“The secret to a joyful life isn’t in what happens to you but with what you do as a result of what happens to you.”

Sandy Hoenig, nationally certified counselor from Ames, Iowa, will lead a one-day retreat from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm on March 14, the day before the 3-day Care Conference. Sandy says that the retreat is for people who are living functional lives, but believe resolving an issue through forgiveness will help them live a more positive and healthy life style. She added, “If an issue is eating at you, you need to get it out.”

During the retreat, she will help the participants understand the six stages of forgiveness: denial, self-blame, victimization, indignation, survivorship and reconciliation. “Do you or does someone you know ever avoid certain people or places due to a hurtful past? Do you dwell on past events or feel like the victim of others’ mistakes?” Mrs. Hoenig says forgiveness is the way to stop getting ripped off by grudges, resentment, self-defeating habits and negative feelings.

Somebody hurt you and you cannot forget it. You did not deserve the hurt and it went deep enough to lodge itself in your memory. Most of us find that the pains of our past keep rolling through our memories and resurface from time to time.

Grudges, resentments, self-defeating habits, and negative feelings are barriers to a healthy, productive life. Come explore a comfortable, safe, and trusting atmosphere during this retreat. Here you will journey through the stages of forgiveness to personal empowerment. Forgiving is the only way to stop the pain and bring hope to the future.

• Learn strategies for your personal and professional life to avoid or resolve hurtful situations.
• Experience the six stages leading to complete forgiveness.
• Make peace with your past so you can go on with your life.

“This retreat program started years ago as a result of personal experiences and the counseling work I was doing with parents and students. I saw that there was a need for people to come to terms with what forgiveness was and was not.” In her years of experience, Sandy has helped people deal with forgiveness issues relating to a variety of topics, including homosexuality, incest, murder, rejection, abandonment, employment, discrimination and prejudice. “Forgiveness is an important step for people to regain control of their lives,” she says. “By not forgiving, people give control to someone else. Not forgiving is like a cancer to your body because you’re doing more harm to yourself than to the other person.”

Sandy Hoenig offers special insight from her personal experiences as well as her extensive background in elementary teaching and school counseling. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Drake University. A nationally certified conflict resolution facilitator, she has led workshops and retreats on the joy of forgiveness for more than ten years.

Registration: $50 (includes lunch)
Reservations: (714) 544-5679