Walk with me as I reflect on the past and recall weeks full of birthday celebrations. 

Younger family members, my grandmother and mine. 

It was an amazing experience because it is shared with my last living grandmother.  

She is in her 80s now and was delighted with the presence of 3 generations.  

During one gathering there was plenty of gourmet foods (steak, roasted chicken, broccoli, green beans, au gratin potatoes, kale salad, German chocolate cake, vanilla pound cake, and raspberry tea), fellowship and fun watching the kids dance and play.  

I reminisced on my past experiences for a brief moment and the thought of isolation surfaced.  

However, I was able to quickly combat these thoughts and remain present in the moments of joy seeing my Granny happy and all 3 generations together.

What if I did not have the tools to process any negative experiences that occurred in my past with my family? 

What if I remained stuck in the past and isolated myself from them?

This is a reality for most people who have held grievances and grudges with their parent(s), siblings, extended family members, friends or colleagues.  

We are pressed to heal because the reality we create today determines how productive we are tomorrow in reaching our goals in our life and business.

Even the environment that we create in our workplace and experiences we have with people in our everyday life can trigger issues from the past making it difficult to be productive in reaching our goals.

In our Western civilization, support systems are far and few.  

It is not until a terrorist act or tragedy occurs that people unite to address the cause then later go back to business as usual off on their own island of existence.

For example, recent tragedies such as social injustice towards African Americans by law enforcement in the United States, terrorist acts against law enforcement, and ongoing natural disasters around the world have united groups of interest to voice their concerns, protest and overturning of Supreme Court laws.

But so often when the dust settles and these tragedies or terrorist acts cease for long periods of time people disconnect. 

People return to their daily routines and what happened a few months ago becomes history.

We are so busy responding to situations that we do not take the time to process them or revisit our past and heal, if needed. 

Because it is necessary to do so, especially when the tragedies or terrorist events target certain groups and cultures.

It can be therapeutic to connect with people who know us personally.  

It is the bravest thing we can do to connect with people who know your past and possibly present history.  

But for some it can be quite frightening and awkward, especially if you are transitioning into new endeavors or changing in areas of life, or starting all over again.  

Most may not feel like people from their past can understand their journey.  

They may ask, “what’s wrong with the way things are now? Aren’t you grateful for what you already have;” 

or 

There may be some gossip such as, “he/she  has always been that way, what makes him/her think he/she can lose weight/start a business/start a ministry/get a promotion/stay out of jail/finish school/run for office, etc.?”

Do you see where this is going?

It can go either way in dealing with people who know you personally, resorting to finding a new support system, new environment, and making new connections.

 How do we help the people we serve in our workplace, community or our own personal life heal to reclaim their peace of mind? 

The first step is to embrace your truth.

Embrace your truth and reclaim your truth today.

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originally posted on aliciabuchanan.com