Letting go can mean so many things....realizing the thing we want to hold on to, no longer wants to hold on to us; accepting that the season of a relationship has ended; and forgiving someone who we feel hurt us; overcoming deep grief and sadness.
"With forgiveness, my life is no longer defined by the pain, but by the future possibilities." Dr. Dick Tibbits
Eckhart Tolle believes we create and maintain problems because they give
us a sense of identity. Perhaps this explains why we often hold onto
our pain far beyond its ability to serve us.
Holding on to those feelings of rejection, anger, grief, and sadness, can create an emotional prison. Imagine yourself stuck in a place with people who wounded you as a child; friends who may have wronged you; a spouse who betrayed your trust or spoke hurtful words; a parent, sibling, or other family member....all trapped in this jail of your own making.
Nothing strengthens the judgement and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.
-Elizabeth Cady Stanton
I woke up this morning thrilled that my community passed a bond issue allowing for a new middle school to be built in our school district. And, I frequent Facebook a bit, and when I logged on today, my stomach was in knots. It had nothing to do with who won or who did not win the presidential race. My stomach was in knots over the intense animosity, criticism and hatred that seems to be floating amongst the cyber-waves.
In THIS moment, my share is not about politics. In THIS moment by share is about CHOICE.....choosing to step away from condemnation, criticism, and complaining.
Every morning I read through several different sources for my affirmations. Some resonate with me more than others, depending on where my thoughts and emotions are. This morning I read from a book by Earnest Holmes, "Science of Mind". Here is what I read this morning, November 7th, 2012:
"Whatever the mistakes of yesterday may have been, today is a new creation. Turning from the errors of the past, and no longer carrying with us the sorrows and mistakes of yesterday, today we may enter into a new experience. But it is only when we forgive everyone that we may feel certain that the weight of condemnation is lifted from our own consciousness. We should refuse to carry negations of yesterday into the positive atmosphere of today, for today the world is made new in our experience.
Today I loose all condemnation. I judge not, and I am judged only by the Law of Good. There is no animosity, no criticism, no hatred. I shall behold the face of love, of beauty, and of peace in everyone I meet. I know that every right motive has the blessing of the Spirit and that there is nothing that opposes this blessing or denies this Divine givingness."
Friends Uplift The Soul...
Last night I attended a parent seminar at my daughter's school, titled, “BFF! (Except When We're Not): Teaching Girls to Develop Healthy Friendships”. This was a pretty powerful seminar and opened my eyes. I wanted to share what I took away.....
As a mom to a pretty incredible 5th grade girl, I have observed the dynamics among her and her "friends". Over the past 7-8 months I have noticed some strange shifts in the behaviors of some of the girls she was around. I have also noticed how my daughter reacts/responds in turn. I will be the first to admit, there are times when"Mama Bear" wanted to come out and roar, "KNOCK IT OOOOFFFFF!" And, I also know that this is exactly the opposite of what my daughter would want me to do. I know that she looks to me to guide her, not tell her what to do. I will own the fact that there are times, where I go right into advice mode and start rattling off all the things I think she "should" do. Those are the same times when I see her roll her eyes, cross her arms, or drift off to the happy place in her head. It's funny, I see her disengaging, the voice in my head yells, "change course...this is not working!!!", and yet I hear myself continuing to tell her what to do. UGH! And so the vicious cycle continued.
I know I am not alone in this! Right??
(I digress....)
"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who cannot pay you back."
I read this quote and thought about a recent event in my life.....
A couple weeks ago, I was at the airport with my kids, heading off of
for a family vacation. As we waited to board the plane, I noticed a
family sitting together.....Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter. The exception was
that the son, the young man, was dressed in military fatigues. He did
not look any older than 18. He also looked very proud. I observed
several people walking over to shake his hand, and they said, "Thank you
for your service". This touched my heart. Mom and Dad beamed with
pride.
My son (8 yrs. old) wanted to know why people were shaking
his hand. As I began to explain how this young man was about to leave
his family, probably head off to basic training, and learn how to
protect this amazing country of ours, the gate attendants announced that
they would begin pre-boarding shortly. I then noticed Mom. She was
doing all she could to keep her proud, brave smile, as she fought back
the tears. The young man hugged her, and said, "It's okay mom". Whew! I
felt the tears welling up as I looked back at my own little boy.
