Free-for-All Topics – Andrea Arthur Owan

My Camino wasn’t going to be rising before dawn and rushing through the popular 15-18-mile “stage” in order to make sure I secured a bed at the next town’s cheapest Albergue (like so many of the pilgrims on the path).

My Camino was going to be slowing down, engaging with the history, geography and spirituality. Stopping often to absorb the surroundings, architecture, history and people. Sitting in churches long enough to breathe in the Spirit of God. Trusting that God would provide a place for me to lay my head each night. Teaching myself how to live and walk in a relaxed manner.

Preparing for your day—

When you’re preparing to leave one place you know you won’t be returning to and walking 5 – 15 miles to another location, you plan carefully. You spend some time thinking about what you’re going to wear, how you’re going to pack, in case the weather changes and you need to shed a jacket or get to your rain gear and poncho in a hurry. If you happen to leave something back at the place you slept, you think long and hard about whether you really need it. About whether or not you can buy a replacement in the next tiny village you sleep in.

You get into a rhythm, and you realize quickly just what you need to have and what you can live without. Hopefully you’ve done some serious thinking about this before you’ve arrived to start the walk. Unless you’ve decided to splurge and have a carrier service cart your bag from sleeping town to sleeping town, carrying an extra 2 or three pounds of unnecessary gear in your backpack can be physically and mentally debilitating.

At first it’s a little frustrating and disarming: Where do I keep my pilgrim credentials so I can access them easily to give to the person checking me in at the albergue? Where’s the best place in my backpack to keep my reading glasses so I can access them in a hurry? My sunglasses if the clouds should part? My first aid kit? (Just in case your or another pilgrim needs some care.) A special place for the precious handmade journal my son gave me and insisted I take along. The one I’d weep buckets of tears over if it got wet or lost.

It takes your brain some time to process, the fact that you have to think carefully about these particulars, since you’re more accustomed to being able to jump in the car to rush back where you left something, make an additional trip to the store to buy what you forgot. But the brain is an amazing body part. It eventually learns to accommodate and think in different patterns and meet new demands.

You develop a daily rhythm:

Although this run-down may read like a tedious list, stay with me. I’ll talk about the benefits afterward.

Wake up and rise slowly, stretch the body to prepare it for the day’s walk.
Do your bathroom thing. Since the pottying and washing rooms might be separate, you need to prepare for carting your tooth supplies to a different location for preparation, and your clothes for dressing. Putting in contact lenses might require yet another locale (depending upon sink and mirror availability.)
Roll up and shrink your sleeping bag (if you had to use one) and then spread all of your bags of clothing and necessities out on your bed, to make sure everything is accounted for.
If you haven’t done so the night before, head to the clothesline to gather your clothes and give them a once-over to see if socks, shirts, undies and pants are dry enough to wear or roll up in a baggy. If not, the item will be rolled into a special bag (so as not to dampen other items) or clipped onto your backpack to dry as you walk.
Kinesiotape any body parts that need taping.
Double check the weather and temperature outside and decide on the day’s start-off clothing.
Get your hiking shirt(s) and pants on.
Prepare your feet and toes for the day, carefully put on your socks and then your shoes. (Although you may have to wait until you’re fully dressed and backpacked and headed to the front of the albergue if you’re shoes are stored in a downstairs cubby to keep the floors clean.)
Carefully pack up your backpack—sleeping bag in the very bottom, followed by bath towel and washcloth, silk sleeping bag liner, shower sandals, Ziploc bags of clothes and undies. The tiny pouches of daily contact lenses, foot care tape and pedicure supplies and the one containing general toiletries get tucked into available areas.
Then the journal and pilgrim credential (stored in waterproof bags) are slipped into the backpack and covered by the rain poncho and compressed puff jacket.
The upper pouch gets the Goretex rain jacket and pants (if the jacket isn’t being worn that day for general warmth), along with the assorted eyeglass containers (long distance sunglasses, travel-sized readers, and general long distance (for those times I’m taking a contact lens break). The sports sunglasses—in their case—get attached to the outside of my backpack’s hip pocket pouch for easy access. If I’m not wearing my sunhat that day, it gets folded up and stored in the top pouch too, for easy access. The money pouch, with the United States passport in its waterproof container, goes on top. Just in case we stop for a café con leche, banana or hunk of cheese along the way.
The outside pouch stores the Duck Back cover for my backpack (which I actually don’t need any longer since I purchased a full over-the-backpack-and-me poncho in St. Jean Pied de Pont just before setting out). It also carries my collapsible parachute bag I used for necessities like my United States of America passport and money pouch. The compact first aid get goes there, too, as well as any oranges, cheese or bananas I can squeeze into available space.
The two hip pouches contain lip cream, Euro coinage, the rosary Cory bought me in Rome, the prayer beads my dear girlfriend Judy bought me for my journey, and my hearing aids, which would cost me a small fortune to replace.
Before grabbing my coveted Pacer Poles hiking sticks, I double and triple-check for several items:
Hearing aids in the container (if they’re not in my ears, which Chris always checked for me too).
My phone, which I have only to take pictures, and in case of an emergency, should Chris and I become separated and I need to make contact with someone.
My precious leather journal and pilgrim credentials, to prove I’m on a foot-born pilgrimage and which gives me the right to bed down in an albergue.
Contact lenses
My money pouch and official passport, (which Chris always eyeballs too).
My Kinesiotape, (with which I could not walk comfortable if I were to lose).
Finally, the critical water bottles are topped off and placed in our backpack pockets.
Then the wrist sweatbands go on, followed by the Kool Tie neck wrap tied around my neck to ward off overheating and migraines, the hiking poles are grabbed, and you head out the door for another adventure, which you’ve come to realize you’re going to have. Every day.
The only jewelry I wore was a $15.00 faux pearl and diamond ring, so I didn’t have to worry about losing my real wedding ring or futzing with earrings. No watch, either. I relied on my phone, or the sunlight, for the time. And I didn’t bring any makeup. The only thing I applied to my face was sunscreen.

