The months are flying by and the days are flying by even faster. The month of April has passed us by and as I sit here and type this post, I find myself thinking about the cycle of life.
Read on and I'll tell you why...
First, I'd like to apologize for the late post. My goal is to provide you with a recap of each month's challenge at the end of that month. Unfortunately, however, my family suffered the lost of a dear family member last week and it put some things on hold. It also put a lot of things in perspective.
Specifically, the cycle of life.
It's beyond comprehension how you can be here one day and gone forever the next but such is life. Death's sting can't help but remind us that we're all on borrowed time and that our days, here on earth, are numbered.
As such, it's so important to be thankful for the days we are blessed with. More importantly, those days should be spent loving each other and not holding on to hate for one another.
That's why April's Service Challenge couldn't have come at a better time for me. In hindsight, I'm so grateful that I experienced and took part in these four exercises when I did. I'm more grateful that I was blessed enough to experience it with my husband.
Easier said than done, right?
Now to be honest, I didn't complete the exercises one week at a time like I had intended to do. Life happened and instead I combined the exercises and completed them in two weekends, if it matters.
When I tell you that I had no idea I would get as emotional as I did, I truly mean it.
It's amazing how many feelings you suppress in your heart without even realizing it!
When you finally acknowledge and allow yourself to feel those feelings, it's as if you're opening up the flood gates and releasing all the toxins you had been holding on to all of your life. What a feeling!
The fact that my husband was there to experience it with me and I with him, made the experience that more special. We were able to talk about our grievances with each other and talk through the grievances we, individually, have with others who have hurt us.
When it came time to burn our letters (Week 2 activity), we read them out loud then carefully burned them in our bathroom sink. Side note: I didn't realize how bad the house would smell over burning a little piece of paper!
The following weekend we completed the last two exercises. The forgiveness prayer (Week 4 activity) by Lisa Duffy ministered to my heart on so many levels. I pray that it did the same for you.
The best part of this challenge was having Daddy Oso thank me for challenging him to sit down and actually work through some of his unresolved feelings. We can get so caught up in living life in the fast lane that it becomes such a priceless experience when you stop to notice and acknowledge the world around you.
It turned out to be a great healing exercise for us as a couple, too. Unlike the grievances we have with other people, where we have to resolve the matter on our own without their input, the fact that my husband was present allowed him and I to communicate with each other and put to rest our differences, face to face.
In the end, I hope that you feel a little less burdened and a lot happier with life, as I do. The less hate and rage you have in your heart, the more you're able to fill that space up with love, peace and happiness.
Be blessed.
Thank you again Mami Bear for this challenge. I didn't realize that the pain you hold in your heart could easily be relieved by writing down the people that hurt you and how they hurt you and simply saying...I FORGIVE YOU. It felt wonderful just letting go. I love you Mami and can't wait for future challenges.
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