Knowing What You’ve Learned

It is a new month and time for a new theme for my blog. I’ve chosen the topic: “What I’ve Learned.” 

September is when formal education starts up once again for students and teachers. Though my conventional education and customary classroom teaching have ended, I’ve not come to a standstill with acquiring and absorbing information, knowledge, and wisdom. 

Sometimes though, the time is right for reflection, remembering, and recalling. Taking the time to muse on where and how our ideas, perceptions, and impressions began can give us encouragement to keep going or convince us that it’s time to switch directions. Here is where my own recent reflections led me. 

On August 22, I presented a condensed version of my workshop, “Your Heart’s Journey to Forgiveness,” to a group of professionals in my community. At the end of the workshop, I asked for their feedback. Their insights and advice were worth more to me than their combined weight in gold. 

Their words helped me to believe that my lived experience is valuable, the structure of my workshop provides safety, and having real conversations about forgiveness is important to others. What they gave me wasn’t just words — it was a reason to believe that this new workshop is full of possibilities. 

The inception of presenting a forgiveness workshop occurred two years ago. I had little knowledge of how to write a curriculum, fewer contacts, and elementary marketing ideas. But my idea did not die. Instead, it went dormant and then sprouted when I met a woman who helped me develop the curriculum. 

A better curriculum built my confidence to reach out to a professional in the community who connected me with other professionals in the community. My marketing ideas are still somewhat rudimentary, but they are better than they were. 

The things I’ve learned along the way about this forgiveness workshop are encouraging me to keep going. 

Why Bother?

Why bother knowing what you’ve learned? Because an idea that goes dormant isn’t dead. Mine sat quiet for two years before a chance meeting helped it sprout. Looking back is what let me see that the dormancy wasn’t failure — it was just waiting. This time, I’ve been spurred forward.

I’m inviting all of you, my blog readers, to consider attending my workshop on September 19—20. See the flyer for details.