Day 2,912

Growth:

This morning we had quite possibly the most influential sermon I’ve ever had on the topic of forgiveness. Our priest suffered a terrible tragedy when he was a child when his grandparents were the victims of robbery and murder. He’s spoken on this topic – forgiveness – in the past, but this time in particular really hit home at a deeper level.

What stood out to me the most was the reminder that there must be an accounting of the hurt, of the pain inflicted, before true forgiveness can begin. From there we can work through the process of forgiving the individual, not once, but over and over again while wanting the best for them. This provides the balance of justice AND mercy, what we should all provide others.

I’m grateful for how he pointed out how sometimes this can be easier when it involves someone we hardly know, but more exponentially more difficult when involving someone we know well and love.

This is still processing in my brain, I need to watch it again a couple of more times to let it fully seep in (you can check it out here if you’d like – https://www.youtube.com/live/wNjnmXTfpvA?si=MLUinDNMpupcxcF1&t=1353). So much to unpack, so many levels to process this at to fully get it – at least as much as we as people can do.

Appreciation:

After all the busyness of this past week (or more) today was a beautiful respite. We hit the grocery store early, walked the dog, did some housework, and still had time to kick back and relax a bit. Much of the time we were all heading in our own directions, but there was still a solid chunk of time spent together. Having a little downtime to breathe felt amazing as will the early-ish bedtime this evening.

Presence:

There was a deeply moving moment at church today. I’m still not sure how I got to the exact emotion, but there was such a deep sense of gratitude for my Grandma Lamping that I was almost brought to tears. The older I get the more I wish I would have spent more time getting to know her better, to hearing more of her stories from her own memory. She was an incredibly amazing woman who brought so much joy to my life, but I know I only saw a fraction of the full person she was. Through the stories of others I have started to see how extraordinary she was. Had she lived longer and I matured earlier I feel there is so much I could have learned from her. This morning I couldn’t help but feel more connected to her at a deep level and I was so grateful for the flood of emotions and memories at church this morning.

Thanks!!!