Dear friends,
It is always difficult when we blame others for our own experience. We miss the opportunity to grow beyond whatever produced the situation in which we find ourselves. It is never about anyone else, not really. How we react to anything comes from deep within our own self-identity. It might seem that the other person has triggered our reaction but really, we were just waiting for an opportunity to let it out!
Forgiveness is the act of taking self-responsibility for what is happening in the moment. After all, we are the only one who is always present in our personal experience. Bless the thing and move on. Call it a blessing and get going in a new direction. It is not easy to do when there is a real tragedy involved. When we lose a loved one to violence, do these spiritual principles prevail? As hard as it is to see, the answer is yes. The day will come when we simply must forgive and let go. The grieving process is necessary for most of us and is to be honored. But it cannot go on forever.
Life demands that we get back in the game, as it were. Our gifts and our love and our compassion are needed in this world. We are at our best when we allow them to take the lead and direct our actions. Real positive change comes, not from anger, but from a deep belief in the ultimate Good in all people. We find ways to bring it out, see it in everyone, but begin with ourselves.
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes
