“As we decide what to give to others for Christmas this year, why not consider the gift of forgiveness?” This from friend and colleague Tim Mitchinson writing in the Peoria Journal-Star in Illinois about the benefits – including to health – of forgiveness. He quotes Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy, who met wrongs with kindness
Writing in the Huffington Post ‘Healthy Living’ Blog, Sharon Frey McElroy examines how abuse victim Ben Bosinger learned to let go of years of resentment toward his father. And she shares how she was able to forgive a couple of fellows at a cafe that upset her by talking about women in a derogatory way. McElroy then shares
Anna Bowness-Park, writing this week in her Owning Our Health blog in the Vancouver Sun in British Columbia, Canada, looks deeper – much deeper – into lessons on forgiveness from Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out about education for girls in Pakistan. Bowness-Park quotes Rev. Alisdair Smith, Deacon
In an article in the Houston Chronicle, after sharing a very touching story of how he and his step-son-to-be learned together about living love, Keith Wommack – a nationally syndicated columnist on health, thought, and spirituality – discusses the love that has health benefits. He asks, “What kind of love makes the biggest difference in our health?”
A guest post written by Ingrid Peschke, a Christian Science practitioner and a legislative advocate for spiritual healing in Massachusetts. You can also read this post on her weekly syndicated blog, “Health Conscious” at MetroWest Daily News.
Ingrid Peschke (Photo courtesy of Ingrid Peschke)
Hope.
That’s the word I came away with this past weekend after I took part in a panel discussion on the topic of “Spirit and Healing in the 21st Century” at the Open Spirit Center in Framingham. The motto for the center: “A place of hope, health, and harmony” to address the deeper spiritual yearnings of the wider community.
I joined four local spiritual leaders on the panel, along with two keynote speakers: a clinical psychologist with a specialization in health psychology, and a cancer survivor.
A repeating theme was that spiritual practice is incredibly important, if not vital, to healing. Nancy Gaulin, the psychologist, opened the 3-hour event, speaking from her twelve years of experience in the greater Boston area. She said she spends more time now asking her patients about their spirituality and exploring their beliefs, their morals and values, and even discussing their family upbringing–all contributing factors to health and well-being.
Recently, while in an airport waiting for a flight, I heard on CNN a summary of an article by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent for CNN, in which it was pointed out that bitterness is bad for our health.
In her article Cohen shares some significant points made by some contributors to a new book entitled, “Embitterment: Societal, psychological, and clinical perspectives.” In short, bitterness interferes with the body’s hormonal and immune systems, leads to higher blood pressure and contributes to heart disease and other illnesses.