For posterity: my thoughts on APOLOGIES

If you owe someone an apology, give it.  Not apologizing and making genuine efforts to make it up, especially if this is a pattern in your life, makes a relationship grow sour.  Apologies aren't followed by excuses or accusations.  Being right isn't as important as making it right.  Especially if it's someone you love.  I don't know why it's so hard to say, "I'm sorry," or even explain what you MEANT to say/do/think/whatever...some people let pride get in the way, I guess.  But as difficult as it is to forgive someone, it's ten times as difficult when they show no remorse for hurting you.  A genuine apology when you've wronged someone (even if you didn't mean to) is what kind, thoughtful, flawed-but-good human beings in healthy relationships do.