You can't take it with you

You can’t take it with you

Recently, a friend of mine attended a funeral of a not-so-distant and humble relative. Like most funerals, the occasion was somber. An older but kindly preacher who personally knew the deceased presided over the reading of the eulogy. As he spoke with a long, southern drawl, he discussed the life of the late beloved. In the midst of his tributary, he stopped and took a lengthy breath. He then told the multitude of mou
ers how fondly so many had spoken of the departed. In fact, every individual who had been touched by this person talked about what a “good man” he was. But then the preacher said something else…something unexpected. He looked around the parish and as he did, he relayed another important message about the man. He talked about how this individual had throughout his life been repeatedly taken advantage of by friends and family; but each and every time, this same individual would turn right back around and help those same folks regardless of what she or he had done to him. I asked my friend if this was in fact the case, and she conceded that it was the truth. Imagine that!

How many of us journey through life holding onto grudges for the wrongs that people have done to us? How many of us live day-to-day, licking our emotional wounds? For every moment we spend harping on those past hurts and negative feelings, we are one step closer to the demise of our own life force; as some call Chi. We could all stand to learn a lesson from the departed man in this piece. Here was an individual, humble beyond all means – a man who continually gave and gave until he could give no more. And in the end, he left a legacy that not many can call their own. His legacy was one of forgiveness, compassion and honor. Because he honored those around him, he had enough compassion to share his worldly possessions and yet time and time again, forgave them for their transgressions, their lack of return and even their lack of respect. In this individual’s life, he did not allow others’ lack to rule his emotions. In addition, he did not allow his own lack of material belongings control his own state of mind or his life.

Many of us have wealth beyond wealth but we do not see it. How so? Because we have not learned to let go of the past, we have enabled our negative state of consciousness to rule our vision, our emotions, and sadly, every waking moment of our lives. Our regrets, sorrows, anger, resentment, fear, animosity, and other feelings of lack start to creep into our life force. Before we know it, we have salt pouring into an open wound day in and day out. And every time we harp on those negative emotions, we are destroying a little bit more of our life force – that energetic core of our being, our quintessential purpose for living. From this moment on, I want you to reflect on your life and where you are right now. Are you still mad at an old beau? Still beating yourself up for the job you lost? No matter what it is you are dealing with at the present moment, it cannot be more powerful than your life force and your willingness to let go of the past. Forgive your significant other. Forgive yourself. Now. Do not hesitate. Do not look back. Forgiveness is essentially giving back to yourself. When you give back to yourself, you are rebuilding your life force and reinventing the world that you see around you with inspiration, passion and motivation. Stop crumbling in the agony of defeat and begin living in the moment of vitality!

Don’t forget to check out my upcoming 5-Week Program on the topic of “Forgivenesss.” During those 5 weeks, we will be tackling many of the thoughts, beliefs and inner turmoil that we often experience while we are feeling hurt, angry or simply blocked against any one or any thing that will helps us heal and flow. I invite you to take a look at the site that will go into greater detail this 5-Week Program on Forgiveness. www.ItIsAnInsideJob.com

Until we speak again, I am

Joan Marie, Intuition Girl