On the 20th we shared thoughts about how to engage in open-hearted conversations that invite healing of hearts and relationships. But what if you have been wounded so deeply by someone that you can’t bring yourself to commence a conversation, much less to wish them healing or feel compassion toward them? We invite you to share in a reflection on what forgiveness means (and what it does not mean) and on how to find the space within you to forgive even some of life’s harshest hurts.

Rev. Dottie Mathews is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister who served as the Associate Minister of the Fox Valley UU Fellowship in  Appleton, WI, before her move into community ministry when she accepted the role of Workplace Chaplain for Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin. There she served the spiritual and emotional needs of the 1500 people who worked for Goodwill across 35 Wisconsin counties.

In 2015, Dottie and her spouse, Rosie Geiser, relocated to Columbia, MO after they joyfully took on the title of “retiree.” They have been very happily exploring what retirement looks like for them and both are finding many ways to volunteer in mid-Missouri. Dottie & Rosie are active members of the UU Church of Columbia and Dottie has found that working with the interfaith group, Faith Voices, in service of our immigrant friends and neighbors has become a primary focus of her current community ministry.