Karen Loftis Rankowitz

February, the month of hearts, flowers, candy of course, and love. Valentine’s Day is here and what better way to express love than through forgiveness. One of the toughest things I have ever had to do, and continue yet to do, is forgive myself for my shortcomings, my faults, and my sins. However, being able to do so has provided for me an understanding of how truly powerful forgiveness can be. It is freeing and encouraging. It replaces anger with calm; distrust is quelled and hope is restored. Smiles come more often and laughter, not sadness, fills the air around me. I am not flooded in the bitterness of tears but lifted from the torrents to safer, flourishing ground. Self-forgiveness is not something done once and then all is well. It is a continuous stream of consciousness allowing me to learn and apply valuable lessons to my life. Having said all this, it has me thinking about the forgiveness of others. I know just how good it feels to be forgiven; I’ve done it for myself. B...

Helping a child with the loss of a pet is tough. We lost our beta fish yesterday. He was with us for almost a year and a half. He was purple; Noah’s favorite color. His name was Betals. My husband scooped him out of the bowl with my kitchen tongs. Placed him on a paper towel and asked Noah, who is 12, if he wanted to say a few words. Noah let a few tears trickle down his cheeks, looked at the fish, and at that moment, chose his words carefully. “I don’t know.” He replied. Our family clustered into the bathroom to bid our beta buddy goodbye. My mate, ever sentimental after I convinced him we shouldn’t bury him in the garden, played ‘Taps’ through his pursed lips. I hid my laughter behind the bathroom door, but wiped the tear from my eye as I watched Noah fight back his own. Christian, my teenager, stood looking at all of us, his expression of absolute embarrassment – perhaps thinking that he couldn’t possibly be related to any of us. Noah, startled out of his mournful trance by t...