When I was too young to remember, my maternal Grandmother gave me a copy of Little Women. It was her favorite book. I didn’t really know this grandmother. She was quiet and shy and never really talked to me. So I was thrilled to bond with her over this book. But as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t get past the first chapter.
I was named after the character Amy in Little Women. Like me she was the youngest of five children. But that’s where the similarities stopped, as far as I was concerned. I couldn’t keep reading Little Women because, frankly, I hated the character Amy.
Self-important, arrogant even. Critical. Fragile. Spoiled. Why had my mother named me after her? I’ll never know. My mother has been gone for over eleven years.
And then I started writing about my past. I’ve been working on a memoir for three years.
In the process, I decided it was finally time to finish Little Women.
I found it more aggravating than ever. I despised not only Amy but all the “little women,” for being so dutiful, so earnest, so desperate to do the “right” thing. My blood boiled… they triggered me so much!
“Amy, though she was youngest, was a most important person, in her own opinion at least.” – Louisa May Alcott
I thought about my own childhood. A mother and father, locked in the worst of their addiction, three teenaged sisters absorbed in their own survival, one younger brother with behavioral issues. I knew not to ask for too much, to make too much noise, to add any more drama to an already chaotic situation.
Invisible. The opposite of my namesake in every way.
Or was I?
As I continued to read, growing more and more annoyed at Amy and her sisters, an awareness tiptoed into my consciousness until it hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I saw my maternal grandmother’s delicate features transform into a smile.
This book was a gift. But not in the way I expected.
My grandmother was showing me the entirety of myself using Amy and her sisters as the lens. Every time I felt irritated by Amy I realized I was pushing away some part of myself. I was judging Amy for being self-absorbed so I could deny the part of myself that was like her. It became evident as I wrote my stories that I, too, could be self-absorbed to the extreme.
All of the traits I judged in Amy and her sisters for were opportunities for me to see the truth about myself, to accept and forgive. To absorb the shadow into the light. To become whole.
Little Women was a gift from my grandmother that allowed me to forgive Amy.
In the process, I created a healing modality I call The Forgiveness Process that anyone can use at any time in conjunction with any self-development tool or healing modality to forgive and reunite the self, to lay the foundation for genuine success based on a renewed inner guidance system, wholeness and love.
And I cannot WAIT to share it with you ! It’s called…
The Life-Saving Magic of Self Forgiveness: Feel Better, Manifest More and Transform the Voice of Self Doubt into Your Biggest Asset.
REGISTER HERE <– help has arrived and it’s totally free!
Here’s what we’re going to cover in this content packed class:
- How to deal with people who trigger you
- The real truth behind approval seeking that nobody is talking about
- How to access the wise mentor inside you – in 3 steps
- Overcome the habit of beating the crap out of yourself in your head
- Simple mindset tweaks for effortless creativity, confidence, energy and motivation
- A step by step plan to transform the voice of self-doubt into your biggest asset.
Prepare to have your mind blown!
See you soon!
xo
-a
P.S. Ever heard the expression “Other people are our greatest teachers?” Ever struggled to make sense of it? Then join me Monday. I’m going to teach you exactly how it works! REGISTER HERE.
