Given that Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown today and ends at nightfall on October 1, it is appropriate to bestow the Post of the Day Award upon a blogger who deliberated upon and wrote about the concept of forgiveness. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, this holiday marks the start of the New Year — a day devoted to introspection, contemplation, and repentance when they ask for and give forgiveness, and pray for a healthy and happy year to come during which they will seek to be more obedient to God and kind to those with whom they interact.
Kim, aka A Progressive Girl, knows from personal experience what it is like to survive a horrifying ordeal that you will never be able to forget. And on September 11 each year, many people reiterate the words “never forget” in order to honor those lost on that day and prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again.
“I wonder,” she wrote on September 11, 2008, “for how many people that also means ‘We will never forgive.’ Yep, that is a hard one. I get the feeling some folks can’t even go there at all. I understand that. Some things are just so terrible it can make you feel like you want to carry that hate towards it forever. Like your hate is the only justice that it will ever meet.” However, Kim “realized over time that the hate I carried with me was now what crippled me … I had to find a way to forgive because that is the only way I would ever be free from [what happened to me].”
In Remembering, Kim expressed her hope that “as a nation,” the United States can find the same peace she has secured through forgiving those who were responsible for the events of September 11, 2001.
The Post of the Day Award goes to Kim today for her willingness to share details about her own personal struggle, as well as her insight into the process of healing oneself through forgiving those who have harmed you. Whether or not you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, this is an excellent day to spend a few moments considering Kim’s words and outlook in order to assess your own feelings on the subject and, hopefully, arrive at a place of peace in your own heart.
Thank you and congratulations, Kim!
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Kim was the founder of The Peace Tree and when she stopped blogging for a while, I was saddened. Now, with her new blog. I used to contribute at The Peace Tree and out of that came a long-time friendship long distance and in person.
I recently interviewed her for Our Stories at Hahn at Home and as always, her fearless forgiveness sets her apart from many.
Good call on the award!
Forgiveness. We should not just make room for it in our hearts every day, but in every breath, every minute. Thank you and congrats to Kim.
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