Years ago I heard about 2 brothers who, when their mother died, had fallen out in their 30s and despite continuing to live in the same house for many more years they completely stopped speaking to each other.  Let’s call them William and Colin.

Neither could admit the possibility that there might be different views of what their mother left each in her will and different reasons in her thinking, that their own individual view might not tell the whole story.   And that to regain their earlier camaraderie, they’d need to talk to each other – and probably say Sorry for things they’d said years ago.  Two syllables - a small word in itself, but it can have a huge effect.  Yet neither brother could find the courage to break the deadlock. 

Then one day William died suddenly in an accident.  And it was too late to say Sorry or anything else.

Sometimes, no matter how we wish the situation different or remember happier times and regret fractured relations, it’s very difficult to say sorry.  Difficult to admit that our understanding or actions have been in error, perhaps not been based on a complete knowledge of the situation, and/or caused misunderstanding, upset or pain...  It’s even more difficult to retrieve former relationships when we strongly feel that the other person is just plain wrong.