I begin this and end this by acknowledging that although “We are only human”, as in “Human Race”, I believe that we can Love, Respect and truly Forgive each other. That if individually we can do that, we will collectively “Evolve” in a positive way as a species.
If all you have is a hateful and unforgiving spirit, you will continue to have a miserable life. Your tombstone will read, “Here lies Miserable Joe, Hateful and Unforgiving Asshole he was his entire life”. Maybe some of us will evolve.
It’s really simple folks. In order to truly forgive someone, you have to have the ability and willingness to ask for forgiveness as well. Love and forgiveness obviously go hand in hand. You can’t truly forgive someone without loving that person enough to ask them for forgiveness as well.
Not accepting another persons remorse, repentance and petition for forgiveness is also not accepting their statement of love and respect for you, which is an unacceptable display of your selfishness and pride.
How many times have you heard someone say to you, “I forgive you” before you had a chance of displaying your remorse, your sense of repentance, asking for their forgiveness? If in reality, you were expecting the other person to ask you for forgiveness first, you’re both wrong”. An unacceptable display of your ignorance, selfishness and pride.
Even if the other person feels no remorse and only swallows up your repentance, continue to show love. If they are decent, eventually they will experience their own remorse and seek out your forgiveness. It takes unselfish love to forgive a repentless person, and it takes even more love and humility to ask a guilty person for their forgiveness.
That summer afternoon, sitting under a shade tree in MacArthur Park with my stepfather, I didn’t know why I was so overwhelmed with forgiveness for him. I also could not understand my remorseful spirit. 
I didn’t come right out and say that I was sorry, but I felt sorry. I really had no reason to ask him for forgiveness, after all, he was the person responsible for my mother’s death.
I was there because I had forgiveness for him, wither it was from God or Planet Reesespiecesinmyunderwear , it’s up to the reader to decide. Maybe I felt the remorse and repentance that he should have felt, or that I thought he should have felt. Five minutes into our conversation, I could tell that his mind was too far gone to comprehend anything I would say, so I never mentioned my mother’s name. “How’s the Big Mac, Dad?” (we were eating McDonald’s).
In his minds eye, I was still 15 year old Tommy. It is truly a wonderful thing when you can carry the burden of repentance for the unrepentant, and feel true forgiveness and love at the very same time for that person that tragically changed your life.
All he talked about was the ”Farm”. I mostly practiced my listening skills. When I asked about Johnnie, Ed was distant and had a hard time remembering certain things. A few years later I would find out from my brother in our first meeting in 30 years, that his own father had sold him to a pedophile in Long Beach, (at the age of ten).
It was that night, a few years after seeing Ed, sharing that bottle of Yukon Jack with Johnny, that I reflected back and understood why Ed had such a difficult time talking about his only son.
I began this and end this by acknowledging that although “We are only human”, as in “Human Race”, I believe that we can Love, Respect and truly Forgive each other. That if individually we can do that, we will collectively “Evolve” in a positive way as a species.
If all you have is a hateful and unforgiving spirit, you will continue to have a miserable life. Your tombstone will read, “Here lies Miserable Joe, Hateful and Unforgiving Asshole he was his entire life”. Maybe some of us will evolve.
Have you ever dropped a big log, stood up, and there it was, floating like a cork? Or maybe you stood up to gaze at your achievement, and it had done a Houdini on you and disappeared? Floaters and Sinkers. 
I suppose the Floaters are when you have something light to eat, like Vanilla Yogurt, and the Sinkers are the Steak & Potato kind of Turd. I definitely had a Sinker tonight, felt like a 12 incher, but it still sank out of sight like magic before I flushed.
A few new quotes:
“A man will often be regarded as wise when he is just listening, so a foolish man should just keep his fucking mouth shut and pretend he’s wise” – T. C. Saxe
“In a flock of foolish men, only the wise man can tell the difference when the foolish men speak” – T. C. Saxe
“In a crowd of wise men, the fool dare not speak, for when he does, he quickly and efficiently betrays himself” – T. C. Saxe