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Dear Friend,
As always, we extend the hand of friendship and peace to all - no matter our circumstances or what has gone before.
As always, we explore concepts of forgiveness and redemption, in the case of this newsletter, through the eyes of prisoners with whom I recently met and shared.
As always, you can become a member of my website where you can post a comment, and communicate directly to me and others who wish to create a peaceful world.
As always ... peace.
~ Azim N. Khamisa
OTHER LINKS:
For the New Publicity Sheet, click HERE
For the Tariq Khamisa Foundation site, click HERE.
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Quote of the Month
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"Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance."
~ Richard von Weizsaecker, German Politician |
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| Azim's Monthly Musings |
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The Power of Redemption
Peace through Giving Back
The moment I left the prison, I felt the tears coming. I cried all the way to the airport, with the prisoners' faces still showing up in my mind's eye. These were the
faces of humility, humanity and hope. I speak of the prisoners of the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth and the power of redemption.
Every year for the last four years, I have spoken at the Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, the oldest maximum prison in the United States. Originally chosen as a site for a fort in 1825, the prison now houses a wonderful 18-month program called "Life Connections." Run by Dr. Kendal Hughes, a faith-based minister, the program is designed for inmates who are going to be paroled in the next 36 months.
I speak to the inmates each year and give testimony of my story, the story of losing my only son to a gang-related murder, and then choosing forgiveness rather than revenge. I chose restorative justice over punitive justice, seeking to restore the murderer back to being a fully recovered individual helping our society rather than an eternally damned and judged individual. After relating my story, I then teach them the journey and power of redemption. Based on my story of loss and recovery, here is where I give them hope, in a four-step process:
- Take responsibility for your actions. All actions. Not many of us do this as we typically blame someone else when things go wrong.
- Ask forgiveness of the people you have hurt. This is the right thing to do. Tony, the murderer of my son, eventually did do this even though it was after my offering of forgiveness.
- Forgive yourself. Unless you do this, you can not move forward in your life or your recovery,
- Help another youth in not making the same mistake you did. I believe this is the redemption piece. Once those who have transgressed help another person stay on a favorable path, they are redeemed. The more they help, the more they are redeemed; the more they are redeemed, the more they are able to forgive themselves. (We have great examples in our own Tariq Khamisa Foundation doing the work of redemption.)
Regarding these prison visits, I feel so blessed to be able to be present for these powerful transformations. Given the chance, here are grown men - many who have served 25 years or more - standing in line after a three-hour workshop to be able to embrace me and promise methat they will go out there and redeem themselves.
This is work extremely meaningful to me. May we all find it in our hearts to offer a place of redemption for those we feel harmed us, as well as for ourselves for any negative thing we have ever done in the past.
Many Blessings,
Azim N. Khamisa
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BOOK - REGULARLY $25 - ONLY $16 ONLINE
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Secret #13 Revealed - the Bulletproof Spirit
Azim Khamisa's third book "The Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit; How to Bounce Back from Life's Hardest Hits" - published by Random House and coauthored with Jillian Quinn - is a self-help book with practical instruction on how to develop the inner strength to respond powerfully to all of life. 
HERE IS SECRET #13!
"Invoke the Sunset Clause"
Spiritually bulletproof people know that there comes a time to grieve and a time to allow the sun to set on the grief, not indulging in it or remaining stuck in a mindset of victimization.
SPECIAL ONLINE SALE - On Azim's Site
Retail $25
On Sale for $16 on Azim's Site HERE.
For all Items in Store, click HERE.
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A Lovely Poem About Forgiveness
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| "Go Not to The Temple" by Tagore
Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God,
First fill your own house with the Fragrance of love...
Go not to the temple to light candles before the altar of God,
First remove the darkness of sin from  your heart...
Go not to the temple to bow down your head in prayer,
First learn to bow in humility before your fellowmen...
Go not to the temple to pray on bended knees,
First bend down to lift someone who is down-trodden...
Go not to the temple to ask for forgiveness for your sins,
First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against you.
~ Rabindranath Tagore
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