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Some participant comments after recent weekend Project Rachel retreats I thought I was doing OK with my memories and feelings about the abortion. I could work, I was healthy and I had friends. I didn't cry much. But I knew that just functioning wasn't enough. The retreat brought my soul to life. I could risk loving my baby and saying goodbye. The love that surrounded me here made this possible. After carrying the burden of abortion for so many decades I decided I needed help to put it down and go on with my life. I never thought I could be forgiven for my abortion. What I learned and experienced on the retreat was that I needed to accept God's forgiveness. The retreat provided the perfect nurturing place to do the work I longed but feared to do. They guided me, supported me and provided a loving environment I needed to put the burden down and release me from all the years of guilt and remorse, while gently moving me to experience life a new way. Other Post-Abortion Comments After the abortion, I never would have believed things could get better. But, amazingly, since my post-abortion counseling I have experienced hope and healing and self-forgiveness. I can now look at my one and a half year old daughter without feeling the pangs of guilt, remorse, regret and sorrow. Years after my abortion, I was married and became pregnant with my son. Carrying this baby was a painful reminder of my first child that never was allowed to live. But somehow, through this birth came reconciliation and resolution. Healing for me has not been forgetting the abortion completely, but integrating it into my life, using this experience as an opportunity for growth and working towards bringing some closure. |
