A Winnipeg teenager in 1990, Tyler Pelke, "forgave the unforgiveable", travelled a journey thru fire both Literally and Figuratively..

His story is one of courage of the human spirit. Pelke was attacked viciously. His attacker after slitting Pelke's friend and his throat, marvelled why Pelke wouldn't die? Set Pelke on fire and left him to die. After years of physical and emotional scars he visited his attacker in prison. His long journey to wholeness completed by this act of forgiveness. Amazingly, Pelke grew up to become a Winnipeg fire fighter.
His story touches and speaks to me completely. I can only walk in his shoes not ever completely understanding the trauma experientially of being attacked so senselessly by another. It goes beyond "violence" or "abuse". I imagine his experience would be likened "Torture".

So few times do I see journalistic stories in the media about forgiveness. It's rare. So often retribution is condoned.

His forgiveness touches me heart personally. I've walked thru the fire figuratively, altho not literally.. For years I went about to seek release from certain people who harmed me in my younger years. I never became an abuser, as so often happens when we are.. For years I searched for someone who back then I felt somehow seeing him, having retribution, would finally release me. My husband at the time helped me. We did a country wide search. This man hopped from province to province, abusing other young kids too.

Than one day after years of forgiveness, I was finally presented the opportunity to harm him for all the stolen years I went through. He was dying of a horrible cancer. I felt nothing but empathy. Benevolent. I wished him well. I was free. Free indeed.

Nothing had changed. Nothing will take back the years of loss. Nothing will change an event. What changes is something in our own hearts. And it's a life long journey. Years of walls, distrust. Shedding them. It takes place one day at a time. I'm glad I took the journey. And I can only empathisize to Pelke's courageous journey of the heart as well.. Mine seems a short journey in comparison, but we can't compare anyway. Each of us experiences an experience differently.

"Welcome Love"
"Welcome Forgiveness"
Feel the joy of the freedom of the heart



I just wanted to share this, altho it's reasonably personable.