Our challenge for today -
Open a Book. Choose a book and open it to a random page and point to a phrase. Use that phrase to get you writing today. Free write for 15-20 without stopping.
One of my favorite books ever is A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. So, today, I decided to use an excerpt from her book! I actually looked online on Amazon and had it "surprise me". Here's what I came up with -
"At a certain point, we forgive because we decide to forgive. Healing occurs in the present, not the past."
This quote is really the entire essence of the book. Marianne William's intention when writing books, giving speeches, everything is always about love and forgiveness. She says that true joy and happiness is found in love. And in order to fully love, one must fully forgive.
I can't really speak from anyone else's experience but my own, so what I will say is that this has been true for me. And the thing is, it's so easy to forgive my husband when he does something to make me mad, or to forgive my friend if she did something like stand me up - but where the true miracle happens is when we forgive someone who has truly wronged us in some capacity.
That boyfriend I had who constantly cheated on me, my biological father for disappearing from my life in my developmental years, the wrongs that cut to the core. Things are going to happen to us in life. People are going to do things that are really really bad. And our anger is going to be justified. But my freedom from being tied to that person, even if it's in anger, will be to forgive him/her. Does that mean that all of the sudden, their wrong is right.... no. It also doesn't mean that all of the sudden, I am going to begin to participate in that person's life. But what it does is give me the opportunity to break free from the power that he/she has over me.
When I'm angry/hurt with someone, when that person's presence has an effect on me, I am giving that person power over my emotions. Through forgiveness, I can no longer be affected by him/her and I can be truly free.
Yoga talks about living in the present moment. When I am truly in the present moment, I am no longer tied to the past. Being in the present moment, the past didn't happen. It's gone. It is not happening right now. That is where the healing occurs. And that's what Marianne Williamson is talking about.
I'm not real great at talking about serious things so I hope I've been able to articulate my thoughts on this!!!
