I got up…dark and early this morning…grabbed a cuppa and started to check out Facebook…then Twitter…was it a coincidence that three of the most prominent posts I saw were quotes about…forgiveness…
Bertha…said…NO…
I tried to reason with her…foolish, I know…but it was early and I wasn’t fully awake…I’m not angry with anyone…my life is going well…with the exception of starting back to work next week after having the summer off…things are groovy…
Not good enough for her…seems she’s saying…that there are things every day that I need to forgive…minor annoyances…a friend doesn’t call…my extremely clever social media post gets no attention…the grandkids are too busy playing to say hello…someone grabs my parking space as I circle the parking lot…the person in the Post Office line…takes way too long…when I’m in a hurry…yeah…did he really need to mail those X-rays…and shouldn’t he have figured out how to do it before he got in line…when I just needed to mail a quick package and grab my take out order for lunch…did I mention I was hungry…
Um…uh…I do remember those things…and…then several more start popping in my mind like Jiffy Pop…I won’t bore you with all of them…the list is growing quickly…
Bertha’s…point…is that it doesn’t have to be a major life event…to warrant forgiveness…and forgiveness doesn’t have to be specific…I don’t have to spend time forgiving the man at with the X-rays and all the other slights during the day…rather…she says that I forgive them by keeping my focus on the positive things…on the things that I appreciate in my life…by spending time in contemplation…prayer…the Forgiveness Prayer…meditation…all of that contributes to an attitude of…overall…ongoing…forgiveness…it’s letting go…instead of harboring…
She says that…this is one of the most important life lessons I will learn…that it’s not the things…big or small that happen to me…but the way I deal with them that truly shapes my life…hmmm…
I then remember my friend…Teresa Morrow…and some of the major life events she’s experienced…the death of her mother when she was only six…divorce…rejection of her relationship by her family…and how beautifully she let go…and continued in a healthy way…writing about her experiences…instead of harboring them…learning her…Life Lessons From the Heart…and shining the light for others…
Bertha…seems to be satisfied with my reflections…she’s turned off the flashing, 
neon sign…FORGIVENESS…that she’s been holding all morning…and leading me to the contemplation chair…I guess there’s still work to be done…that’s right…she said it would be…ongoing…
Jane
PS…in case you are wondering…the Forgiveness Prayer…is said entirely between a person and their own soul…not to or about another person…it’s about releasing…and goes like this…I love you…I’m sorry…Please forgive me…Thank you…and is actually the ancient Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono…
hello Jane, just popping on to say that I read all your blog posts, even though I dont comment often.
Even without Bertha’s help, I’ve learned that waiting in a queue, and not being the slightest bit bothered about how long, is very therapeutic, very “slow me down”, and when people apologise for keeping me waiting, I always say, “dont worry, I’m not in a hurry” (even if I am!), it makes me feel so much better.
Joy…I love that attitude…it does take a bit of training on my part to get there…but…I do try…everyday. No worries about comments…love them when I get them but not expected…LOL!
Jane,
It can be easy to get wrapped up with our anger, guilt, pride or whatever other emotion we may be keeping inside. But when we choose (and it is a choice) to forgive and let go, we open that space to more positive experiences to fill our lives. Thanks for the mention of Life Lessons from the Heart!
Beautifully stated, Teresa. You are an inspiration to so many…it was a pleasure to mention Life Lessons from the Heart!
great post Jane I think sometimes we need to just forgive ourselves.. Or I do anyways..
Absolutely, Cathy…I think that’s the most important piece of the puzzle…at least for me!