Forgive

The rains have returned, the cool is back, and the skies are grey.  The temperature is not as cold as before - we are in the low 50's, fahrenheit.  No wind yet, but the prediction is that we will experience some today.  It's Wednesday and southern California is waiting its turn for the weather shift from the north to arrive.

The word that surfaced this morning as meditation came to a close was "forgive" and perhaps this is because it is truly a challenge to practice this.  Children were again lost in gunfire at school - only 9 years old.  Someone much older, who had experienced this world and the conditions we are living with decided it was the way to respond - random violence.  Many parents must be faced with the task of explaining what to do in school this day - without mentioning the violence if the children don't know about it.  How would one forgive this action of complete disregard for young, human life?

The bigger challenge, perhaps, is in starting with ourselves.  Forgiving others is one thing;  forgiving oneself is another.  Probably much harder becuase there is no filter between me/I and the unspoken, the felt, the depth of every act has no place to hide.  This is part of the journey to finding the True Self.  

Each one has so much to consider and compost.  Sometimes it is best to do this alone; and if fortunate, there is a space and time to do the work of composting while being held by others in a circle where there will be no judgment, no fixing, no advising - just listening. Then, there is the process of unfolding, opening, and allowing the tightly held pebble to drop away.

In watching how the fact of transition/death is playing out within the family, there is a clear picture of a time and place where forgiveness is invited in.  This is the last chance to move in a direction that would empower those who will continue to live, a chance to learn truths that can liberate the spirit.  

Forgiveness is something that seems to have not only healing of relations, but also healing of self if one can find a way there.  The fact of strangers who do things that are beyond imaginable, to intimates who do things that deeply disappoint - the ability to forgive holds the possibility of easing the tension.  In turn, there is a chance of living a healthier, more grounded existence.  

Yes, there are so many things that are not as one would wish for this world; and the fact is that the capacity to control those things belong to innumerable others. Yours to do what is right in front of you;  here, now.  How will you hold the contraditions, the disappointments, the losses of things, time, opportunities, and more?  This is the question that the word "forgive" seems to raise.  This is among the essential questions to answer on the journey to the True Self.