Not much to worry about.

Preparation time—

Because Chris and I were unhurried, this procedure took us about an hour. On days we wanted to rise early to beat the heat or walk longer distances, we managed to whittle it down to 45 minutes. Because most albergues expect you to vacate by 8:00 AM—to prepare for the next gaggle of pilgrims flooding their dormers—you’d likely have to rise earlier than you might have preferred. Especially if you’re sharing a room with pilgrims on a sprint to their next bed, who awaken you with noisy departure preparations or abrupt, dream-shattering light so they can be off.

Typed out on a word document, the process looks boring and tedious. Too methodical and repetitious. But it quickly became a comfortable ritual, one that gave consistency to our lives and only mildly jostled the brain. Each possession had a purpose and its place. Nothing useless or unnecessary. Everything we carried was meant to meet the basics of our daily needs. There was nothing but the necessaries to weigh us down. And most of it, besides the eyeglasses to see, the hearing aids to hear, the United States passport to move around Europe and get home, and the water was not critical.

Joy, and possibilities, in tedious structure—

The mundaneness had its advantages.

Since my brain had very little to be concerned about every morning, and became accustomed to the repetitive program, it was left with plenty of room to engage in the geography, the new surroundings, sights, smells, tastes and varied languages. New people and interesting conversations. All enjoyed without distractions or waste. Just as I was doing physically, my brain was relishing being able to take a breath.

I started enjoying the simplicity of carrying lightly and started pondering what I carried through life back home—what I’d picked up and carted along in my life “just in case”—that could be discarded.

There were plenty of buying opportunities, (and I had a wad of Euros in my pouch), but with so little room available, and the burden of extra weight to consider, I pondered each purchase with care and conscientious analysis. Something else I knew I needed to do more of in life.

Seriously consider the weight and substance of everything I own, everything I do, everything I buy.

It wasn’t that I was embracing a minimalistic attitude or view of life. If anything I probably found greater emotional joy than I had before in thinking about the beautiful and varied things that enrich my life and bring me happiness and satisfaction. The family heirlooms and pictures that trigger happy memories and the release of feel-good brain chemicals.

