Excerpt
This episode continues the Baby Mother Apologies series by exploring forgiveness as distance—not reconciliation, not access, not restoration, but release. Through an open letter poem titled “Distant Memory,” I reflect on what it means to grieve a co-parent who chose absence, to honor a child who is deeply remembered by one parent and quietly forgotten by another, and to accept that healing does not always come with mutual understanding. This conversation is for those learning that forgiveness is freedom, not obligation—and that peace can exist even when relationships do not return to what they were.
Reflection
Forgiveness is often taught as reunion, but in reality, forgiveness sometimes looks like separation. In this episode, I share how releasing anger did not require closeness, conversation, or shared grief. I unpack the pain of grieving a child alone, the quiet work of choosing peace when the other parent moves on untouched, and the wisdom that comes from understanding why distance may be the only way someone knows how to survive. This is a reflection on choosing healing without forcing resolution, and learning to let love remain—even when memory fades on the other side.
Journal Prompts
What does forgiveness look like in your life right now—closeness, distance, or something else entirely?
Where have you been waiting for someone else to grieve with you instead of allowing yourself to heal?
What would it mean to release the expectation that healing must look mutual in order to be real?