Descansos and Healing

I have been reading this book, which I now refer to as my new psychotherapist. It is called "Women Who Run With the Wolves." If you are a woman, you need to read this book some time, as soon as you can. It is very empowering to women, and helps us heal those soul losses we all feel.
So, I read this chapter entitled, "Marking Territory: The Boundaries of Rage and Forgiveness." (I bet I have you intrigued already with a heading like that!) Anyway, it talks about an activity we can do that can help us lay old wounds to rest through forgiveness or at least awareness and understanding.
A Descansos is a cross that people of Mexican and sometimes Southwest Americans put up in a spot where someone has passed on, and taken a new journey. (side note- it seems, almost annoyingly, that this has caught on all over the country, and now our roadways are grave markers. Yes, I have mixed emotions about these!)
The exercise that the author has you do is to take a long piece of paper, like butcher paper, and make a timeline of your life. In this timeline you would make a notation at each age where you "fell off the path" you had laid out for yourself, and where you were hurt by someone or by yourself, angry, or harmed in any way. Next to each thing you write, you make a cross (or whatever symbol you want, like a tombstone), and write either "forgiven" or "forgotten."
"Forgiven" means you have healed at least 90% from this wound (as the author explains, 90% is more than sufficient as no pain really ever leaves, it just lessens with time, and that is natural); or you would write "forgotten" for those things you feel you never dealt with adequately, and should spend some time healing from (whether crying or raging or blogging or talking to someone caring about it a few times).
It sounds kind of sad and daunting, but it is amazingly healing. I did this, and had a sheet a mile long! It felt good though, to write it all down, bring it to the surface, and then write "forgiven" on nearly everything. It showed me how strong I really am, to go through such pain, and come out on the other side to go on to lead a happy life (with a few stressors here and there).
I encourage you all to take time someday and do this, even if you don't read the book. You will see how healing it is.