There always seems to be an “uplift” whenever someone enters into conversation with me about being loving and forgiving. It all started when someone sent me a page out of one of those new-age guides to spirituality and asked that I read it in hopes that I shared the same belief. I read it and thought about it, and then sent an email back to that person with my own review.
The thrust of that day’s reading was how we should continue to forgive, forgive, and forgive, even all the more with those who’ve hurt us on numerous occasions. In my return email I said, “I work very hard to forgive each and every person for what they’ve done to me, along with wishing them well, only as long as they stay as far away from me as possible—but no farther. We are humans which makes us all sort of “fallen angels” who’ll really never “get it” completely right during these short years we have on this God forsaken planet we call earth. But, on the bright side, we still can, if we choose, work at becoming that perfection of total purity that’ll always be just out of our reach.
I went on to say in my email how if we continue to have bad people in our close circles doing sinful things to us as well as others and forgiving them every time we discover one more hurt, then we are in fact allowing ourselves to become spiritual, mental, and sometimes physical masochists, and that’s nothing anyone wants to be proud of when writing home. Can you imagine a young college student penning a short letter to her mother saying, “Hey Mom. I thought I’d let you know my new boyfriend is teaching me the finer points of masochism and I’m really starting to enjoy it.” Sounds like too many have joined the herd that’s fallen in love with “Fifty Shades of Grey”.
Not but a few hours later, I received a two word text from the sender of that email which said, “You’re right!” I’ll no longer be fearful the sender will go so overboard with forgiveness that the real respect and love of self will be lost. That email back and forth and the final text was my “uplift” for possibly my week. These past years I’ve seen a huge falling backwards with the basic respect people in society have for each other and I don’t like it—especially when I find it happening within the crowds of our young. I’m still in disbelief how many young women allow themselves to be treated by their boyfriends. I’ve personally seen and heard it right here in River City.
One of my colleagues called today asking if I would help get the word out about a quiet fund drive that’s taking place for a very young 1st Grade teacher at Newman Elementary. Not long ago this highly regarded and much loved teacher was diagnosed as having had a grand mal seizure. From what I understand, she had more than one foot over death’s doorstep to where many thought she wouldn’t make it. She’s now on a slow road to recovery and her medical bills are now piling up. There’s been an account opened at First Citizen’s Bank for people to donate any amount they can freely spare. I understand that all three bank locations here will take donations, and that’s all you have to do is ask that it be deposited into Ms. Hutchison the teacher from Newman’s “Help Fund” account. I’ll be stopping over to the Downtown branch tomorrow to make my own donation. A very sad story which I’m confident will have a happy ending.
