Tomorrow's daily talks about forgiveness and suggests that it is the most loving form of detachment we can find.  Instead of thinking of forgiveness as an eraser to wipe another's slate clean or a gavel that we pound to pronounce someone 'not guilty', the writer suggests we could view forgiveness as a scissors.  We can use forgiveness to cut the strings of resentment that bind us to a problem or a past hurt.  We set ourselves free by releasing resentment.

We easily loose our focus when we are consumed with negativity over another person's behavior. We do not ever need to tolerate what we consider unacceptable, but wallowing in the negativity does not change the situation. We can instead turn it over to our HP, let go, detach and forgive.

Loving ourselves enough to admit that resentments hold us back helps set us free.

Reminder: Every time I try to tighten the noose of resentment around someone's neck, I am really only choking myself. Today I will practice forgiveness instead.

Quote from . . . In All Our Affairs: "A part of me wants to cling to old resentments, but I know that the more I forgive, the better my life works."

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I was raised that forgiveness is a choice and the process typically begins when another apologizes for their part/wrong doings. Well - this 'set in stone' mindset was a huge part of my insanity. I did not know how to forgive others who didn't own their part, never apologized, continued with the offense, etc. So, instead, I kept a mental list of all the ways I was wronged, who wronged me, etc. It was long, exhaustive and extremely unhealthy.

In recovery I have learned that I do not have room for growth, change, love and more when my mind and heart are filled with negativity, anger, resentments, blame/shame of others, etc. Holding on to all that pained me from the past is just unhealthy and inhibiting.

It is in recovery that I learned that forgiveness is not about others, it's about me. It's about setting myself free, shedding the painful past and being in the present, with the hope that the best is yet to come. In spite of my best efforts, some of the past creeps in when this disease flares up around me. That's just part of the human experience, and I try to remember that I am blessed because I have a program with tools to address these times/moments.

I am guarded about my qualifiers and what I share as their story is their story and mine is mine. My youngest has begun another descent down the rabbit hole, crashed his car, got fired from his job and is isolating/hiding. This is not our first rodeo, or second or third or .... It's been a consistent pattern for him since he first caught the disease bug. In spite of my best efforts, I do revisit the anger/resentment I have for my first born each time my second born relapses as my first born was the first person to give him H. My mind & my heart alignment shift at the knowledge/memory of this and I have to trust my program, HP and tools to realign them. This has been on my mind of late and I keep doing what has been suggested - let Go, let God and practice forgiveness. Sanity suggests to me that if it jars/shakes me up, it must be unbearable for my first born. Prayers are welcome for my family as the disease is active all around me again.

I miss Debb, who had this in her signature:

"Forgiveness doesn't excuse bad behavior, but it does prevent bad behavior from destroying your heart". ~ unknown

Love and light MIP family - make your Thursday awesome!!

Thank you IAH For your service and this really cool post.

Forgiveness has always been a trigger word for me because the offender expect us to just forgive and forget and he would say fresh start or clean slate and he was never held accountable or never made amends for his wrongs

I like the analogy of using a pair of scissors to just cut off all the negativity and detach to me forgiveness now means not saying what they did is OK, it certainly does not mean I want anything to do with them, it certainly does not mean to me that they get a free pass get out of jail card and they are not to be held accountable.

But the big thing with me that I have learned is I must, MUST get rid of the resentment and hate and revenge that kept me bound with these people. There are some crimes that are just not forgivable but even so. It behooves me to journal my feelings, allow all the grief and the anger to pass through my body and then I can cast the burden of hate and resentment and revenge which I see myself doing now with the one who hurt me so bad. He was entitled he was never sorry but that is his issue with his higher power and not mine.

The only time I think of him now is when I'm working through An old trigger or a bad memory or I am grieving something again that he caused me to lose. And then I can walk away. I asked my higher power many many times if its not possible to wash my heart of hate and resentment then just give me a new heart. I am good with starting over. LOL really seriously that's what I said to my higher power, I guess he figures its easier to just clean out the old one which actually is an excellent shape  because I really am losing the hate and resentment, he just isn't worth the energy it takes to carry around that kind of garbage and baggage. He just is not worth it.

When someone is toxic to me...eval the relationship...is the offense a mistake or bad pattern???..if it is worth it (relationship) ?? sort it out if possible...if not worth it?? walk away, God bless and detox my life....it IS getting easier for me to do that....

Thank you for this awesome post and I love reading what you say about it because I so relate to so many things that you say. Take care and continue being safe and careful

   Thanks for the reading Iam...

It has taken me most of my life to get to this point. I was so riddled with anger- rage... fear and resentment.

I felt humiliated- and I was. It affected my physical health- as well as my mental and emotional condition.

There was a meme: Resentment is about taking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Took me a while for this to sink in- years in fact.

But recovery has happened... healing... but not without a battle with myself. 

Nice to reflect on this one... healing. 

Thank you for this post. This is exactly where I am and I'm really struggling to let go of my resentment. I was called out by my therapist and now have to look at my part in things so I can let it go, forgive and start to heal. Its easy to fall back and forget the 3 Cs. Very good post.

I usedb to live  eat and sleep by the scorched earth policy. Every significant  relationship.was toxic. I.was pretty adept at taking other people's inventories  Of course I also knew what they should do to get better because I was that onowledgeable 

In therapy today my therapist told ne that no one is truly functional. He stated that every family had their issues 

Lately i.have becime conscoois of those who claim their life is perfect. My friend who committed suicide hsd a perfect  marriage He had nothing but great things to say about his wife. He lived iin a great neighborhood.  When his father died both he and his siblings cane to an agreement civilly about his estate.     Six months after his father died he committed suicide.  That will be 4 years this December 

Nobody is oerfect least of all me.  However I.am in recovery and recovery means heing accountable to myself 

My giving uo the scorched earth burn every bridge possible way of relating has been decisive.   I have certanky had my issues with my.former room mate for decades. 

I am truly blessed to have found a way to let go without tremendous recrimination and resentment. For ne that is a really huge turning point.

It is an incredibke feat indeed when people like.my former roommate,  are provactive and exyremely nasty abd they do not get a rezpinse from me.  For me that is a huge shift in detachment one I could never have considered possible. 

Of course i have most of ny life not been able to sit quietly when someone tried to provoke me with taunts, derogatory remarks and caustic comments. My trigger(s). would go off. 

So not respinding isnt exactly a form of letting go but it demonstrares maturiry snd dignity. Dignity is not somethimg I aspired to in the oast.  I was far too busy with the scorched earth reactivity that went along with solely being able to live within a victim role. 

I am always grateful to al anon for the chance to grasp detachment to a point where it results in acceptance.

My.former roommate is childish, vicious and malicolus. I no longer consider where that came from. I consider only that I donnot have to react to and respomd in any way that kind if childish vicious behavior. How significant that wil be in my life 

for the future.   A future that no longer includes the imoending doom feeling