Last night's workshop was about forgiveness, and couple of other things (St. Partick's day, a clean heart...) I wasn't expect the workshop would be a place where attendees have serious talks with one another. Well, it happened and we had some serious talk. I guess it was because forgiveness is just happened to be a big issue amoung the attendees. We shared some compelling stories. How can someone forget sensless acts against them? Abuse, rape, violence, betrayal... these things left in one's memory for a long long time. They can destroy relationships, turn you into a monster, and haunt you for the rest of your life. Speaker talked about how her brother beat her up when she was young. She complained and we all thought that her parents would do something. However, they asked her to talk to her brother and ask for forgiveness. (I guess the parents didn't want to deal with an angry young man then) Without any choice, she went back to her brother and tried to speak to him. He knocked her on the floor and the act left her a scar for the rest of her life.
There are couple of ways to help heal scars (physical, emotional) in your life. If the abuse is presistent, leave. If it is just one time, find ways to forgive that person. Carrying the hurt is certainly not good for you. Write a note on who you choose to forgive and release the note with a helium balloon symbolizes you release this person from your memory.
That act helped me to forgive myself cause in that note, I wrote myself on it.
I can easily forgive another person, but I never seems to be able to forgive myself. Now I hope that I will let go of the bad things I did that I regret.