Here is a seasonal Trio of Wishes for you and yours. May the year ahead being you love hope, joy and blessings in abundance. Thanks for being an ongoing part of the Pause community. See you in the new year.

Reflection: Do you find yourself wondering if you’ve made a difference, or struggling with some of the slights, oversights, and regrets in your past?

Earlier this year, I read a book by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi titled From Age-ing To Sage-ing. In it, he suggests that one of the challenges we face as we move through life is making peace with our past.

Although he focuses mainly on late life, I believe the opportunity to make peace with the past is always available to us, no matter what our age or stage or page of life.

It occurred to me to share these ideas with you now, because late December – after the holiday uproar settles down – can be the perfect time to reflect on the year gone by.

Three actions are at the core of this practice: harvesting, reframing and forgiving.

• Harvesting is the act of drawing meaning from our experiences. We recognize and celebrate the contributions we’ve made through our work, as well as people mentored, friends and family nurtured, and contributions made to our communities.
• Reframing is the act of looking back at experiences we have pegged as mistakes, failures or shortcomings. We look at those experiences differently, reinterpreting what happened and searching for positive outcomes that were by-products of what went on.
• Forgiving is the final practice in the trinity. This involves putting to rest some of your ‘what ifs’ and ‘should haves’, regrets, and resentments. You find ways to forgive yourself and others for what was or what may not have been.

Action: So, my year end invitation to you is to choose a space and place for reflection sometime in the last few days of 2017. Pour your favourite beverage, put up your feet, and think back over your year with a harvesting, reframing and forgiving frame of mind.

There’s nothing like a dose of perspective and a fresh slate to carry you forward into the new year. Wishing you all the best, now and into the future.

Quotes Of The Week: John Dewey observed, “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”

With that idea in mind, here is the gift of a handful of reflections on forgiveness:

Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting. -William Arthur Ward

Forgive, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace. – Author unknown

Don’t let the sun go down upon your anger; forgive each other, help each other, and begin again to‑morrow. – Louisa May Alcott

Life becomes easier when you learn to accept an apology you never got. -Robert Brault

When you forgive, you in no way change the past – but you sure do change the future. – Bernard Meltzer

There is no peace without forgiveness. – Marianne Williamson

Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend. – Jewel

Resource Of The Week:  From Age-Ing To Sage-Ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.