Right from the beginning, people were skeptical of our ability to forgive the abduction and murder of our 13-year-old daughter.
In recent years, there has been significant research in the concept of forgiveness and how it affects our health, both physical and emotional. The growing body of evidence indicates that forgiveness carries many potential health benefits, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, fewer episodes of depression and anxiety symptoms, improved function of the immune system, lower risk of substance abuse, and a reduction in chronic pain. Forgiveness tends to support healthier relationships and an improved sense of well-being.
Identifying the five main life spheres of forgiveness allowed me to propose a five-step forgiveness process of “letting go” in each sphere.
In this book, I want to give my younger self a conceptual framework that fits the complications I was experiencing firsthand in my very public choice to forgive.