Forgiveness

One of the most effective ways to gain a sense of freedom in our lives is to learn the simple art of forgiveness. I say "simple," but I do not say "easy." Forgiveness is not always easy, especially when we have our own pasts to heal from, our own present issues to deal with. Often we are faced with the choice to forgive or not to forgive when the person has not even offered an apology, and may never do so.
It is vital to remember that forgiveness is truly for the person doing the forgiving. Forgiveness can be a gift to the forgiven in some circumstances--it can lift their load of guilt a little bit--but it is the person who forgives who is truly laying down a load. Anger, bitterness, hurt, desire for revenge are all awefully heavy burdens. Whether an individual deserves our forgiveness is not really the issue. The question, rather, is: How much longer are we willing to harm ourselves by refusing our forgivess.
Let go. Forgive.

Service

"Free hands were made to free tied hands.
Tied hands were made to put free hands to good use."

The opportunity to serve others is as much a gift for the one doing the serving as it is for the one receiving the service. The song says "for it is in giving that we receive." I have found this to be true in my own life and in the lives of others I know. Such a simple formula for finding happiness and satisfaction.

Loneliness/Connection

I just read a wonderful line from a David Whyte poem:

All those years
forgetting
how easily
you can belong
to everything
simply by listening.


I wonder if we are losing the art of listening. We long so much for connection with other human beings and mistakenly believe that if others are listening to us, that it will help us feel connected with them. Many human beings go out of their way for attention from others, some in very destructive ways. Some of us simply become disconnected with others because we are burried in our own lives and have forgotten to look outward. We are too busy "speaking" to "listen" to all that is around us.

In reality it is through listening that we gain a feeling of connection with others--and not just listening to words. We can "listen" to others with all of our senses, and with our hearts. As we grow in genuine, loving curiousity toward others and toward the world around us, it will deepen our sense of connection. It is not being alone that makes us lonely, it is lack of connection with the people and the world around us--with it's beauty, mystery, and it's constant changing. We can achieve a sense of connection any time we want to by simply stopping and listening.