I have been heartsick over a situation for the past week.  Friends are hurting, I am hurting, and a serious lack of understanding hangs over the entire scenario.

My husband reminds me often that there are always three sides to every conflict: the plaintiff, the defendant, and the truth.  That viewpoint seems to depend on one person being right and the other being wrong though.  I prefer to look it that in a different way: side one, side two, and the truth.  Both sides can be right and both sides can be wrong at the same time.  Each side knows their version of the truth.

Even when both parties are telling their truth, the actual truth can become a little muddy.

And this is the part where outsiders come in to play.

We really only ever know two things about someone:

What he or she says

What he or she does

That is it.  Even these will vary from person B to person C with person A.

I have heard this saying many times.

If you are not part of the solution

You are part of the problem.

This is not always true!

Sometimes you are not a part of it at all.

Sometimes the best you can do is stay out of it, and keep your own peace.