When I came to Relationship Lifeline I felt most of my personal healing had already been achieved. My marriage was good and consistantly getting better. I felt the we were on solid ground yet there was still something eluding me personally.
I ended up attending the program because of Tina’s visit to my church. During her presentation, which was a sample of the exercises done at the weekend, she brought to awareness an important fact. The fact was that I had come to excuse the behavior of others but failed to achieve true forgiveness.
While attending the program I realized that the person I needed to forgive was myself! You see I had never forgiven myself for leading others astray when I was living my life of dysfunction and destruction. This was key indeed, I couldn’t or wouldn’t reach out to others because I retained the perception of myself as a negative influence on others – untrustworthy. Once I knew that I was unconsciously holding myself hostage to the past, I could receive forgiveness and know that I am no longer that person.
My life has changed tremendously since then; I feel so much more confident and outgoing. Now that I have experienced compassion, I can extend it to others.
Up until attending Relationship Lifeline if someone would ask if I would attend my high school reunion, I would have said an emphatic no! It would be too painful, or the shame, the embarrassment of who I was then. Now I look forward to my fortieth reunion, grateful for the healing I have received and the person I have become.
Kathy
