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Juan Noir My Guapo Paramedic Angel |
Next, she found Jesus's full name and quickly searched him on Facebook. He wasn't hard to find. He appears to have an addiction to social media and posts 7-17 threads a day.
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Jesus Maybe he dropped his cell in the lake? |
But seriously, it made me angry that as I was potentially dying from his bonehead maneuver, he was being entertained by videos and enjoying chatty messages with friends.
I imagined Homeboy holding the steering wheel with his left hand and stepping on the gas while simultaneously looking down at the phone in his right hand and gently using his thumb to scroll up through the latest FB posts.
I imagined his surprise as my head busted his windshield and his shock when he felt the thump of his car running over my back and shoulder.
My hypothetical scenario made me angry at him for the first time. I always assumed it was an accident and that he didn't hit me on purpose, but not because he was too involved with his cellphone and Facebook.
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HAPPY Home Therapy Frozen Corn on My Knees Gym Equipment Made from Trash |
As I did my physical therapy, I was angry that, aside from buying a new windshield, Jesus's life continued on merrily.
As my fingers passed the concave gap in my skull, I was angry that my head needs another surgery with additional risks.
I fantasized about meeting Jesus, taking his cell phone and throwing it into a large, dirty, unretrievable, body of water. I imagined this over and over. It felt wrongly satisfying.
A fair warning to those of you who are not into it, I am going to get a little religious. Being married to an atheist, I am extremely cautious about pushing my religious views on people, and I respect others' beliefs. I appreciate you respecting mine, yet if me writing about God makes you uncomfortable, no hard feelings. It is all good!
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Stella - Center - the Investigator! |
I knew that I needed to forgive him, but in the moment, I couldn't. The previous night I watched a short segment on The Crown with the evangelist Billy Graham telling the Queen that when you can't forgive someone, ask God to forgive you, and pray for the person. With all of the exercising and therapy I do every day, I have plenty of time to pray, so I tried it.
On my 38 minute afternoon jog to the bandera, I prayed for forgiveness and for Jesus. I honestly gave it over to the divine Jesus. It was amazing. As my feet pattered home, I was filled with peace. I smiled with joy. The burden was lifted. Now I want to hug the guy... and maybe throw his cellphone into a dirty lake. ๐
Way to go, Anne. Forgiveness is the true path to peace and freedom.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your account I now have to forgive Jesus, too.
Love, Mom
Remember when you called me and asked if you could pray a novena that I would forgive those cops who arrested me -- and in the process *REALLY* damaged my teaching career? -- because you felt God was telling you that I needed to forgive them? Five years later, and I still remember the details of that conversation. It comes to mind often, when I'm angry at someone, when I feel mistreated . . . when I have to take a job at a school that pays less and in less than ideal conditions, because no one wants to hire a teacher whose credential has been suspended. That conversation and our following emails about forgiveness changed my life, Anne. I am glad you have this opportunity to experience the relief and peace that this type of hard forgiveness brings. I pray for you often, and now I know to pray that you are able *every day* to surrender your anger and bitterness and frustration, and that you will consciously forgive Jesus. I love you. Peace be with you. <3
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