When it comes to lessons at the heart, sometimes our greatest teachers are the ones that have hurt us the most... I've had the opportunity to learn this lesson many times in my life… Today I'm going to share a little piece of my story… Some of you may know that my daughter Jody, died in 2006 from an accidental drug overdose, but the part of the story that most people don't know is that the day before my daughter died, she went to a doctor who had been writing her prescriptions and asked him to help her wean off them... She had recently gotten engaged, felt happy, and even talked about having children in the future... The doctor told her that she was not ready (it's all documented in his notes)... Instead of helping her, he wrote her the prescription that led to her death... Not only was I left with a shattered heart, but I had to make a decision about him... And I did... A decision that has always sat "right" in my soul... I won't give all the details except to say that I pressed charges and he got off with a slap on the wrist. But regardless, I knew I had to find forgiveness for him, for myself, and for others... I couldn't allow blame rent space in my heart, otherwise my heart would harden... The truth is that Jody's gentle heart and sweet spirit attracted lots of enablers into her life... Prior to Al-Anon, I was her biggest enabler... After Jody's death, I was left to put together the broken pieces of my heart... Because I made a conscious decision to mend my heart with love, compassion, and forgiveness, all that remains of the past are cherished memories and a peace beyond understanding...
