Forgiveness: the art of letting go

I was walking home the other day, listening to a podcast by Rob Bell called The Forgiving Flow.  He is teaching a five-part series on forgiveness and this was the first episode.  As I was listening, I was also taking in Fall and all her beauty.  The burnt orange leaves slowly turning color, lining the street.  The refreshingly crisp air entering my lungs, clearing out old, stagnant breath.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fall is the season governed by the Lungs and Large Intestine.  The lungs, large intestine, skin and nose are the organs related to the Metal Element.  As you may imagine simply based on the function of each organ, they govern some important aspects of our lives.  

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A Few Thoughts on Forgiveness (and... go take a VACATION!!)

“To begin to forgive, it is good to forego for a while.  That is, to take a break from thinking about the person or event for a while.  It is not leaving something undone, but rather more like taking a vacation from it.  This prevents us from being exhausted, allows us to strengthen in other ways, to have other happiness in our lives.”

~Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women who Run with the Wolves

I have found that forgiveness, whether of self or another, is often an integral part of a healing journey.  Forgiveness does not happen once and it is done – often we revisit forgiveness in many ways and from many angles over the course of life.  The interesting thing that I have learned recently about forgiveness is that it is not often for the other person (you know, the one who did you wrong).  More often, the act of forgiveness happens for YOU, the forgiver.  Forgiveness is about opening the heart and while living with an open heart can be scary, it also allows us to be courageous and compassionate.

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