Good Morning, Friends! I think the most valuable Skill I have learned in the past decade is forgiveness. We don't usually associate forgiveness as a "skill" yet it is so. It is something we must choose to do. The best work I have found is the little book "Forgiveness," by Rodney Hogue. It is available on Amazon.

I recall being in my first homeless shelter and the Director engaged us on the topic of forgiveness. I said that I could never forgive the men who had violated me, and that I felt there were crimes committed against innocent children and victims that were unforgivable. He told me that I would never be able to make spiritual progress until I was able to forgive.

I put that thought in the back of my mind for many, many years, while I continued to suffer from my hatred and blame, caused by my own non-forgiveness. Eventually, my suffering was overwhelming, and I had to surrender. Humility brought relief from my defiance. I began, slowly, slowly, to learn to forgive.

Sometimes now my ego-mind still ensnares me and rage heats up like a summer storm. Eventually, there is a tempest, and then the release of rain, and finally, forgiveness. Then peace of mind returns. This happens consistently, so that I can almost see it coming from the distance like spotting a storm at sea headed towards my ship. But I still have so far to go...

This morning during my yoga at dawn, I felt the peace that eases my soul return. My black cats and I listened to the deep tones of Zen flute, absorbed the scent of Nag Champa, and witnessed the coming of another dawn- in gratitude.