But I started asking myself some questions. Questions you may also want to ask yourself:

Introspection—

What things do I too hastily pick up and burden my heart, mind and life with? Do I carefully count the cost of carrying them before picking them up?
What belongings do I have that add nothing to my life, or, worse yet, only make it more complicated and burdensome?
What should and would I divest myself of in order to enjoy a richer, fuller life?
What should I divest myself of in order to invest in deeper, fuller relationships with family, friends and strangers?

It didn’t take long for me to start pondering those questions and soaking myself in the simple, divested life of a pilgrim. After all, I had traveled all that distance to hear what God had to teach me through the experience.

And I was determined to listen.

I’ll tell you more about that NEXT WEEK!

Until then, take some time to count the cost of your belongings and attachments?

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photos by Andrea A Owan

Is the True Meaning of Labor Day Lost?

Today we’re celebrating Labor Day here in the United States, a day to recognize the contribution of workers across the country. Historically, it specifically highlighted Labor (Union) workers—blue-collar union members and their contributions to companies and shareholders who enjoy the profits and wealth of the “common man’s” work. Parades and picnics were prevalent in big industrial cities. You’ll still find a slew of them in the East and Midwest where manufacturing labor is, or was, king.

Not so much in my hometown, where Labor Day sales at the mall and general activity-laden park picnics seem to take top billing.

What is going on?

A quick Google scan took me to an activity that encouraged people to include their dogs in the celebrating by entering them in a diving competition (at our famous Old Tucson Studios, where scads of old western movies were filmed). They’re calling it DockDogs. This celebration focus was bidding adios to the “dog days of summer.” (I asked my Shetland sheepdog, Dolly, if she wanted to drive 45 minutes west of our home just to show me her belly flop. She didn’t seem interested.)

Another listing encouraged Tucsonans to visit the Arizona History Museum for a first Friday of the month discount. The event blurb highlighted the display “Tucson’s Early Brewers.” That might draw a lot of people since microbreweries and specialty beers are all the rage now; and the originator of “Mr. Beer” (home beer making kit) resides in our fine city, just a couple miles north of my home.

Another event is happening at a local hotel, where they encourage you to drop in to enjoy music by local musicians. And, by the way, don’t forget to stop by the bar for an alcoholic concoction, evidently to help you celebrate better.

A nearby resort is hosting a Labor Day All-Star Jazz Celebration of Motown. And they’re having a big showdown and costume wearing in Tombstone (the town Wyatt Earp made famous). A big Tucson park is hosting their 21^stAnnual Labor Day Picnic and Classic Motorcycle Show.

But will those activities tell us anything important about the day?

But I’m left wondering what any of those events has to say about our gratitude to the laborers who have toiled to build this country and keep it going. Although they sound like wonderful, fun and relaxing things to do with the family, they seem to be missing the emphasis of the day.

More than 100 years after its founding, though, I’m going to guess I’d be hard pressed to find anyone out and about on Labor Day able to give you the meaning of the day. That’s probably because it’s now pretty much dedicated to hard-core consumerism, and much of the work force isn’t relaxing or celebrating the fruits of their labor at all—with picnics and rest and neighborhood football games—but laboring to sell or buy goods at a shopping mall, working on completing home projects, buying materials for said projects at the home building stores, or trying to catch up on unfinished work business so they can start the week with their heads above water rather than below.

Last year—

In my Labor Day post last year, on my other blog site “Broken Hearts, Redeemed,”I was complaining about the focus being on blue-collar rather than white-collar labor. And it really isn’t just nitpicking. It’s Labor Day’s history.

And taking nothing away from these hardworking people, who often had to (and still have to) work in miserable, dangerous conditions, sometimes in polluted air or with dangerous moving machinery parts, I’m going to take a moment to honor white-collar guys like my husband, along with the blue-collar workers.

Guys like him, (and, yes, gals), who’ve been working since their early teens to scrape together enough money to attend college, and then spend four or five years surviving on little to no sleep, inadequate nourishment, and getting their brains hammered with the toughest curricula offered in college.

Engineering.

The engineers who stay engineers. The ones who do the work of designing what others end up putting together. Not the managers trying (or wanting) to herd them all around, but the ones who get the throughout-the-day and evening and weekend calls that a product has broken and needs immediate attention because the customer has to have or needs to use it now. Like a doctor-on-call gets notice about a patient that needs their attention. Not after the weekend’s over, but within the hour.

