Remembering 9/115 years ago today I had taken the day off from work; I had a very important appointment scheduled with an attorney to begin exploring the necessary process of filing for divorce. You see, my husband had an extramarital "affair" with another woman; I didn't think I could ever forgive him. The appointment with the attorney never took place, she was called into court that day and had to cancel our meeting. Eventhough the appointment was cancelled, I took the day off as a "mental health day". I was at Hobby Lobby when the clerk said to me "Isn't it awful about the plane crashing into the World Trade Center in New York"? I hadn't heard anything about it; I quickly drove over to Best Buy and stood in front of the TV's mezmerized in disbelief.
During the painful days following 9/11, I watched our nation go into a state of shock and I began my own agonizing internal soul searching process. Most of us felt an instinctive need to reach out to loved ones and hold them close. I decided to give my husband another chance, an opportunity for him to turn his life around. Five years later I feel more connected than ever to my soul, to others, and to God. I found the strength to move on, I am now divorced. My life has begun to reflect what I value the most. I found the courage to forgive my ex-husband. I'm not sure I will ever be able to forget the pain and suffering. I imagine many survivors of 9/11 struggle to forget their trauma as well; in that I feel a sense of kinship.
I am thankful for the reason to question priorities I don't need another crisis to take the state of my life seriously. I work daily to honor the priorities I have set:
- I have forgiven those I need to forgive
- I spend time with the people who matter most in my life
- I listen to the voice of my soul so that I make real, honest choices based on what I most want
- If today were my last day on earth, I would feel good about what I am leaving behind
- I am working toward sharing my God-given gifts and talents with others
How about you???
