A Dream of Forgiveness

More than simply writing a tangible goal like losing weight or a dream like working for yourself, living in Colorado, or making $1M: while these are all essential - you can have other hopes for yourself as well.  These shouldn't be diminished simply because they are something else.  What do I mean?  I'll give you an example:

One of my hopes was to reconcile past mistakes and really seek forgiveness from people I may have hurt whether it was 20-30 years ago or last week.  For me, I want to do my best to now live an authentic life focusing forward.  That said, one thing I've learned most definitely as a student of history is that we really are doomed to repeat the past if we don't learn from it.  So okay, what to do?  Hmmm...What can I learn from my past?

Well, I have been a believer in writing things down for some time, right?  So at the time, I thought I'll just start listing all the things I've done and people I think I hurt?  Then I thought, well that could literally take months!  (SIDEBAR:  Catholic Guilt 101 - it's instilled at baptism, I'm afraid - we think things are our fault even when they're not - LOL).  The thoughts continue: what about people or things I don't remember right now?!  Can you feel the panic starting to rise?  Should I contact them individually? call, write?  (Crescendo coming) AAAACCCKKK!!  (headache ensues)...

I started getting caught up in trying to figure it all out myself.  I'm supposed to be specific right?  Write things down!???

WELL, this was exhausting, not to mention stressful!

Instead, I simply decided to write down my goal for reconciliation and/or forgiveness from anyone where it was needed and then left it to God and the universe to work out the details.  That little journal entry was written more than 10 years ago a month before my 30th birthday.

Now here's the cool part --

Today I realized that THAT prayer, that hope, that goal has been coming true for years.  Slowly but surely people have re-entered my life in odd and sometimes crazy ways:

• Running into a college friend in Home Depot
• Taking a stroll in Myrtle Beach then walking face to face into...
  
• Waiting for an oil change at Jiffy Lube and looking up to find...
  
• Getting on the tram at Epcot Center in Florida and sitting next to...
  

...and countless other encounters that I didn't initiate but that resulted in a reunion of sorts that ended with a smile and 9 times out of 10:  FORGIVENESS.

In many cases, the person didn't even remember whatever I thought I did; but in some, I truly needed to apologize and make amends.  In either case, I was given an opportunity to make it right.  Beyond that, I've also had people who have hurt me come back into my life - thankfully I was also given the chance to forgive.  Same result - peace and a smile.

I wanted to remove any potential barriers to the dreams and vision I have for my own life.  For me that meant seeking and giving forgiveness.

Now, I'm not going back on my recommendation to Be Specific with your Vision.  No, I'm saying be thoughtful of other areas as well which may not need the same level of specificity but are no less important...

My point here is to encourage you not to limit your Vision for your life to things or achievements per se but to Think through all areas of your life and find out for yourself what happiness, peace, and joy mean for you and consider these other possibilities.  Then WRITE that down too!  Believe it will come to pass; and Act accordingly when the opportunity presents itself.  Seize the Moment! You'll be so glad you did.


     THINK.       WRITE.       BELIEVE.       ACT.