As an avid reader of our newest Bible on earth, A Course in Miracles, I must stop withholding what the light continues to shed on all of us – we are forgiven for all that we thought we were guilty of. All of it…yep. Even that crazy angry thought you had in 1998. That extra bad one.

Guilt comes in various forms because that’s what the ego likes to do. The ego feeds on guilt. The ego feeds on anger. The ego feeds on shame. The ego, my friend, is insane. Even that time when I hit my dog over the head for doing something wrong is included in this insanity. I thought about her this morning and am reminded of her now. She was and still is one of the sweetest gifts God gave me. While I stroked her and loved on her and helped her through cancer and picked chicken for her and told her she was the best therapy dog on the planet, I still come to that one time – sometimes – when I hit her on the head for something I can’t even remember why. I think she was snapping at my sister’s dog. It doesn’t matter.

She, River, forgave me for that time and for the several other times she plucked my last nerve. Dogs are our great animal forgivers. Without words on their lips, they say it in their eyes because they continue to show up. They wag their tails and love us without reserve, without judgment, without the projection of guilt.

I have yelled at God and Jesus and cussed at them more times than I can remember in my life. I yelled at them for the crushed ankle. I yelled at them for my deteriorating eyes. I yelled at them for not putting enough digits in my bank account even though I’d worked harder than most millionaires I’d met. I yelled when I wasn’t getting enough sex. I yelled internally and externally.

Funny thing about God. He/She/It holds no grievances against you. God is love. God has all the answers. The ego will be glad to give you doubt, levels, a million unanswerable questions. But, when you look in the eyes of a dog (or cat), you can be sure where God is.

Undoing the ego through forgiveness and love releases us into the arms of the Holy Spirit and then into the arms of God. According to ACIM, we have three steps.

1. To have, give all to all.
2. To have peace, teach peace to learn it.
3. Be vigilant only for God and His Kingdom. (Vigilance is not necessary for the truth, but it IS necessary against illusions). And, my friend, illusions are all of the ego’s miscreations. That crazy messed up thought system in your large noodle.

Furthermore, ACIM teaches us that all the Holy Spirit wants to do is engender joy. The first thought we have (typically) is always of the ego – doubt, worry, shame, guilt, anger. Our second thought is always of LOVE.

When we hurt each other – regardless of who or what – then just help yourself by forgiving your past misdoings. Forgive your friend, forgive your father and mother, forgive your brother and sister. Forgive your animals. By doing this, you are blessing them and yourself.

“Light does not attack darkness (ego), but it does shine it away.”

I love this quote. And, I also know in my whole mind it is so true. The light of forgiveness and love purifies our past of all its mistakes we THOUGHT we made. Our kindnesses and gentle loving thoughts and actions are saved. You are saved.

River’s picture is here on my desk as I write this. It is of her licking an ice cream cone the day she passed her therapy dog test in Charlottesville, Virginia. She went on to assuage many lonely hearts in the halls of the Virginia Home. She made it to PBS as local star for doing what was in her heart all the time. I was her guide person.

Lastly, in ACIM it states, “The light becomes ours, and you cannot abide in darkness any more than darkness can abide wherever you go. The remembrance of me (Jesus) is the remembrance of yourself, and of Him (God) Who sent me to you.”

We aren’t bad at all, my friend. We are actually pretty cool. We are the light and that is one of the coolest things EVER!

Love,

Ruth