[bestformaldress23]

my spiritual journey began in the mid 70's with the great richard bach. jonathan livingston seagull and illusions merged with my christian upbringing and gave me an insatiable hunger for knowledge and truth.

soon after i was forced to personalize my relationship with god when i realized i was lesbian. my church and my family (and some of my friends) no longer shared my truth. i was forced to find my own path.

i read volumes of words too many to mention. og mandino, shirley mclaine, von daniken, sitchin, gary zukov, chopra, sylvia browne, marianne williamson, doreen virtue etc. i read the bible cover to cover, the apocrypha and the dead sea scrolls. i visited the tao te ching, bhagavad-gita, qur'an, rumi and the tibeten book of the dead. welcome to dc my sister on the journey. my life parallels yours but began in the 1950's with yogananda's "autobiography of a yogi" followed by a coming out experience in the '60's. and then the volumes and volumes of reading, therapy sesions, seminars and retreats.

yes, truly, the most powerful thing to do now is to achieve forgiveness for any and all. i have found that it is best achieved by opening to the emotions of the historical moment, whatever and whenever it occurred, sitting with the pain or anger, or whatever emotion is attached to it, until it is burned out and only grace remains. the effect this has on your 'light' is truly liberating and life enhancing.

we have been told about achieveing forgiveness for centuries (ok, maybe longer...) in all kinds of ways. the message got lost in all the jiberish.

here's matthew 5:23-24
if it should happen therefore that while you are presenting your offering upon the alter and right there you remember that your brother has any grievance against you
leave your offering there upon the alter and first go and make peace with your brother and then come back and present your offering. yes, smack in the middle of the sermon on the mount story we were told this!

so, go girl. to forgiveness and beyond!!! (ooops! that's a paraphrase from another famous movie.)

yours in grace and gratitude,
hs