Jasper had never been skittish—until that day at the fairgrounds. The second he spotted that particular police officer, it was like he’d seen a ghost.
Ears back, breathing shallow, he planted his feet and wouldn’t budge. I’d never seen him like this. The officer, initially puzzled, soon realized why.
“We’ve met before,” he confessed. “It wasn’t a good day for him.”
Turns out, years before I owned Jasper, he’d been caught in a traumatic incident involving this officer. Though the man hadn’t harmed him directly, Jasper associated him with fear and pain—and his memory was sharper than anyone expected.
The officer’s remorse was palpable. “I thought he’d forget,” he murmured. But Jasper hadn’t. And in that moment, I understood: forgiveness isn’t about forgetting. It’s about facing what happened and choosing to move forward.
As we walked away, Jasper’s gait relaxed, as if some old tension had finally been released. Sometimes, the past shows up when we least expect it—but that doesn’t mean we have to carry it forever.