The engineers who have to endure management meetings all day and then meet their job title requirements by designing after the work day’s over—at night. The ones who get paid for 40 hours of work but are really expected to work double time. For free. (My husband once had a manager—seriously—tell him that he didn’t care when he put in his 80 hours; he just had to put in that many. And get paid for 40.)

Then there are the doctors who have little to no family life, even though they dreamed of it.

My younger son has a friend whose father is in charge of emergency medicine at a prestigious hospital. This physician said he went into ER work after watching his father, a premier neurosurgeon, fall asleep from sheer exhaustion at a restaurant table too many times while the family was out to dinner. Or not be around at all because he was being called to the hospital to perform surgery or see unexpected patients. It’s a life they dedicate themselves to, but it’s tough. Who can blame them for buying themselves a 100K car so they can at least enjoy driving to the hospital to cut someone open to save their life?

Interesting enough, ER doctors have a shorter life expectancy than the general population, and engineers are dying at younger ages. Stress makes them more likely to experience heart disease and diabetes. An article in International Business Times (online) quoted Indian physician KK Aggarwal as saying, “Being a doctor in India is injurious to one’s health now.” Evidently they’re dying at incredibly young ages.

At least a dozen engineers where my husband is employed have died of heart attacks or cancer within the last 18 months. And they were all in their late forties to early sixties. Others have said, “Enough,” and walked out the door to other jobs or early retirement.

Sometimes I think we’ve all gone nuts with our “Protestant work ethic” mentality.

Many Millenials don’t want to put up with that stress any longer. They’re quitting their stressful jobs with the ridiculous schedules and unrelenting demands and opting for downsizing, simpler living, and freelancing. Clearly their definition of labor, as a group, is shifting the work paradigm. Maybe they’re smarter than us older people give them credit for. And maybe we should take some cues from them.

But my points are this:

Why can’t Labor Day go back to being Labor Day? A day to recognize the blessings of hard work, being grateful for having a job and being able to work; for giving credit to the Creator who gives us the talent and opportunity to labor?

Why can’t we show respect for one another’s work, instead of calling it professional, white collar or laboring blue collar? Why don’t we rejoice at what each of us contributes to the bounty put on our tables? Why do we have to continue comparing our work to someone else’s?

Why is it that when politicians talk about “hard working Americans,” they seem to imply that those making over 200K a year aren’t working as hard as those who aren’t. I’m going to put my neck on the chopping block here and guess that many are working harder.

And why do so many of us—through our behaviors and words—give the impression that we think someone’s value comes from the kind of work they do? (I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the question at a banquet: “What kind of work do you do?” And the “uneducated,” or any educated-but-stay-at-home-mom types cringe at what they know the response to their answer is likely to be.)

We need to do all we can to stop pitting ourselves against one another—through our actions, our attitudes and our words.

We need to lift one another up, encourage one another.

Thank one another for contributions to the gross national product in this country, or keeping the wheels of progress turning. Thank someone for exercising the gifts and talents God has given them.

Thanking everyone for their labors and sacrifices on this All-American Labor Day!

Until NEXT WEEK (when we’ll uncover three more worldviews that have affected our beliefs and behaviors), celebrate and enjoy your labor and the fruits of it, and thank the One who provides the increase!

(And thanks for letting let me get on my soapbox! I’m off now.)

Blessings,

Andrea

Celebrating Life’s Milestones—Body and Spirit

This weekend is another big one for the Owan clan. We’ll be celebrating with our older son as he is bestowed “with all the rights and privileges” of a Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering, specifically robotics and artificial intelligence.

Several weeks ago we celebrated as our younger son was graduated with all the rights and privileges of a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a minor in International Communications. He outshined all of us with an impressive magna cum laude status and a host of other awards, including Engineering Ambassador for the University of Arizona. He’s on his way to law school, where he plans to focus on IP—intellectual property—law.

Boy, are we proud of them!

But the accolades and achievements didn’t come easy, even though our older son is unusually bright and picks up concepts faster than normal. Way faster than normal, actually. And our younger son has the enviable capacity to be deeply introspective, which helps him identify his weaknesses and strengths and work in a way to take advantage of his strengths and neutralize those weaknesses.

