The Mending Wall explained
The Mending Wall is a place where one chooses to go, either figuratively or physically, to make amends to someone special to them. When I was asked to consider writing a song in honor of Ten Thousand Villages' (www.tenthousandvillages.com) Women and Friendship Week, my first thought was, “I feel so unqualified to write a song about this.” But, as I pondered my own relationships with my husband, my sisters, my mother, my girlfriends, the thought came to me that in every close relationship we inevitably and unintentionally hurt each other. But this is the beauty of being human. It gives us the opportunity to sweep our own side of the street and make things right. Many times, our relationships are all the better for it. So making amends doesn’t have to be a drudgery. It can just be a normal part of life.
One of the most powerful moments in my life was when my older sister called me, out of the clear blue, after we had been estranged for many years, and asked me if I would meet her for dinner. She said she had some things she wanted to ask my forgiveness for. I was floored, as I never expected such a thing after so many years of hard feelings and hurtful words. As we sat down to our meal, she had a yellow legal pad list of things she wanted to make amends for. And one by one, she went down her list and after each incident she said, “Stacy, I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” Well, you can just imagine the tears welling up in my eyes, as a lifetime of hurt was being swept away in mere moments by her willingness to make things right. When she was finished, she said, “Is there anything I’ve left out?” And at that point I replied, “Well…now that you’ve mentioned it…” And I had a couple things she had forgotten about. But when it was over I said, “I forgive you.” And I meant it.
So, to me, the mending wall can be any ole’ place. It might be a restaurant, a park, a coffee shop…somewhere you meet with your loved one, look them in the eyes and say those two magic words that can heal any relationship, “I’m sorry”. It truly can make all the difference.
As you listen to this song, you may think of someone that you may need to make amends to. And sometimes the person we need to forgive the most is ourselves.
To hear the song go to www.stacyjagger.com to get a free download, or you can listen to the song at www.myspace.com/stacyjagger
I have created this blog to give others a place to share their own Mending Wall stories. If you have a Mending Wall story, feel free to leave it here for others to read. Just press on 'comments' and type away.
Passing it on...
Love,
Stacy