Chapter 1: The Power of Rewriting Your Story

Have you faced trauma or painful experiences in your life? It's time to embrace a new narrative filled with love and grace as you reflect on your past.

Writing about your experiences can be challenging, but it can also be a healing journey through your pain and suffering. Consider how a fresh perspective on your past could transform your life.

The concept of Sankofa, derived from the Akan Twi and Fante languages in Ghana, encourages us to look back in order to move forward. The term can be broken down as follows:

• San = to return
• Ko = to go
• Fa = to fetch or take

Imagine a bird turning its head back to retrieve an egg; this represents the essence of Sankofa. We must revisit our stories to rediscover what we've forgotten, paving the way for a brighter future. As the proverb states, "It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten."

In a writing workshop I attended, the instructor introduced us to a prompt titled "Moments When Everything Changed." I found it helpful to list significant events chronologically. This method resonated with me, but feel free to adapt it to suit your own thought process.

Imagine narrating your life story to a friend. What pivotal experiences would you highlight? How have they shaped who you are today?

For instance, I used to carry the weight of my childhood, marked by my mother's rejection. At 19, she bluntly expressed her disdain for me. Those words caused me immense pain, affecting my self-worth deeply.

However, through therapy and reflection, I've come to view my mother as an instrument of divine purpose. Despite her initial rejection, I am here, and I have learned to embrace my strengths, gifts, and the joy that life can offer. Each day, I wake up knowing I am loved.

Take each moment in your life and write about it. Don't worry about editing—just let the words flow. Document your pain, your tears, and continue writing until you feel complete.

Releasing your emotions onto paper can be therapeutic. Writing by hand, in particular, has shown benefits for brain function and stress relief.

“When hand writing, fine and precise hand movements are involved. These sensory experiences create contact between different parts of the brain and open it up for learning so that we both learn and remember better.”

— Eva Ose Askvik, Researcher

Once you've expressed everything you need to, take a moment to acknowledge the gifts that emerged from those experiences. Perhaps you've grown in compassion or have gained insight into your own capacity for love. What lessons have you learned?

Now, it's time to rewrite your story. With gratitude as your foundation, envision how you would respond to those past situations differently. How would your attitude shift? Would you choose a path of forgiveness rather than bitterness?

Consider the possibility of reconnecting with lost loved ones. What would it feel like if they were still with you today? How has your perspective changed over time?

This process may take time, so be gentle with yourself.

Afterward, take a moment for a body scan. How does your body feel in response to your reflections?

I wish to share a beautiful blessing by John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us:

“As a bird soars high

In the free holding of the wind,

Clear of the certainty of ground,

Opening the imagination of wings

Into the grace of emptiness,

To fulfill new voyagings,

May your life awaken

To the call of its freedom.

As the ocean absolves itself

Of the exception of land,

Approaching only

In the form of waves

That fill and pleat and fall

With such gradual elegance

As to make of the limit

A sonorous threshold

Whose music echoes back along

The give and strain of memory,

Thus may your heart know the patience

That can draw infinity from limitation.

As the embrace of the earth

Welcomes all we call death,

Taking deep into itself

The tight solitude of a seed,

Allowing it time

To shed the grip of former form

And give way to a deeper generosity

That will one day send it forth,

A tree into springtime,

May all that holds you

Fall from its hungry ledge

Into the fecund surge of your heart.

May your soul be refreshed!

© Nancy Blackman

Chapter 2: Musical Inspiration for Reflection

Explore the power of music as a catalyst for emotional healing.

The first video, "Anne Wilson - My Jesus (Official Music Video)," captures the essence of finding solace and strength through faith and love.

The second video, "Made For More - Josh Baldwin, feat. Jenn Johnson," reminds us of our inherent worth and the beauty of our journey.

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