The essays in this unit illuminate the realm of inner healing where
our burdens, pain and unresolved issues can be released.
Section 4: Estrangement, Forgiveness and Reconciliation
| Sample excerpt fromAnatomy of Estrangement and Reconciliation |
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Estrangements can occur in any relationship. Within my friendship circle , I know people who are estranged from a child, a sibling, parents, grandparents, spouses and friends. The more people I talk to, the more I realize that family estrangement is far more prevalent than I imagine d. It is so shaming to be estranged from a family member that many of us don’t talk about it. Yet I believe that estrangements are the family system’s way of breaking open—sometimes in very painful ways—so that healing can begin. If we see it that way, we don’t need to dwell on the shame but can rather see the potential for healing. Working through estrangements in a healing way may be one of the most graced experiences in our lives.
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Section 5: Wisdom of the Inner Life
| Sample excerpt from Christmas Loneliness |
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When my friend Jann was in the midst of chemotherapy for metastasized breast cancer—cancer that had spread to several parts of her body—she asked me, in one of our lengthy conversations, if God was punishing her for not being good enough or for some bad behavior from earlier in her life. I asked her to tell me more about her feelings, and she explained that she never felt she was good enough for God and believed that her faults would not be forgiven. We had several conversations about how we had both absorbed this belief in a wrathful God during our childhoods, painting ourselves an image of a God who repaid us for our sins. In addition to that image, Jann’s father had died on her third birthday and she somehow felt responsible for his death since no one ever talked about him to her again. She hadn’t been to his grave for years. |
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Section 6: Christmas as a Catalyst for Healing
| Sample excerpt from Christmas Lonliness |
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
Santa Claus is coming to town.
I’ll be home for Christmas.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.
At Christmas, the old favorites play everywhere we go. The trees are beautifully decorated. Couples hold hands and carry bags of holiday gifts. People linger over coffee and special treats at coffee shops. Plates of cookies and bars appear in offices. Concerts and theater performances raise our spirits. Families gather from far and wide, happy to see one another. Children can hardly contain their excitement about their gifts. Church bells call out, inviting our hearts to open in gratitude and joy. If we’re lucky, it snows. People are at their happiest and most generous.
At least Christmas is like that for some people. |
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