Aside from their natural God-bestowed gifts, their awards came through hard work, lack of sleep, heightened anxiety, and poor eating habits. Sacrifices and deliberate avoidance of certain activities. Making conscious decisions to choose the best over the good. Sometimes—even though you strive for a balanced life—life needs to be lived unbalanced, as long as it doesn’t become a habit and the norm.

And I think they took to heart something I repeated to them from the time when they were very young:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV).

I love how The Message renders this:

“Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.”

We taught them that if they had just B brain capacities, then they needed to be the best darn B brains they could be. No excuses for what they didn’t have. They needed to use the gifts God gave them to His glory. So they wouldn’t look back on their lives with regret about talents and gifts they’d wasted or neglected to mature and develop.

They were also reminded often of the verse from Colossians 3:23-24:

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

And they were taught to dream big.

B-HAGS we call them in the Owan house. Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

Sometimes I think our older one goes a bit overboard with this, but he really is his father’s son, so I’m not surprised.

So this weekend we’re celebrating what he’s accomplished, where he’s come from and where he’s going. Memories of the last 28 years are already causing me to break out in melancholy.

It’s going to be a weekend to celebrate both the spirit and the body. And rejoice that our lives are a combination of both.

We all have stories to tell. Our lives are stories.

I’m having a grand time watching my sons’ stories unfold! Here’s the younger one on his big day!

Until next Friday,

Dream big, explore your potential, and celebrate body and spirit!

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photos by Andrea A Owan

Are You Growing the Right Direction?

Have you ever noticed how some trellising plants grow, like wisteria or delicate jasmine?

I’ve been watching my recently potted pink jasmine twining itself up the trellis I planted it in front of. And I noticed something fascinating. On just the second day, after it shot up overnight!

It naturally grows and loops counter-clockwise.

(For all of you master gardeners, who already know this fact, please don’t laugh!)

Every individual shoot twines that way, even when it runs out of supporting trellis and has no choice but to sag and then loop back down, it winds down the support in a counter-clockwise direction.

When I tried to get it to go the other direction, (I’m a scientist; I like to experiment!), it sagged or tried to unwind and rewind itself. Clearly, the growth genes in it weren’t happy, and resisted my efforts.

And then I started thinking that the same thing happens to me. When I’m not growing and developing and maturing the right direction, I sag and try to rewind. Even if I can’t put my finger on what’s happening, I can feel it.

I struggle emotionally, physically and spiritually. My life is unbalanced and chaotic. I’m not very fruitful, and I’m almost always frustrated. And oh, so tired.

Goad kicking—

In Jesus’ terms, I’m “kicking against the goad.” Which is hard. I’m resisting what the Holy Spirit wants me to do, resisting the life He has planned for me. The best life! I’m living life with one foot in my faith and the other on a spiritual (worldly) banana peel. Which isn’t a very stable, fruitful, (or pleasant) way to live.

If I try to rewind my jasmine and force it to grow another way or direction it isn’t designed to grow, I end up with a chaotic looking plant. And probably a stunted one. Lopsided. With ugly gaps.

If I give it the water, nutrients, and sunlight it needs, and maybe just help it get started in its tendril-support searching, I can stand back and watch it grow vigorously. It’s symmetrical and fascinating. It properly fills in the open spaces and is pleasing to observe. It brings me satisfaction and joy. I don’t really need to do much work to have it grow into a beautiful plant, because I’m allowing (and encouraging) it to do what it was designed to do.

How about you?

Are you growing the right direction, the way you were designed to grow? Allowing the Holy Spirit to nurture you and guide your growth? To provide the right support?

Or are you fighting your natural growth and His leading; and, in the process, wasting precious time, energy and resources.

For the weekend—

I know. It’s a holiday here in the U.S., but a three-day weekend is a perfect time to settle back and think about things in life.

Take some time this weekend to make some “field notes” on yourself. Like a biologist, environmentalist, or any other outdoor scientist does when assessing nature and what it tends to do naturally.

It won’t take long. Jot down the major areas of your life—physical, emotional and spiritual, and maybe work, family, personal relationships—and make some notes on how you’re growing in these areas. Don’t write down how you should be growing; just how you seem to be growing right now.

