“Let it go,” the title of the Disney song in “Frozen,” became a mantra as I moved through the first part of the year, and my students (high school students, even!) also adopted this song as a motto. But letting go of one’s petty grudges, too-high expectations, or personal idiosyncrasies isn’t always so easy. And one’s family is always keen to remind one of existing imperfections or glaring hypocrisies. Letting go and detaching oneself from worldly concerns, when we must live in the world, is a most difficult thing to do.

Later in the year, I went to our regional annual Quaker Gathering in Frostburg, where the theme was about healing and transformation. I didn’t have many expectations for a spiritual renewal, as I had clerical responsibilities that would take much of my time. But I went early for a retreat, and the session leader shared her understanding and very personal experiences surrounding the act of forgiveness.

Forgiveness, forgiving and being forgiven are concepts that I never really examined. I always thought that forgiving others by saying “I forgive you of such and such” made one sound arrogant. Asking for forgiveness is something I have done as well, with varied results. Words are easy, but actual forgiving takes so much more. The speaker, at the retreat mentioned above, shared her story of learning to internalize the attitude of letting go of anger and resentment -- the act of forgiveness -- and this resonated with me. She spoke of how she silently made this shift and this transformed some of her relationships over the span of a couple of years. Letting go of grievances somehow not only shifted her world but the world around her as well.

One quote I came away with: Forgiveness is the act of letting go of all hope for a better past. I mull it over, I try to internalize, I try to be loving, even when I am stressed. Despite my lapses into petty anger or resentment, I understand this as central to living a more centered, faithful and right-ordered life. I am continuing to work on this shift in my outlook and in my relationships. And isn’t that the best we humans can do, as we strive to listen to that divine presence in ourselves and others?

I invite you to let go of those things that weigh you down, and then to soar into 2015 while working toward and hoping for a better future, by listening to and loving all of those you encounter.