Ellie had a dental appointment yesterday and asked if I’d like to tag along.
This would give me an opportunity to catch up with her and to finish my Christmas shopping so I said ok.
This gal is a little older than me and quite a character.
She recently went back to school and earned her PHD in philosophy.
Many of her beliefs and daily practices may be considered “New age.”
She’s wonderful.
Back to the trip.
Ellie had 2 teeth filled and I did my shopping.
On the way home we got to talking and I mentioned that my current focus during morning reflections was “forgiveness” and that I was having trouble with it.
No matter how hard I try some things and some people from my past just stay stuck in my craw. I can’t get past the hurt that I still feel to this day.
Ellie’s puffed up her chest while driving and said, “What a person did/does to you is THEIR business. It doesn’t serve you to forgive them if they offend you. You should forgive YOURSELF for reacting to them incorrectly due to poor judgment or whatever, learn from it and move on!”
It sounded like a foreign concept but the more I thought about it the more sense it made.
I was more comfortable with this idea rather than focusing on the “offender.”
I can’t change what that person did, no matter what.
But I can forgive myself for allowing them to mess my mind – let it go.
Thanks Ellie.
This morning during my morning reading and reflecting, lo and behold, what do I read ? ;

Colin Tipping, author of the book Radical Forgiveness, writes;

Traditional forgiveness is “letting bygones be bygones.” And that's ok as far as it goes. However, because we believe that something bad happened, we still think of ourselves as having been victimized no matter how hard we try to forgive. It can only play itself out as a struggle between two conflicting energies: the need to condemn versus the desire to forgive.
End of quote.

I choose forgiveness - for myself - and to adopt the attitude that all things didn’t happen TO me but FOR me – bringing me to where I am today.
And from where I am today – I can do anything!
Party on xxx



Dawn at Deerfield