She told herself, she could not care less and feel numbed. She felt this sudden surge of anger at her mother again but the image of her mom in the bedroom hospital was bothering her. She called her aunt but they were vacationing in the mountains in Colorado, so she doesn’t want to disturb them either. Her mom and aunt are not in good terms anyway because of her moms doing. She was also waiting for the doctors office appointment for her prenatal. She would also asked her doctor about the pain at her lower back. She know she will be due soon and she doesn’t want to think of what will happen, she can’t work because of her condition and she was forced to get help from the government. All of these things are bothering her and now she is thinking about her mom.


Through the years she despised her mom for leaving her father alone to take care of them. Her mother was young and beautiful, she looked exactly like her, they say. One day she just saw he father crying, their mom left them because of the hard life they had. She never forgave her mom and her world revolve around school, her brother and her dad. From time to time she still thinks of her mom. She remembered a package during Christmas in which his dad threw in the garbage, she checked it and it was from her mom. All the letters from her mom she found it in her dads closet. She remembered the phone calls which his dad always told her that it was a wrong number.

Her daughter woke up and hugged her, “Mom, what is wrong?”, Nothing honey she said”. Then her daughter turned to her and said “I love you mom“. She almost cried and want to tell her daughter about her grandmother.

She put the clothes in the laundry when a note from the policeman slipped in one of her clothes she was about to put in the laundry, she remembered she didn‘t even looked at it. Rm 211 Intensive Care at the main hospital some thirty miles away. For once again, the memory flash backed and she remembered her sixth birthday, her mom was taking her a picture and preparing the backyard for the children’s party. Her mom was wearing blue skirt and she smiled and hugged her,

She was blessed her mom loved her and they hugged together. Now her mom is lying unconscious at the hospital. She called the hospital and asked what time is the best time to visit and suddenly she felt happiest and all the pains are gone physically and emotionally.

And today of course she is the happiest woman.

• "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."
• "Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. "

Thank you for reading this Christmas story of forgiveness.

Merry Christmas and may our heart learn to forgive.