Refection #20 New Season
Beginning Again
Refection #20: New Season
In this new season of life
I sit with old wisdom—
gentle, steady,
reminding me not to condemn
myself or others.
I shared this reading
with a circle of friends.
Afterward,
they leaned close,
whispering their hidden stories—
struggles, quiet wounds,
pains carried silently within.
And so, together,
we breathed these words:
For all the ways I have harmed another in any way,
either knowingly or unknowingly,
through ignorance and confusion,
I ask forgiveness.
For anyone who has harmed me in any way,
either knowingly or unknowingly,
through ignorance and confusion,
I offer my forgiveness.
For all the ways I have harmed myself,
either knowingly or unknowingly,
through ignorance and confusion,
I heal these wounds with forgiveness.
From here, the learning begins.
To move forward
tend our wounds,
not hide them.
We loosen our grip
on stories of the past,
keeping our eyes
on the path still opening.
We look back with compassion:
to honor the good we received,
to bless the fine people we met,
to cradle even painful memories
as teachers... gifts in disguise.
Perhaps it is our wounds,
made tender with forgiveness,
that make love possible.
(The inserted italicized poem is from the Buddhist tradition.)