Starting in 2005 I began to learn about forgiveness. I was in an automobile accident on February 19 2005 at about 3:20 in the afternoon.
It was a cold clear day, as good a day as you can get for an accident, at least it was not raining, or snowing, but then when is it ever a good day for an accident to happen? From that day on it was up to me to learn to forgive that person, who went through that stop sign and crashed into my little Honda civic, that was really ready for the grave yard itself, but then, that is another story.
I remember when they took me out of the car and I saw my left foot, it looked like it was pressed into a box, it looked funny and I remember thinking, oh boy, I am in trouble. They put you in the neck brace and it is not comfortable at all, and then on the way to the hospital they are cutting all your clothes off, it is not a pleasant trip at all, because I am awake for most of the trip, making my silly remarks, which, I don't know if the remarks were for the guys or out of embarrassment of the moment, of having your clothes gone. It is about 13 miles from my Waynesboro to the Washington County Hospital and it was a long uncomfortable ride. My back was starting to hurt just lying on that board.
Well we finally made it to the hospital, I don't remember a lot for awhile, I was in and out for awhile, I do remember my sister and Lori being there. (Lori is my friends daughter and she is like my daughter too. Her Mom always said she had a rent a kid. She had six, so she shared with me). My head hit the windshield and it was getting such a large lump on my head that I could only see out of my left eye and only if they were standing at a certain spot. I do remember hearing them tell my sister that I was going for tests. Yes, to find out what all was wrong with me.
Reports from the tests were: Head lump, broken neck,broken rib, punched liver, right leg tibia injury, left foot crushed. The worst thing was the tibia in the right leg, they said it would have been better if it were broken.With the crushed foot and the injured tibia I had to spend time in a nursing home. I could not put any weight on my feet for 3 months, because of the injuries. However, after 2 months I could put weight on my left foot. With the wonderful boot I learned to stand on one foot, I learned to hop on my foot, I hadn't hopped in years. I did not think I could do it, but I did. I learned you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I kept saying, I can do this, I can do this, and I did. The battle had been won, I did it. I learned a lot from this accident, I watched a lot of people and how they couldn't do it, but one time they would do and the next time they just were not bothered. Not me I want to go home. One thing I learned was to go from the wheelchair to the bed on a board, it is amazing the things you can do if you just learn the way to do it. I had a lot of good times in that nursing home, my only complaint was the food, it was so bad I could not eat. Lost 40 lbs, which was a good thing.
So on May 22 I was finally allowed to come home. And wouldn't you know it on that day of release, oh the blessed thought of coming home, I had a fever of 101.7 . The nurse said "they will never let you go with that temperature over 100." I said "I got to go home, I need to get well, the food is so awful I can't eat this junk, I can't get my strength up with this so called food." So she said" go get a wash cloth with cold water and keep it on your head". I did that and a lot of praying. She came back several hours later and took my temperature again and it was 98.7 .........happiness in going home.
Why I am I telling you all of this stuff, it does have to do with forgiveness, because I was told by my pastor I had to forgive the guy that ran the stop sign and put me in the hospital. The man that ran that stop sign came into the ICU to see me. They thought he was family. He wanted to have me forgive him. I told him I forgave him, but deep down in my heart and soul, I had not forgiven him. So this started me on the road to forgiveness.
It did not happen overnight, not by a long shot, but after 9 months or so, I could say I had forgiven him and felt in my heart that it was true. I think back on how I was before, going to church, Sunday School, meetings, nice people meeting new people, loving people, so I thought, but did I forgive the ones that I didn't care for, who had said or did things that were not right. no I just kept the tongue wagging about that person, not knowing what their life had been like, what they have been through, because it was all about me. What I did, how I felt, what I had been through, but now......I think of that person why is she/he this way, what have they gone through in there life that they need to work out for themselves. Oh the blessedness of being able to forgive.
The Lord's prayer says "forgive us as we forgive our debtors" we forgive our debtors.. Do we understand that line.. that means we forgive our debtors, really forgive, not just say it, but we do it. We are forgiven, why can't we forgive other. We are to be Christ like. What did Jesus mean when he said "Forgive them for they know not what they do"?
I have been using the Ho'oponopono prayer. Ho'oponopono means to make right.
"I'm Sorry", Please Forgive Me", "Thank you", "I Love You"
One of the best things I know to learn forgiveness is the Ho'oponopono prayer.
Blessings and love to all,
Myrna
