Letting Go of Old Grudges: How Making Amends Creates Real Peace

Recently, I reached out to my three sisters — women who I have had a strained and complicated relationship with for years.

I reached out not because it was Thanksgiving, not because the holidays are coming, not because anyone told me to.
I reached out simply because I wanted to.

Some of it came from doing a Mission Organization clean-out of old things from my late mom and late aunt. Going through their belongings reminded me of their bond — how deeply they cared for each other, even when life was messy. Pictures of my own siblings and family surfaced, and memories flooded back.

And somewhere in that process, I saw the truth:
I’d been carrying a chip on my shoulder for a long time.
A heavy one.

Holding grudges takes energy — emotional, mental, even physical. It takes space. It takes life.

I realized I didn’t want to carry it anymore.
I wanted release.
I wanted peace.

So I crafted a group text, sent it, and I put myself to bed. I had a moment of trepidation. “How will this be received?” but I also put that to bed for the night.

In the morning, I woke up to three messages, all in agreement:
Let’s put it behind us.

And just like that, something opened.

Where things go from here?
Honestly, I don’t know — and that’s okay.

Healing doesn’t require guarantees.
Making amends is about who we want to be not what we get back.

We say our piece.
We find our peace.
And then we let the outcome go.

If the other person doesn’t respond the way we hoped, or doesn’t meet us where we are, it doesn’t mean the effort was wasted. It means we showed up as our best, truest self. We acted in integrity. We released something heavy.

That’s the real healing.

What are you wanting to release to find your peace?