I never understood why Grandpa hated our neighbor John so much. Their feud, mostly over gardening, lasted decades. Yet Grandpa always told me, “As long as I can garden, you and your mom will have fresh flowers.”
When Grandpa passed, we were shocked during the will reading: he left $350K and his vintage car to John, the very man he’d spent years feuding with. My mother was furious—until the lawyer read a letter aloud.
In it, Grandpa confessed: years ago, after my grandma died, he collapsed on the ice, and John saved his life. Grandpa never thanked him, choosing pride and bitterness instead. “I repaid you with harsh words… but you showed me compassion,” the letter said. “Please remember me not as a grumpy old man, but as someone who finally saw his mistake.”
John broke down when we visited him. He donated part of the money to a local scholarship in Grandpa’s name. Then he handed me the vintage car. “It belongs with you.”
Now, John and I tend the garden together. And I’ve learned this: anger can last decades, but one act of kindness can heal it all. Don’t wait. Forgive now. Before it’s too late.
