It came to me from a friend before Christmas – her advent calendar was one with tiny jams, and she was sharing of her abundance with our lunch group. The glass jar has a lid that fits, and could easily be reused for any number of purposes.
Mine sits empty – for it is full of meaning! (I am a visual person.)
I have put forgiven negativity in that jar – and screwed the lid tightly on.
When something against me has been dealt with, and I know I have forgiven, it goes (metaphorically) in the jar. It helps me to be reminded of the scope of the comment or action; in the grand scheme of life, it’s no longer an overwhelming reality. (If it is a life-altering thing, then it’s not ready for the jar yet, and I employ alternative methods for addressing it.)
It’s important for these issues to be remembered, however; for it means that I have learned the lesson from the experience, and that I will change patterns of behaviour in future to not fall into the same patterns. It also reminds me that I may need to revisit the lesson from the past, and by keeping it accessible (though not overpowering) it can be reconsidered.
Woundedness happens; hurts are felt; and this does not diminish them, but instead gives them a place when they are fully ready to be part of the past. Like a scar shows the healing of a past wound, without denying it happened; we each carry our pasts with us. How we choose to engage with them denotes how we embrace the present.
And so: I have a jar. A small, important, sealed jar, in the corner of the desk. Where such life lessons belong.
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