In my almost 53 years of life, I would say that I am an expert in two things, loving and lesson learning, more commonly known as mistakes. Obviously, I like loving much more than making mistakes. However, with that being said, if I am being completely honest, the lessons were absolutely necessary to be able to love wholeheartedly. I am not afraid to talk about my humanness and the way that I connect with so many others in my work. I am a therapist. I work with people who have had their fair share of lesson learning as well. I wanted to start this blog to remind people that it’s ok to have your lessons in life, they help guide us and direct us to our purpose. I want to take the shame out of not being perfect and embrace the situations that make us think, re-think and eventually, with any luck, gain understanding and some peace. There are a few themes that I have absolutely learned as hard truths.
The first is that forgiveness is essential, even in the most difficult situations. With that being said, please know that saying that is much easier than implementing it. That was one of those lessons I learned. There is a process to forgiveness, just like anything else. Each person’s process is a very individualized journey. I know that there will be those of you who may say that forgiveness should not be given to everyone in every situation. Here is what I want you to understand, forgiveness is a state of mind and forgiveness is for the giver, not the receiver.
There are so many, many situations in my life that I had to dig really deep and remind myself what forgiveness was and why it was necessary, especially for people who never asked for forgiveness. That, my friends, is very difficult. I also know that there have been times in my life, that I may have not asked for forgiveness and perhaps missed an opportunity to help someone else move through an emotional situation, had I asked for forgiveness. Upon reflection, I wish I had asked for forgiveness or simply said, “I am sorry.”
The beauty in life is that in every interaction you are either a teacher or a student. You get to decide how you will receive a lesson and how you will impart a lesson. You may think that is over the top, as we all have conversations with others that may seem very benign. However, there is sacredness with each and every interaction. It is when you understand this that you understand the power behind your words, that you may take a step back and ask yourself, is what I am saying true? Is it necessary and how will this affect another person?
There is so much that I hope to share with you in my blog. I wanted to send this out there to test the waters if you will. This is simply an introduction to my blog. Please like and share if you are willing. If you would like to share some of your thoughts and questions regarding what I have written about thus far, you can reach me at bernadette@findingapathway.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Bernadette (the most human of humans)