Father's day. Each day now has its own hidden challenges. This day is big. How do we get through this day - feeling it - celebrating it - and recreating it from a day of loss to a new memory.
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Church news - because of the marathon we will not be meeting at Park Theatre this Sunday - but here is the zoom link!
Topic: Maplecrest Sunday Morning "Father's Day"
Time: Jun 19, 2022 10:00 AM Winnipeg
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81843214887
Smiley....
It was an emotional wedding.
Even the cake was in tiers.
And the story continues...
******************************
As you know – the one big surprise at the end of time of the murder trials was to realize that Wilma and I had journeyed through the 15 big issues of the trauma of murder differently but together - each in our own ways. She had to story them: I had to sculpt them
Our next discovery was that our forgiveness journey had the same but different dynamics. This came up when I was drafting my autobiography – and she was reading it all. Opportunity for long discussions.
As the instructor of life writing, she had always found that people floundered at around chapter four in their autobiographies, which is when life becomes more involved and complicated. To help us organize our live she resorted to teaching us the four parts of personhood that is as old as time itself -- body, heart, mind and spirit.
In 1406 BC, Moses refers to them “…what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, (mind) to walk in all his ways, (body) and to love him, (emotions) and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart (relationship) and with all thy soul, (life) (spirit). Jesus repeated these four as well.
In 400 BC .Hippocrates referred to them as the four Humours, Aristotle as four sources of happiness, Eric Fromm as four orientations, Keirsey Bates as four temperaments and eventually Stephen Covey brought them back to the four dimensions, quadrants, of body, heart, mind and spirit.
So, this is not new.
As I drafted my story, the word forgiveness came up more than I thought it would. I had started the process as a young boy.
In our discussions, Wilma and I both realized that in organizing our autobiographies to reflect the four dimensions of the human experience, we had also needed to forgive in all four parts of our beings.
For example in my forgiveness journey, I had to learn to work with clay and work it physically. my body needed to do something... Wilma worked with white paint. In both of our cases our bodies needed to be involved.
The next is the relationships - the heart - how do we choose to work this out with our fellow man? Do we break rank and take the justice issues on ourselves? Do I start yelling, calling down – or even shooting my neighbour with ammunition or words? Do we see the image of God in others or do we see the image of the enemy? To heal we need to deliberately engage in meaningful – cross boundary conversations and connections. We need to come to peace with the enemy inside and outside of us. Mine was within - Wilma's was outside.
The next is the mind and this is where I needed to rewire my traumatized brain. Memorization. Taking control of the negative thoughts, rewiring the brain with positivity, learnings and understanding. Gratitude lists – positive thinking - all of it
And then the spiritual – our ability to live beyond ourselves and engage our imagination. The use of metaphors!
Here I would say that the drive into the States to the Grand Canyon and dumping the skids of issues into the giant ravine was an act of creative forgiveness. Wilma had her revenge fantasies.
My regret is that I wasn't able to explore this more. I know this was true for myself - and for Wilma. I would have liked to explore it more with others.
However, I am satisfied that through my story I can already point to the power of creative forgiveness.
I am convinced more than ever that we can overcome any disappointment or rejection if we engage in that creative force of forgiveness that promises to take anything negative that is hurled at us and turn it into good. Creativity is the key.
My entire life was about being creative and doing it differently; not being caught in negativities but always driving to work it out creativity. I wasn't always in the mode of creative forgiveness but when I was - it worked!
In my autobiography, I would want the power of creative forgiveness to be the over riding message to inspire others to live beyond themselves - as I have attempted to do.
**********************************
Church news - because of the marathon we will not be meeting at Park Theatre this Sunday - but here is the zoom link!
Topic: Maplecrest Sunday Morning "Father's Day"
Time: Jun 19, 2022 10:00 AM Winnipeg
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81843214887
Smiley....
It was an emotional wedding.
Even the cake was in tiers.
And the story continues...
******************************
As you know – the one big surprise at the end of time of the murder trials was to realize that Wilma and I had journeyed through the 15 big issues of the trauma of murder differently but together - each in our own ways. She had to story them: I had to sculpt them
Our next discovery was that our forgiveness journey had the same but different dynamics. This came up when I was drafting my autobiography – and she was reading it all. Opportunity for long discussions.
As the instructor of life writing, she had always found that people floundered at around chapter four in their autobiographies, which is when life becomes more involved and complicated. To help us organize our live she resorted to teaching us the four parts of personhood that is as old as time itself -- body, heart, mind and spirit.
In 1406 BC, Moses refers to them “…what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, (mind) to walk in all his ways, (body) and to love him, (emotions) and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart (relationship) and with all thy soul, (life) (spirit). Jesus repeated these four as well.
In 400 BC .Hippocrates referred to them as the four Humours, Aristotle as four sources of happiness, Eric Fromm as four orientations, Keirsey Bates as four temperaments and eventually Stephen Covey brought them back to the four dimensions, quadrants, of body, heart, mind and spirit.
So, this is not new.
As I drafted my story, the word forgiveness came up more than I thought it would. I had started the process as a young boy.
In our discussions, Wilma and I both realized that in organizing our autobiographies to reflect the four dimensions of the human experience, we had also needed to forgive in all four parts of our beings.
For example in my forgiveness journey, I had to learn to work with clay and work it physically. my body needed to do something... Wilma worked with white paint. In both of our cases our bodies needed to be involved.
The next is the relationships - the heart - how do we choose to work this out with our fellow man? Do we break rank and take the justice issues on ourselves? Do I start yelling, calling down – or even shooting my neighbour with ammunition or words? Do we see the image of God in others or do we see the image of the enemy? To heal we need to deliberately engage in meaningful – cross boundary conversations and connections. We need to come to peace with the enemy inside and outside of us. Mine was within - Wilma's was outside.
The next is the mind and this is where I needed to rewire my traumatized brain. Memorization. Taking control of the negative thoughts, rewiring the brain with positivity, learnings and understanding. Gratitude lists – positive thinking - all of it
And then the spiritual – our ability to live beyond ourselves and engage our imagination. The use of metaphors!
Here I would say that the drive into the States to the Grand Canyon and dumping the skids of issues into the giant ravine was an act of creative forgiveness. Wilma had her revenge fantasies.
My regret is that I wasn't able to explore this more. I know this was true for myself - and for Wilma. I would have liked to explore it more with others.
However, I am satisfied that through my story I can already point to the power of creative forgiveness.
I am convinced more than ever that we can overcome any disappointment or rejection if we engage in that creative force of forgiveness that promises to take anything negative that is hurled at us and turn it into good. Creativity is the key.
My entire life was about being creative and doing it differently; not being caught in negativities but always driving to work it out creativity. I wasn't always in the mode of creative forgiveness but when I was - it worked!
In my autobiography, I would want the power of creative forgiveness to be the over riding message to inspire others to live beyond themselves - as I have attempted to do.
Dear God,
I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that you are saying:
“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept my love
and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”
Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love.
Ameen
- Henri Nouwen
I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that you are saying:
“Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept my love
and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.”
Lord, open my hands to receive your gift of love.
Ameen
- Henri Nouwen
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