"Operating in a Mysterious Universe" (Divine Love & Genuine Forgiveness)

The morning after my traffic accident, I knew something was terribly wrong. It wasn’t just the two hematomas on the right side of my face, it was something else, something I felt deep inside my psyche that led to the immediate disintegration of my personal relationships (including my marriage) and family business. Intense mood swings and insomnia began to alienate everyone around me. Anger, resentment, and fatigue took over every aspect of my life. It wasn’t long before my wife, who was my business partner, was ready to move on from our 20+ year old marriage and successful small business.

It was at that time in my life that things felt hopeless. In fact, I was one of ‘those guys’ who made ‘that call’ to a crisis hotline. The compassionate person on the call kept me from walking off the proverbial cliff.?I was told that I could be saved, but I’d have to let my wife go. No promises were made, she said I’d have to be willing to do the work to make myself mentally healthy again. The journey was not what I had expected.

We’ve heard about the Universe (God) working in mysterious ways.?It is 100% true.?Let me explain. While in the middle of a painful divorce, a serious family emergency led us to a forced separation. My wife had to travel to a different state to care for her injured mother while I stayed home. This split, while unfortunate for my mother-in-law, gave me the necessary time to get my life back on track. I was able to work through a suppressed childhood assault, something I had kept hidden for over forty years. I finally realized this traumatic event had negatively affected my life for decades.?That single event had caused me so much emotional pain that often I subconsciously sabotaged most of the good things that ever happened to me.?Perhaps, more importantly, it was during this time that I was able to demonstrate love in a way that would eventually win my wife back. This display of divine love would literally save my marriage from the brink of divorce.

In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I learned about the real value of forgiveness and love. My healing process began with brutal honesty, personal introspection, persistence, and patience. When I genuinely forgave myself for my own mistakes AND forgave others for their perceived slights against me, I moved forward. Perhaps equally important, was my practice of self-love, something I had never ever done. The concept had always felt creepy to me.?But I soon realized that by truly appreciating and valuing myself, I had the real power to put myself onto a positive trajectory. Self-love led me to finally find some success and experience legitimate fulfillment, both personally and professionally. Love helped me to set boundaries with others and to stop the sabotaging. It was a whole new world for me.

As strange as it might sound, the unfortunate injury to my mother-in-law gave me an opportunity to get my life back on track. It saved my marriage. I give my wife great credit for honoring me with her valuable partnership and continued support. In addition, I thank my supportive network of family, friends, and professionals who played a significant role in my healing process.?Without any of them operating in this mysterious universe, none of my personal improvements would have happened.

Now, I believe everything, whether it is good or not so good, are really blessings from the Universe.?These blessings are significant to our existence as poetic humans, people who seek to have clarity and know their real purpose in life.

We must see all things that happen to us as legitimate opportunities and act on them without any fear.?We need to be humble, get honest with ourselves and be willing to learn from our own mistakes and to forgive ourselves for theirs as well.?We can practice self-love by never giving up on ourselves, especially when things seem hopeless. Self-love may be the highest form of honor. Try it and see how it works in your own life.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind, operating with love and forgiveness makes living so much better and our Universe, perhaps, a little less mysterious.

Thank you for the part you play in the greater scheme. The value you possess and the way you operate is significant to the mystery.???