~Day 13~ of "21 Day Family Appreciation & Peace"

"Forgiveness is for YOU not Them"

This may be the hardest for some of us in this 21 day activity but it is paramount to inner peace.

Forgiveness allows you to move on.  No matter what destructive family actions may have resulted from family members that caused the trust between siblings, cousins, mother, father, to be broken, we each have the power to forgive and move passed it.

It was a rude awakening when I was young to discover there are relatives who steal, lie, cheat, that are alcoholics, drug addicts, sex addicts, verbally, physically abusive to family members,  and these same people never lose one wink of sleep over it. To argue with this reality is to argue with God.  

These people exist and when you have one or more of these in your family you have to openly admit their existence and their wrong doing to yourself to move passed it, especially if the family will not. 

To "expect" anyone, including family members to do the right thing is hopeless. Their conscious mind is gone, severed by the learned fear that was passed down through the previous generations. You and I need to focus on our peace of mind, we need to wake up, to become conscious of our actions and the effects on others.  We cannot change others. 

We do not need anyone to participate in the forgiveness process except ourselves.

*So it must begin with me forgiving others.  When you do this you learn to forgive yourself.

**Write your anger on paper, see yourself without the thought that angers you.  Think of the peace of mind you will have when you let go of this anger, when you truly forgive the pain will let go of you. Inner peace will enter your mind and you will feel the joy. 

If you can forgive, this is good but if the hurt pops up again, you have not fully forgiven. You must continue to write it down and see yourself without the pain connected to the thought and it will come easier to forgive if the hurt comes to mind again. One day, with daily discipline meditation the painful thoughts leave you. I let mine go because I did not want to feel the pain anymore. It was too much to bear, it was interrupting my happy life and I had a happy life without these thoughts. I made sure of that!

Thankful to know in time with practice, forgiveness is easy.  In forgiving others I learn to forgive myself.  Happiness is the reward.

Happiness, peace, kindness is your birthright, it is your true self, your home.