I found this small fence replica in a shop today and knew exactly what I would write about it. Many years ago I read a story. The paraphrased version of it follows…. A little girl was naughty. Every time that she did something wrong, her mother had her hammer a small nail into the fence in the yard. The girl would apologize and go outside with the tools. This went on for quite some time and there were a lot of nails in the fence. As the girl got older her behavior improved. Each time that she did something kind, the mother asked her to remove one of the nails from the fence. Finally, all the nails were gone. The daughter was very pleased and showed her mom. The mom nodded and asked the girl to run her hand over the surface of the wood. The girl did so and her smile disappeared. She could feel the holes that the nails had made. The wise woman had demonstrated that saying “ I’m sorry “ doesn’t remove the pain or undo the damage that a hurtful remark or action can cause. Consider using a toy fence or a picture as a prop when a difficult apology is necessary. Saying “ I’m sorry for the holes I have put in your fence “, after telling the story can be an effective approach to healing a wound.