Write about the emotions you fear the most. —Laurie Halse Anderson 

Parents and Forgiveness

Your Truth

As we start to hone in on your stories, please remember this -- You can’t find THE truth. You can only find YOUR truth.

First, you experience an event through the lens of that present moment. Later you experience that same event through an ever changing lens of memory, hindsight, and wisdom. Others experienced that event through their present moment lens. And then through their later, ever changing lenses of memory, hindsight, and wisdom. Recognizing this plural and ever changing nature of memory, please let go of the impossible goal of finding THE truth. Accept your more challenging task of sharing YOURS. The mix of our voices make up our collective truth and there is value in adding yours.

With that in mind, I'm going to ask you to do some hard work. Start thinking about your caregivers (please substitute mother and father as needed). Review the following questions and respond with free writing to the prompts that resonate most with you. Write for at least one minute, but not more than 15-20. 

Be kind to yourself as you do this.

• What do you know or imagine to be your father’s unlived life (meaning some unexpressed aspect or dream)? Where was he stuck? How did that (and does that) impact you?
• What do you know or imagine to be your mother’s unlived life? Where was she stuck? How did that (and does that) impact you?
• The message I got from my mother was...
• The message I got from my father was…
• My parents wished that I would…. 
• I wished that I would...
• I need to forgive…
• I need to be forgiven for…

StoryList

Did anything come up in today's writing? Write those in your StoryList notebook.

You have to say I am forgiven again and again until it becomes the story you believe about yourself. - Cheryl Strayed