ABSTRACT

The word forgiveness stirs up powerful emotions, at any age. Not only do we

feel distress as we recall conflicts in the past and pain as we live with brokenness

in the present, we also worry about the future-that someone will cajole or

command us to forgive. We also fear having to surrender our pride or finding

ourselves back in harm’s way. Nothing is more important or more difficult

than forgiving, and in this research project, we discovered that forgiveness is a

core characteristic of interpersonal relationships in the lives of these spiritually

resilient older adults.