If you want, put happy, sad, or neutral faces next to each one. For now, just do the preliminary assessment without making any self-judgment calls.

Be a scientist researching yourself. Make it entertaining and fun.

NEXT WEEK: we’ll look more at how you should be growing. And what you might need to correct the direction you’re growing so you can be healthy, strong, and fruitful!

Until then, enjoy some plants and beautiful gardens!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

How to Forgive What You Can NEVER Forget

“On the day I forgave my father, my life began.”

—Pat Conroy

Do you find it hard to forgive what you can’t forget? Do you think you need to forget in order to fully forgive? Do you think you must automatically trust and reconcile once you’ve forgiven someone?

These are just some of the hard questions Dr. David Stoop covers in his priceless little book Forgiving What You’ll NEVER Forget. I picked it up in the Midway airport in Chicago while suffering through a ten-hour flight delay. (Now I’m sort of thankful for the delay!)

For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Stoop, he is a clinical psychologist who can be regularly heard on New Life Live radio program. He founded the Center for Family Therapy in Newport Beach, California and is an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary.

The back cover blurb says:

“Forgiveness is an essential part of being a Christian, but that doesn’t make it easy. What do we do when confronted with the unforgivable—an act that shakes our moral foundations to their roots, often committed by someone trusted and loved? Murder, sexual, abuse, adultery—all leave lifelong wounds. Thankfully, they are all trespasses that, through the grace of God, can be forgiven.

“Dr. David Stoop compassionately guides you down a biblical road, from the pain of bitter hurt to the peace found only in heartfelt forgiveness, even for the worst of offenses. In doing so, he opens up the way for you to experience the freedom that forgiveness brings.”

So just how do you forgive the unforgivable?

I think most of us have asked ourselves that question at one point, or many, in our lives. If you’re a follower of Christ, you feel obligated or moved by compassion and love of our Savior to forgive. If you’re not a believer, you might be more moved to get even or stay angry. Forever.

The 160-page, almost pocket-sized book contains chapters on—

Apology Not Accepted—including the definition of forgiveness, the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, and when it’s difficult to consider forgiveness
Myths and Truths about Forgiveness—this chapter includes some great questions to determine where you fall on the forgiveness spectrum and understanding common fallacies and myths about forgiveness
A Radical Forgiveness—this covers the history of God’s forgiving nature throughout Scripture, including the Old Testament and a comparison of Jewish and Christian teachings on forgiveness; and Christians’ tendency toward conditional forgiveness.
Choosing to Forgive—Stoop discusses the false paths of denial and bitterness we sometimes take. He also covers self-blame, obsession with the event, depression and shame along with seeking revenge and withdrawing. And he talks about the potential dangers of denial.
The Path of Forgiveness—Interestingly enough, forgiving often involves a path that looks like the five stages of grief, with grief, anger, sadness, action steps to achieve forgiveness, exploring the possibility of reconciliation, and then learning to trust again, which can be a huge obstacle for some to overcome.
Forgiving Ourselves—This issue can be tough for a couple of reasons: sometimes we don’t think about doing it; and, sometimes our standards are higher than God’s.
A Step Beyond Forgiveness—This chapter contains some amazing stories on the power of forgiveness and prayer—to move toward forgiving someone who really doesn’t deserve it, binding and loosening sins, and being freed from bitterness. It’s about stepping out beyond what you thought, and knew, were humanly possible to see God’s power work in and through you to change lives.
The Benefits of Forgiveness—There are numerous benefits received when you forgive, including physical, emotional, relational and spiritual benefits.

Dr. Stoop wraps up the book by addressing some of the most common questions asked about forgiveness.

This little gem is a short read, but not necessarily an easy one. It could rekindle some pain and bitter memories you wanted to keep dormant. It could challenge your beliefs and behavior. It could move you to positive action. But if you work through the questions at the end of each chapter, and put into practice what the author counsels, I know you’ll feel free!

Forgiving What You’ll NEVER Forget is available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle editions and on barnesandnoble.com.

Until next week,

May your heart and mind be lightened by forgiveness!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).