“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
~ Lao Tzu
Clarity Cookie:
The pain of the slap was still present. It was a rainy day, the 7th anniversary of her mother’s death in September. My friend Grace had decided to forgive her sister for all she’d done wrong to her over the years.
She told me, “God told me to forgive Jennifer for all she’s done, so I’m ready.” She asked me to come along “for moral support,” she said.
I told her, “Of course. You can count on me. Besides, I love happy endings.”
We went to bed early and woke up at the break of dawn the following morning. She picked me up in her beat-up pickup truck, and we went to Starbucks for frothy cappuccinos and croissants and sat in the truck. We sipped our drinks and savored our breakfast.
I asked her, “Why now?”
She said, “I’m over what happened, and I just want to move forward with my life.” I agreed it was time. We said a prayer in the car, then drove to Jennifer’s house.
Grace rang the doorbell, and her sister, Jennifer, answered. Grace was hesitant but calm.
Reluctantly Grace said, “I just want you to know I forgive you.”
Jennifer replied, “Forgive me for what?” in a tone filled with anger and bitterness, a scowl stretched across her face.
At that moment, I felt the slap, not an audible, physical one, but an emotional one. Jennifer had no awareness of what she had done. What followed was a tirade of angry words and no acknowledgment of the way she treated my friend., Grace . I was stunned. She truly didn’t realize what she had done to her.
I gave Grace a look like it was time to go and shooed her to the car.
I immediately realized we needed to go to the beach.
I said, “Let me drive,” got in the driver’s seat, took the wheel, and drove to Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, 50 miles from home. Grace was silent and a little tearful the whole time.
The rain had cleared up, and now, the sun was starting to peer out. We got to Zuma, and I parked the car. I picked up a new towel she had in the backseat; then, we walked out to the beach. I told her she needed to find three pieces of driftwood. It took her ten minutes to find three beat-up pieces of old driftwood.
I thought to myself, “how can I help my friend?” I had done this exercise before. I told her she was to write on each of them the things she would like to release or let go of in the coming year. She didn’t have a pen. How would she do that?
She searched the beach and finally found a broken piece of glass. Perfect! It mirrored my friend’s broken, defeated demeanor. She would etch out what she needed to release. Next, she would thank God for making them who she is and then blow them an air kiss and hurl them into the ocean.
Then she gave me a fist pump, and she said, “yes!” I danced around and cheered her on.
Then, we sat on the wet beach on the new towel and contemplated what we wanted in the coming year.
She chose to release the three things: bottled-up feelings, insecurity, and suffering. I asked her why she chose those three things. She said, “I don’t think it’s good to bottle up feelings; I’m insecure most of the time, and why do we have to suffer in life if we can choose a happier way?
As I reflect on those three things, I can see that many areas causing her grief have diminished. She chose to let go, and it happened.
Watching her that day, I realized something important—letting go doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. It isn’t loud or dramatic. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it happens without answers. And sometimes, that has to be enough.
What Letting Go Teaches You?
You learn that not everything
needs closure.
You realize peace matters more than explanation.
You stop carrying what was never yours to hold.
You create space for something new to enter.
You trust that release is part of growth. Sometimes, letting go is how life moves you forward.
What has replaced those things is letting go, new confidence in herself, and a sense of peace. She’s a much happier person, and I can see it. Little things that used to affect her do not affect her anymore. She takes them in stride.
This has filled her life with newfound happiness.
A happy ending, after all.
What would you like to let go of in the coming year? Maybe it’s a habit like smoking or overeating. It could be a feeling like loneliness or fear. Perhaps clutter is weighing you down, or a relationship has gone sour.
Whatever it is, get rid of those things that are obstacles to your happiness.
This year, I’ve decided to let go of excessive shopping, an obsession with being thin, and pain. All three things cause me more pain than joy, so I am letting them go. I’ve decided I want to live a simpler life, I’m tired of obsessively dieting and pain; while it still might be present, I don’t choose to entertain it.
As 2025 drifts up like that balloon you’re watching, take a quiet moment to ask:
“What no longer serves me?“
Write down three things, thank them, and release them—let them go as easily as that balloon floats away.
Then, pop 2026 like your gum—chew on it, savor it, and let your heart decide what you want to carry forward.
May the new year meet you lighter, clearer, and open to what truly matters.
Clarity Cookies 
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