STORY BY RYLEE BRETTON
Students gathered in the quad on August 26, 2019 to celebrate Global Forgiveness Day. The event was put on by the Office of Transition, Inclusion and Diversity, and Excellence (TIDE). The head coordinator of the event was Tina Wolbert. This event was also eligible for students who are participating in Forty Days at the Fort.
At Global Forgiveness Day, the TIDE staff passed out bubbles, coffee mugs, and notepads.
“We gave out bubbles to blow away the past, coffee mugs to plant new hope and ideas,” said Wolbert.
Along with the free goodies, there was also a whiteboard. The whiteboard was designed for students to write something down they want to be forgiven for or something or someone they want to forgive. Some students wrote something small like, “I want to be forgiven for my attitude at times.” Others took a deeper path and wrote things like “I want to forgive my dad.”
This event was not only a great way to learn more about TIDE and their involvement but to be more open about things they are holding on to.
“I liked this event, because I feel like forgiveness is a big issue. Forgiving people is extremely hard and I think it is awesome that we have a group on campus that recognizes that,” said Jennifer Gonzalez, a student at FHSU. “It was also nice to write my thoughts on the whiteboard. It made me feel really good that I could recognize something I needed to let go of. It made me feel relieved. I also liked how they added a fun aspect, like the bubbles, to such a serious topic.”