Whether we like it or not, we are our fathers, our mothers, our grandparents. No amount of denying, pushing away or ignoring will change that. How many times have we thought that if we move enough miles away or emotionally separate ourselves from our family, that somehow it will make a difference? That somehow we will be able to change the circumstance that we were born into?

It’s amazing how much denial is spent running away from the truth of who we are. It’s easy to blame those who raised us, feeling that perhaps they didn’t give us what we needed to receive.

But, what if, for a moment, you looked at you parents with the eyes of an observer, noticing that your parents experienced injustices in their own upbringing and that they were doing the very best they could in raising you. Would that make a difference in how you viewed your parents? It’s easy to cast blame, and to not responsibility for how your life turns out. Yet, in the end, the only ones that are missing out are us, the ones who continue to carry the anger and rejection of how we were raised. By carrying the anger, resentment and disgust of how we were wrongly treated as we were growing up, only leads one to living a life of separation and loneliness.

Perhaps, this is the time to release your anger and judgment and consent to the greatest gift you could ever have received from your parents, the gift of Life. What if you put down your resentments and handed back the burdens you were given and step into the light of forgiveness and grace? Would your life look any different?

Author's Bio: 

This article is based on the words found on page 27, Our Family is Where We Begin, of the newly released book of heart whispers, "The Soul of the Heart" by Catherine VanWetter, Inner Resolution Facilitator of Peace, Compassion, Forgiveness & Love. To review the beautiful, heart-filled pages of "The Soul of the Heart" and to listen to a section of the accompanying meditation CD visit http://TheSoulOfTheHeart.com