MORNING COFFEE

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BOUND TO FORGIVEWriter Norman Cousins said that life is an adventure in forgiveness. Ithink Fr. Lawrence Jenco would agree.In 1984, Fr. Jenco traveled to Beirut, dedicated to help the poorestof the poor. On January 8, 1985, he was kidnapped by Shiite Muslimextremists and held hostage for 564 days. He endured imprisonment,beatings, illness and heartbreaking periods of sorrow and loneliness.Several years after his release, he wrote a book (BOUND TO FORGIVE,Ave Press, 1995) about his experiences in captivity and, moreimportantly, about the power of love and forgiveness.Fr. Jenco tells about being taped like a mummy from his ankles to thetop of his head each time he was transported from one place toanother. He described being forced to breathe only from his nose ashis mouth was stuffed with a cloth and taped shut.He tells of times when his captors said they were going to kill himand he waited for the bullet to go through his head. Other times hewas dressed up and told he was going home, only to have his spiritsdashed when he was later informed they were teasing.He remembers being chained hand and foot, donning a plastic bag on hishead, and left in a two-foot by six-foot closet. And he remembers hisstench when he was denied washing for over four months.He was later asked what lesson those of us who haven't been in such aposition can learn from his experience and apply to our daily living.He said, "Just look at the madness that goes on in the world today. Welug our hates and our bigotry and prejudices from generation togeneration and we pass [them] on.... We [must] stop and look at eachother and say, 'I am so sorry for the hurt I caused you. I ask yourforgiveness.' And then [we must] extend forgiveness and... receiveforgiveness. Somewhere along the line we are going to have to do that.We're all bound to forgive."Fr. Jenco has forgiven and can attest to the power of forgiveness. Andthough our hurt may not be the same as his, it is no less real. We,too, are "bound" to forgive. For when we covenant with life toearnestly forgive whatever hurts come our way, we see amazing results.We find inner peace and, often, improved physical health as well. AsDr. O. A. Battista says, "One of the most lasting pleasures you canexperience is the feeling that comes over you when you genuinelyforgive an enemy -- whether he knows it or not."I've come to realize that genuine forgiveness is crucial if any of uswill find peace. Whether or not it restores a broken relationship, itsets our own hearts free. Those who will be bound by the promise tosincerely forgive, will be freed from the bonds of the past. Those areFr. Jenco's words: "We're all bound to forgive." And those who arebound to forgive are bound to be happy.

Everyday you make literally hundereds of choices,consciously and uncounsiously. One of those choicesis your attitude. What was your attitude when you woke up? What is it like now?

When you're aware of how your attitude affectsyour well-being, choices are so much easier to make. With this new found knowledge, you canliterally change whatever you can dream of.

You deserve a great life, happiness and self-fulfillment. Choose today to make it that way!

The positive actions you take do not stop with you. Many of them go on and on, far beyond you, to people and places you will never know about. The value you create does not end with you. It sets the stage for more positive value, and then for even more value on top of that. Somewhere today, someone's life has just been made better because of a positive action you have taken in the past. In some way today, the world is becoming a better place because of something you did, weeks, months or even years ago. You can never know or control how far and wide your actions will extend. You can, however, control the nature of those actions. The more love, kindness and thoughtfulness you put into your actions, the more positively those actions will multiply and radiate out into the world. Put the best of yourself into all you do, and your own unique value will be spread far and wide. The influence you have on life is immensely greater than it may appear on the surface. Live each moment with goodness, truth and integrity, and in more ways than you can possibly know, you'll be making the world a better place. Ralph Marston

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