FD,
Equus! Yup, she certainly did her share of planting the 'seeds of compassion' here. I remember that very well. But you passed it forward beautifully!
BTW, I love the quote you have in your signature line..."Do I want to live while I'm alive and embrace what sustains me or do I want to die while I'm alive and embrace what destroys me?--Geneen Roth
I have a print out of it on my bulletin board next to my computer. It's a great daily reminder.
Kay Rae,
Welcome to SR! I was trapped in the anger and dispair longer than I wanted, but apparently it was for as long as I needed to be there until ready to make a change. It takes time to deal with emotions and work through them. I had to give myself permission to feel all of them, something I was not comfortable with, but it was necessary.
Anger is the most difficult emotion for me to express (I guess because of childhood issues). I've done it, but didn't like it. The thing is though to not let it consume you and rule your life. Now I'm finding it much more comfortable, and, comforting to view different people in my life with compassion. Will I always be able to do that? I don't know. But it's a beginning, and deep down inside, it feels 'right'. I guess I was just ready!