If you follow my Twitter or Facebook updates you’ll already know that on my journey I’ve already received a few free drinks thanks to Southwest airlines, I’ve showered beneath a wonderfully large shower head, it’s rained all day, and I think I also posted something about a pair of loafers (though I’m not quite certain what I said!).
On the airplane I finished The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved it. I loved it partially because I don’t remember anything about the movie and I had never read the book before. What an amazing picture of forgiveness (or often times the lack of), of justice (or a perverted view of it), of regret, and of hope.
At one of the greatest climaxes of the book where Edmond is justifying his revenge on a particular person he begins to list off all the reasons why this person should be destroyed. I love the woman’s response, his former fiances response to forgive. This was really a turning point in the book because for the first time we see a hint of love and remorse.
“Well! the French did not avenge themselves on the traitor; the Spaniards did not shoot the traitor, Ali, in his grave, left the traitor unpunished; but I, betrayed, sacrificed, buried, have risen from my grave, by the grace of God, to punish that man. He sends me for that purpose, and here I am.” The poor woman’s head and arms fell; and she fell on her knees. “Forgive, Edmond, forgive for my sake, who love you still!”
The book ends with these two words- Wait and Hope.
Forgiveness, waiting, and hope. Those are three words that are easy to say and hard to truly experience.