Outrageous, Flawed Humanity

In yesterday's post, I found myself floundering to explain the way I view my parents and how I am able to have any kind of relationship with them.

I started reading the book, The Prince of Tides. While I have never read the book before, I HAVE seen the movie. And from what I have seen so far, they are fairly close in content to each other. Anyway, in the prologue, I was reminded of my favorite quote from the movie. It is also in the book; " Because I needed to love my mother and father in all their flawed, outrageous humanity, I could not afford to address them directly about the felonies commited against all of us." "They, too, had a history - one that I remembered with both tenderness and pain, one that made me forgive their trangressions against their own children. In families, there are no crimes beyond forgiveness."

From the first time I heard those lines, it rang true with me. No, not completely, but yes, for the most part, it did. It still does. That viewpoint allows me to be a little more gentle in my dealings with them. I believe that is necessary.

Now, to be gentler with myself; THAT would be quite the achievement.