Many Unexpected Gifts from Forgiveness

My mother was much more than a parent - she was my best friend, my confidant, the one person I could completely be myself with. A pharmacist by trade, she was also a deeply spiritual energy healer and Reiki master. She's the one who initiated me, and that shared path became a sacred part of our connection.

We traveled together for fun, took workshops with joy, and shared things I wouldn't share with anyone else. The love between us was pure and unconditional - a rare bond I'll hold in my heart forever. I'm endlessly grateful I got to experience that kind of deep connection before she passed away more than a decade ago.

The deep bond with my mother didn't come easily; it was built over time through healing and understanding. As a child, I was much closer to my father. I later learned why. My mother confided in me that she had me in an effort to save her marriage. Hearing that was heartbreaking. When my parents divorced, I was 4 ½. I was forced to live with my mom and leave my dad behind. I didn't understand it at the time, but the pain in that separation ran deep. I grew up carrying anger, resentment, and confusion, trying to make sense of emotions far too big for someone so young. The trauma and anxiety shaped much of my early life.

In my late 20s, I attended a relationship seminar where several women spoke about their mothers being their best friends. I remember sitting there, heartbroken, thinking, that will never be me. At the time, my relationship with my mom was strained. We clashed constantly and just couldn't seem to understand each other.

Not long after that seminar, I met a woman who was an energy healer. I asked if she could help me release the deep anger and resentment I was holding towards my mom. After just one session, I felt something shift. Later that same day, I noticed a real change in the way I spoke with my mother - there was more ease, and less tension. It was small, but undeniable.

That moment marked the beginning of a healing journey that ultimately transformed my relationship in a way I never thought possible. It was the first time I truly experienced the power of energy healing, and it opened my heart in a way I didn't expect.

One of the key steps was forgiveness - something I had been holding back for years. That experience not only began to heal a relationship I once believed was beyond repair, but also ignited a lasting love and deep respect for energy healing.

As a practitioner, I find immense joy in guiding others to experience the same freedom of forgiveness, especially of themselves.

We are taught from a young age to be kind, to say, “ I'm sorry,” and to offer forgiveness to others. But rarely are we taught to look in the mirror and say, “I forgive you”.

In my experience, self-forgiveness is the true turning point - the moment people begin to soften, release. I've watched countless lives transform when someone finally gives themselves permission to let go of shame, guilt, or regret they've carried for years.

Forgiving yourself isn't about excusing harmful behavior or denying responsibility. It's about acknowledging that you, like everyone else, are human; that you've done the best you could with what you knew at the time, and that your healing matters.

When you forgive yourself, you begin to reclaim the energy you used to beat yourself up with. You open up space - for growth, joy, peace, and for a deeper connection with your true self.

Forgiveness found me early in my adult life, and with it came a quiet kind of alchemy. What began as a way to heal one relationship became a doorway to transform in so many others. Had I not chosen to forgive, I would have closed myself off to the love, the magic, the miracles, and the soul-deep connections that were waiting for me. Forgiveness didn't just soften my heart; it changed the course of my life.