Shine Now Magazine April/May 7 Vol 1 | Page 38

3. Get outside and move. The beauty of having a dog is that no matter what they must go outside. So, it meant I had to go outside. Being out in the open, drinking in the rain and moving in the sun was soothing. I remember getting caught in one of those quick pour rain showers. I was mad at first, but then something shifted. The rain felt good. Those feelings I was holding onto began to just wash down the drain just like the rain. It was symbolic and cathartic. The rain washed away all those negative feelings I held against my ex-husband and myself. I couldn’t take them back even if I wanted to try. 4. Forgive yourself. I spent so much time being mad at my ex- husband. I was upset about all I thought I had lost. It took me a minute to realize that I was also mad at myself. I was angry with myself for ignoring warning signs and not speaking up. I was upset because I accepted such deplorable behaviors. I felt like I failed. I had to turn that stinkin’ thinkin’ around and consider what I was positioned to gain. I was free to pursue my purpose, free to find a new love and free to accept the TRUE love God destined for me. It was in this concept of self-forgiveness that I could regain my own sense of worth. The pain of our past is what destroys us. It makes us lose sight of our own essentialism. We must invest in the process of true forgiveness to renovate our soul and make ourselves essential again. 38