“Letting go is an act of strength and courage. It helps healing begin, frees you of the weight of the past, and opens doors to a new future.”
~From the book, Lift Me Up by Stephanie Tourlea
In addition to this program, I have run support networks for the bereaved. In my extensive work with grieving individuals, I came across a man who changed my view of forgiveness for all of time. He had lost two children to an intoxicated driver. These were his only two daughters and they were on the way to the rehearsal dinner of one of the girls. Despite all of this, he had forgiven the driver. I asked him how he had forgiven him — and I also asked him why. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “I had no choice. To hold onto my anger would have tied me to him forever. To hold onto my anger would have killed me too.”
This man new at the depth of his soul, that his anger could never help him, but it could destroy or distract him for the rest of his days.
As we head toward the new year, what do you need to let go of? What anger do you have within you that is a weight in your life, whether you realize it or not? Let’s clear out the clutter in our souls to make room for a wonderful year to come.
Your Turn:
Write about an experience you need to forgive. Then rip the paper into tiny shreds as a way to release and symbolically let go.
Your Affirmation:
I am free of harmful emotions.
And as always, don’t forget to start your day with a heartfelt: “Something great is going to happen today… I can’t wait to see what it is!”
And when ending your day ask yourself:
“What is one more thing I can do to make today matter?”
Forgiveness is not a topic we talk about regularly, like gratitude and thankfulness, but it is very important. We cannot be our best when we are holding onto grudges. An unforgiving mind or heart is like a heavy anchor and whether we feel it or not, it will pull us down.