Many adults go through life hurting or damaged, not knowing how forgiveness sets us free.
When I think about forgiveness, I reflect back to the time, shortly after the fire, when we visited the burnt-down wreckage of our home and the 20 years of our life there. It was then that I said a simple but important silent prayer. First, I thanked the Universe that my husband and I were alive and survived. Then I tearfully told my two cats who had perished in the fire that I was sorry and asked their forgiveness.
Now, that may sound a bit silly, but it started me down a path of finding forgiveness for many things in my life.
About six months later, I joined a forgiveness coaching program through the Planned Happiness Institute, facilitated by Rev. Dr. Michelle Wadleigh. All of us in the program spent months examining our own lives to see where unforgiveness had held us back.
Naturally, I remembered the seemingly silly prayer I made to my cats, knowing that who I really needed to forgive was myself!
During one of the class sessions, I broke down as I remembered a time when my ex-husband had harmed my 3-year-old son. I remembered the 40-year-old incident with remarkable clarity. How my son cried and the lack of remorse from my ex-husband. But mostly remember how I cried with my little son because I could not protect him. I needed to bring the hurt and realization of my perceived failure to the surface to begin the healing process: Mostly, I needed to forgive myself!
Learning to forgive frees us to grow deeper in Spirit and enjoy richer lives. And without the guidance from Rev. Michelle and my classmates, I may have never learned that vital lesson.
Fast forward to 2023, Rev. Michelle is teaching the newly named and formatted course. But before the actual class begins, she is offering a 75-minute Introduction to Forgiveness Workshop. The workshop is free, on Zoom, and available to anyone who wants to learn more about the forgiveness process. (Love offerings are always accepted!)
You can take advantage of this excellent opportunity by registering for the free workshop. You might even see me there!
And, don’t forget to purchase a copy of her new companion book, Forgiveness — available on Amazon.
If you have any doubts, I can assure you that the book, workshop and course will change your life. It did mine!