Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cleanse

Good morning my lovies...

I just had to write this post real quick; truth is, I made another green smoothie this morning (replaced grapes with a banana), and I got so full that now I need to wait a little bit before going to the gym so I don't get sick.  So I'm writing this post (yay for you, right?).

I heard something awesome today that moved me, and I want to share it.  I was listening to my little talk radio on my phone while making my smoothie this morning (got an iPhone 4 for Christmas- thank you family!!) and they had a lady AND a man on there that they were interviewing- apparently the man murdered the woman's daughter; I'm not sure how as I tuned in about half way through the whole thing.  It was the most amazing story of forgiveness though.  I guess the guy was in prison and wrote a letter to the mom.  He didn't know what to say, because he knew that he had taken this woman's only daughter from her, so he wrote, hi- how are things going? or something along those lines.  Well, she wrote back and said, I want to know what happened that night.  Then she came down to the prison and confronted him in person (in a special room with her lawyers and police, etc), and she asked him again- what happened that night?  She said she was looking for closure because she didn't even know what had happened to her daughter; she just knew that she had been murdered by this man.  Then, the woman said, she heard a voice audibly say, "Forgive him mom".  She said she recognized it as her daughter's voice.  So she told the man, "I forgive you, but God is going to have to forgive you too now" and he started crying so hard- she said it was as if he was "crying from every pore".  Now, years later, he was released from prison and he goes and visits the mother every day and does whatever she needs him to do.  He got married and goes to church every Sunday and both of them talked about the forgiveness she gave him; how it changed his life and hers.  She said it was as if she had been given a gift- she was not consumed by hatred and anger anymore.

I don't know why- but I just loved this little broadcast.  It really made my morning.  I don't honestly know that I would ever be able to forgive someone in that same situation if it had been me; but it inspired me because these people honestly sounded happy.  We CAN forgive people if we really try; I think it's easier and more natural for us not to forgive people, but it also weighs us down and holds us back from who we really are or who we can become if we let those things go.  While I have not had anything this drastic happen in my life, I definitely have been through some major things that have caused me to be very angry with people, and feel justified in not forgiving them.  However, over time I did forgive them- as hard as it was, and I'm so thankful that I did because those negative feelings WILL smother your happiness; I know that from first hand experience.  I guess what I'm trying to say is- in every situation we have a choice.  We can either be consumed by anger and negativity, or we can choose the harder (but better) road- to rise above our challenge and choose happiness and freedom.

We have a choice- YOU have a choice.  I have a choice.

As I think about the upcoming year and the wonderful opportunities that are ahead of us, I hope we can learn to let go of the things that are holding us back or down.  This is OUR year to really move ahead.  Put the past in the past and forge ahead my friends- you have all of the opportunity in the world to do so and now is the time to do it.

Have a beautiful, fantastic day.  May it be filled with happiness and joy!!

XO-

D

7 comments:

  1. Wishing you a good day, too, Dizzy. Forgiveness is a good and necessary thing but I find it difficult sometime to forgive the people who have hurt me and continue to hurt me. When it is family, it is hard to walk away and disallow the hurt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an amazing mother and an amazing story!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You know, Diz, unforgiveness is not an issue for me. usually.

    But just this morning someone did something AGAIN. Someone I have forgiven over and over. Now, AGAIN. The action was extremely hurtful and frustrating.

    I've been angry all day. I have not even LOOKED down the road that leads to forgiveness. I have had enough! Today, my effort has been to keep myselffrom going to that person's house and beating the c...well, never mind.

    And then this post. chuckle. I've often joked, when trying to decide something, that I'd like God to send an angel to my door with a scroll telling me what to do.

    Sigh. This is pretty close. sighhhhhhhh.

    Thanks, angel girl.

    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Put the past in the past and forge ahead my friends..."

    What a good post! The story about the woman and the man that murdered her daughter was very moving. It takes a special kind of grace to forgive that. Just amazing!

    Loretta
    =^..^=

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this and yes every decision lays a choice...and we are never choiceless.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post!

    Of course we are gym buddies! Every time I went this week I knew you had to be whispering in my ear saying, "You got this!". I need my buddy more than ever now-I signed up and intend to win the biggest loser challenge at work. =) Love ya!

    ReplyDelete