Forgiveness - Week five

July 31, 2016

"When deep injury is done to us, we never heal until we forgive" ~Nelson Mandela

Week five (July 24-July 30)

As I move through life uncovering forgiveness became a fundamental piece of mental health with powerful lessons of love and loss. Each time I acknowledge the gratitude in my days, settled nearby is a discussion of forgiveness which guides the potential of joy and grace that lead to absolution.

Throughout each season of life, relationships end, careers change, and death occurs scattering the darkness demanding to be unearthed with the struggle to lean towards gratitude. Loss transpires in so many ways, each requiring an evolution of instruction and growth from uncertainty.

For many seasons while highjacked by grief after the loss of Ryan, identifying empathy and forgiveness became difficult to process. Guilt distributed a shattered image of life, introducing a darkness I had never imagined during this complex chapter of loss, a reckoning I needed to unravel to release the ugliness captured inside.

Maya Angelou reminds us to say thank you for the challenging moments in our life, those stages are where change begins, that place that pushes us in a new direction requiring a reconciliation with grace.

Over time our friendships evolve or drift apart as life and circumstance develop, her words illuminate the many betrayals on my path, relationships that ended, all appearing so painful during their stay inevitably led to enlightenment and another nudge towards gratitude.

Loss teaches compassion and compassion generates grace. How we treat one another when life becomes difficult is a reflection of our own inner turmoil. Hurt people, hurt people and when we discover the strength to forgive, a treasure emerges. By breathing light into the darkest corners, we release the betrayal holding us to the past.

As the anchor is unhinged, forgiveness burns softly, awakening the innocence of my being, mindful of every flaw and the proof of my wholehearted actions, ushering me closer to the grace that waits patiently beside me.

From the list...

Week five: Something someone gave you

the gift of time, always the best gift
the lessons learned through heartbreak
the determination to keep reaching for goals
love when I needed it most
friendship when I did not know where to fall

If you are just beginning to follow #52weeksofgratitude you can start here

Week one is HERE
Week two is HERE
Week three is HERE
Week four is HERE

Week 1	Week 12	Week 23	Week 34	Week 45
Week 2	Week 13	Week 24	Week 35	Week 46
Week 3	Week 14	Week 25	Week 36	Week 47
Week 4	Week 15	Week 26	Week 37	Week 48
Week 5	Week 16	Week 27	Week 38	Week 49
Week 6	Week 17	Week 28	Week 39	Week 50
Week 7	Week 18	Week 29	Week 40	Week 51
Week 8	Week 19	Week 30	Week 41	Week 52
Week 9	Week 20	Week 31	Week 42
Week 10	Week 21	Week 32	Week 43
Week 11	Week 22	Week 33