Tag Archives: ForgivingFridays

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge

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For this Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 94, the prompt is “Beliefs & Strange,” #SynonymsOnly. I use Trust for Beliefs and Unknown for Strange.

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Image of unknown

distant yet familiar, that

Attracts my desire

Focus on the stepping stones

Trust brings my feet close to you

~

Life is likea cup of tea

Colleen’s Weekly #Tanka Tuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 94, “Beliefs & Strange,” #SynonymsOnly

This poem contributes to Debbie’s Forgiving Fridays

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Promise

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The spring came late this year. The winter rain kept the sun away when the plum trees needed the warmth to bring out the blossoms. Regardless, the hard-working bees pollinated the blossoms as much as they could. It looks like the trees promise a fruitful harvest in the summer. The top right photo is apples and the bottom right is plums.

Just thought that I could relax to look forward to the harvest, I found out that the homeless and hungry cat has eaten three mourning doves in my backyard. The doves are not very alert. The cat hid behind the flowers and dashed out to the doves. I’m heart-broken and try to do my best to fence in some area for the birds. He’s behind a gate my neighbor installed to keep the dog in their yeard. The cat is flexible to go through any tiny area to get into my yard.

fruits

cat

flowers

Frank’s Dutch Goes the Photo: Tuesday Photo Challenge – Promise

Debbie’s Today’s Forgiving Fridays is about…Happy-ness!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Forces

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I was a student at Seattle Pacific University, Washington in May 1980 when Mt. St. Helen had erupted. The ashes drifted over many states and could be seen from Chicago. Mercy, Will and I went to visit in September 2016 and saw a lot of plant growth. This is a great illustration of the force of destruction and the force of life.

Mt. St. Helens

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Frank’s Dutch Goes the Photo – Tuesday Photo Challenge – Forces

Debbie’s Forgiving Friday – Forgiving Connects

 

Weekly Photo Challenge – Growth in Relationship

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This is the 4th day into the new year of 2018. It’s an open book. What memories do I want to fill into this book?

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I do not know about tomorrow. I face each single day with my mind open to learn, my heart open to love and accept, and my hands open to give and receive.

With that mindset, I pray for growth as an individual, as husband and wife, as well as a family. I pray that my husband and I will grow deeper in loving and caring for each other, learn to be considerate and thoughtful parents and grandparents.

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As for Mercy and Will, I pray that they grow in their love, respect and admiration to each other. Every day brings new learning and new joy as parents with their precious baby Autumn. Autumn is now 3 months and 1 week old. She found her fingers and loves to put them in her mouth. She is laughing, cooing, and grabbing objects with both hands. She would love to play board games as much as her parents and grandparents.

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This new year will be a great growing time for all of us!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Growth

Debbie’s Forgiving Connects

Gratitude for Being

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Gratitude for Being

From ashes and dust of earth
Beautifully and wonderfully we are made

Eyes to see the majestic sky, mountains, and sea
Ear to hear His voice and harmonious sounds of music
Nose to smell fragrance of flowers and scents of trees
Mouth to sing praises and speak of peace
Hands to serve and extend the healing touch

Heart to feel acceptance, compassion, and love
Feet to trot spreading the good news
Walking the path that is less traveled
Faithfully and gratefully we roam
Till the day He calls us home

Debbie’s Forgiving Fridays

Daily Prompt: Gratitude

Victory Over Bitterness

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In my counseling experience, I have seen many people get stuck in situations of anger and resentment. I came across this article by Leon F Seltzer Ph.D. and the following is a summary. You may find the original article at Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201501/don-t-let-your-anger-mature-bitterness

Don’t Let Your Anger “Mature” Into Bitterness, by Leon F Seltzer Ph.D.

“Bitterness is unforgiveness fermented.”  (Gregory Popcak)

The Cause of Bitterness

All bitterness starts out as a hurt. Your emotional pain may well be related to being victimized. Someone has wronged you and caused you grieve. Anger and resentment readily came along. When left to fermentation, anger eventually becomes the corrosive ulcer that is bitterness. Stephen Diamond, Ph.D. defines bitterness as “a chronic and pervasive state of smoldering resentment,” and deservedly regards it as “one of the most destructive and toxic of human emotions.”

The Cost of Bitterness

  • Prolong your mental and emotional pain

  • Lead to long-lasting anxiety and/or depression

  • Precipitate vengeful acts

  • Prevent you from experiencing the potential joys of living fully in the present

  • Create, or further deepen, an attitude of distrust and cynicism

  • Interfere with your cultivating healthy, satisfying relationships

  • Compromise or weaken your higher ideals

  • Rob you of vital energy

  • Undermine your physical health by taxing (or “overloading”) your immune system

Bitterness puts the focus on the person who wronged you. Yet you don’t have any control over the other person. You do have power over yourself. By redirecting your focus inwards is precisely how you go about empowering yourself, to reprieve the entrapment of bitterness.

The Cure of Bitterness

James J. Messina has developed a five-step plan:

(1) Identify the source of your bitterness and what this person did to evoke your resentful feelings;

(2) Develop a new way of looking at your past, present, and future—including how resentment has negatively affected your life and how letting go of it can improve your future;

(3) Write a letter to this person, describing [their] offenses toward you, then forgive and let go of them (but don’t send the letter);

(4) Visualize your better future having neutralized the negative impact of resentment; and

(5) If bitter, resentful feelings remain, return to Step 1 and begin again

Conclusion with quotes:

 ~

Daily Prompt: Bitter

Debbie at Forgiving Friday https://forgivingconnects.com/2017/05/12/todays-forgiving-fridays-an-honest-look-at-myself/

Daily Prompt: Reprieve

Healing from Above

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The offender never apologize

The inflictor will only deny

The sword of tongue so sharpen

The stabber laughs with his knife

He lives on merry go lucky

The hurt, the wound, the confusion

Caused by one with no conscience

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The healing of the wound

Never comes from this person, but

Comes from letting go

As hard as it might be

Forgive him, set him free

Only then

The hurting heart is relieved

Ready to receive the healing from Above

 *        *        *

Daily Prompt: Heal

Debbie’s Forgiving Connection: Forgiving Friday

Echo of the Earth

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This post is my contribution to Debbie’s Forgiving Friday. If you like to participate, please click the link.

Echo of the Earth 1

Let me –

Embrace stillness as ocean reflects the light in the night
Endure suffering as stones engraved with strikes
Remember kindness as dried field once flooded with rain
Forgive myself as melted snow came and drained
Die to the desire as leaves wither and return to earth
Open to new life as seeds rise up in spring search
Be content the humility as blossoms unfold the new beginning
Acknowledge the limitation as ants crawl on ground feeding
Take courage in independence like the trees stand-alone
Treasure the caring as mothers secure and protect their own
Be grateful for the freedom as the eagle soars high in the sky

The Earth and I.

Echo of the Earth 2

Echo of the Earth 3

Echo of the Earth 4

Echo of the Earth 5