How to Forgive Yourself[edit]

My name is Francisco Meyer, and I know about second chances because I needed one.

Twenty years ago, I was a different man. Made choices I'm not proud of. Hurt people who trusted me. Ended up in prison for eighteen months—and that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was looking at my daughter through the visitation glass and seeing the confusion in her eyes.

Prison gave me time to think. Too much time. But somewhere in those endless days, I started asking: Is redemption possible? Can you become someone different from the person who did those things?

I still don't have perfect answers. But I have twenty years of living differently. Twenty years of making amends where I could, accepting that some damage can't be undone, and learning to live with what I carry.

This wiki is for anyone asking the same questions I asked. Anyone who's hurt someone. Anyone who can't stop replaying what they did. Anyone who wonders if they deserve to move forward.

You probably do. Let's figure it out together.

Where to Start[edit]

If the guilt is crushing you:

The Weight Of What You Did — First, let's name it.
When You Were Wrong — Sometimes we really were.
Living With Regret — It doesn't go away, but you can carry it.

If you want to make things right:

Making Amends — When it's possible.
When Amends Are Impossible — When they're not.
The Apology They'll Never Accept — The hardest situation.

If you're stuck:

Why Self-Forgiveness Feels Impossible — The trap of perfectionism.
Guilt Versus Shame — They're different. Matters which one you're feeling.
When Others Have Forgiven But You Haven't — The cruelest prison.

If you're ready to move forward:

Becoming Someone Different — You're not fixed in place.
Learning From What You Did — The only way to honor it.
Second Chances — They exist. I'm proof.

A Note on This Wiki[edit]

I don't write about forgiveness from some enlightened place. I write from the basement—from knowing what it feels like to be the villain in someone else's story. From understanding that some mistakes echo for years.

What I've learned is that self-forgiveness isn't about pretending you didn't do harm. It's about deciding to live anyway. To become someone who wouldn't make those choices again. To carry the weight without letting it crush you.

You're not here by accident. Something brought you. I don't know what you did, but I know you're looking for a way through.

There is one. It's not fast. It's not painless. But it exists.

Explore[edit]

Index — All articles on this wiki
Sister_Wikis — Our family of wikis

— Francisco Meyer, still earning the second chance