New to me- where have I been for the last 18 years?


Friday, August 25th begins a week long celebration of people being kind to people. Born in 1988, Be Kind to Humankind Week is now 18 years old. The week is made up of seven special emphasis days, beginning August 25 and ending August 31. This year, Be Kind to Humankind Week begins with Forgive Your Foe Friday.

Forgive Your Foe Friday is a really really tough one, but extremely necessary. Forgiving someone who has hurt you is difficult. Forgiving yourself is difficult. But by not forgiving someone (or ourselves), we only add to the problem.

Try to find enough forgiveness in your heart to alleviate the anger, confusion, or hatred you may be feeling towards that person, or towards yourself. There is danger in anger and confusion. These feelings can lead us to make foolish mistakes. Hatred is all-consuming and destructive. There is not anything good about any of these emotions, so give it your best effort to try and forgive. For your sake and for others'.

Consider these suggestions to make your Forgive Your Foe Friday better. Visit www.bekindweek.org to find more Be Kind to Humankind suggestions.

# Be the first to make the move towards reconciliation. If your attempts fail, at least you tried.

# Try looking into insightful books on the topic of forgiving. This may be an excellent source of help for you.

# As difficult as it may be, try to put yourself in the offenders shoes. Try to understand what could have made him or her behave this way. Could it have been a horrible childhood which he or she endured? Could it have been abuses which they suffered? Do not excuse their behavior, but try to understand why they would behave a certain way. Believe it or not, it may help you to be able to release the anger and start the process of forgiving. Never allow any abuses towards you to continue. Seek help, and avoid the offender at all costs! You are worth your weight in gold, and you do not deserve to be made a victim!

To learn more about Be Kind to Humankind Week and founder Lorraine Jara, visit www.bekindweek.org.