Forgiving...

I'm working on getting myself ready to lead a workshop on "Forgiveness" for the Mastery Foundation in Teaneck, NJ next Saturday. It's a new, one-day workshop that's only been done once and I didn't help lead that one.

But here's the thing: since I've been prepping on Forgiveness, 'forgiveness' has shown up over and over in my life. Most of the moments are with people I serve as priest and not to be shared. But one, just for me, came yesterday.

I realized I needed to forgive my dog, Bela, for getting old.

He's an annoying dog--being a Puli and stubborn as hell itself--but I love him so that normally I can handle being annoyed.

But recently, because he has trouble jumping in my car and dislikes going up and down the steps in our house and seems to forget how to get on our bed, I've been really impatient with him.

Well, he's 12--an advanced age for a dog--and I'm angry with him for getting old and need to forgive him.

Plus, his age, I believe, reveals my own to me. I'll be 70 in April. I'm of the "live fast, love hard, die young' generation. How did I get to be 70!!!

So, Bela's limitations simply illuminate my own, especially since I had knee surgery at the end of last September and have been limited in so many ways for so long.

So, I need, also, to forgive myself for aging.

Forgiveness is showing up in my life left and right as I prepare to lead a workshop of that name.

Imagine that!

I'm not surprised, actually.

When you're 'creating' a possibility, stuff flows into the space you create.

Really.