Journalist Amanda Lindhout spent 15 brutal months in captivity in Somalia. Karen's father committed suicide when she was 10, her husband was continually unfaithful over 11 years of marriage leaving her with syphilis upon divorce and the man she fell in love with was gay and died in an airplane crash 13 years later. And yet these 2 women I have briefly read about this morning have "chosen" (key word here) to forgive, to have a positive attitude, to focus on "the best" and to be content. Wow. Amazing. How? Authors Dr. Steve Stephens and LPC Pam Vredevelt believe we can "choose to be positive and optimistic." "Optimism can be learned, pursued and embraced". "Our contentment is not based upon our circumstances; it is based upon our choices." Really?! Sign me up for that class! They encourage us to "seek what is good and positive, chase it down and don't let it escape." When it comes to forgiveness, they say, "Forgiveness and letting go of anger are one and the same. (That's a new thought.) Forgiveness is an intentional choice of the will that encompases a process. As we practice the work of letting go of our anger, we discover more and more that forgivenes and healing are one." Much more good stuff is in their book The Wounded Woman, Hope and Healing for Those Who Hurt. Amanda Lindhout wrote a book about her captivity in Somalia entitled A House in the Sky to be released in September. I read about her in the New York Times online edition on Wednesday.
So...I am determined to choose everyday to Forgive, Pursue Optimism and Be Content. For I have NOTHING to forgive compared to these 2 women and many more I am thinking about as I sit here reflecting this afternoon.We'll see how I do in the weeks to come. I really want to "learn" this art. Talk about learning something new...