Bill Pelke
The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity. When the Nazarene said that we should forgive seventy times seven, he was telling us that forgiveness should be a habit, a way of life. Forgiveness is not for the person who has wronged us; it is for us—it sets us free. Wilma’s story is proof of this.
Howard Zehr
I have followed Wilma’s journey for years. It has been incredibly difficult, incredibly moving, and her insights incredibly profound. She has much to teach us all.
Marina Cantacuzino
In The Way of Letting Go Wilma Derksen demonstrates how the healing process is to pass from the narrative of trauma as overwhelming grief into the narrative of trauma as an experience of deep and meaningful significance. Bringing together all her experience and learning following the agony of her daughter’s murder, here over thirty years later Derksen is able to give voice to a humanity born out of suffering. There are few who have given as much thought to the transformative power of forgiveness—she has defined, refined, probed, and reevaluated one of the most difficult, complex, but never more relevant forces in the world today.
Ted Wachtel
Wilma Derksen’s powerful book highlights a profound paradox—to achieve some degree of control over one’s life and emotions in the face of grief and trauma, one has to do the opposite—let go of control.
Philip Yancey
With this book Wilma Derksen has found a way to redeem the seemingly irredeemable. After living through a parent’s worst nightmare, she devoted herself to the hard work of forgiveness, dissecting each stage with a surgeon’s skill. The practical wisdom that has emerged could only come from someone who strained to forgive the unforgivable—and somehow succeeded. What she learned along the way brings hope to all of us who struggle with this most difficult, yet most necessary task.
From the Publisher
I have followed Wilma's journey for years. It has been incredibly difficult, incredibly moving, and her insights incredibly profound. She has much to teach us all.--Howard Zehr, Distinguished Professor of Restorative Justice, codirector, Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice, Eastern Mennonite University
In The Way of Letting Go Wilma Derksen demonstrates how the healing process is to pass from the narrative of trauma as overwhelming grief into the narrative of trauma as an experience of deep and meaningful significance. Bringing together all her experience and learning following the agony of her daughter's murder, here over thirty years later Derksen is able to give voice to a humanity born out of suffering. There are few who have given as much thought to the transformative power of forgiveness---she has defined, refined, probed, and reevaluated one of the most difficult, complex, but never more relevant forces in the world today.--Marina Cantacuzino, founder, The Forgiveness Project
The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity. When the Nazarene said that we should forgive seventy times seven, he was telling us that forgiveness should be a habit, a way of life. Forgiveness is not for the person who has wronged us; it is for us---it sets us free. Wilma's story is proof of this.--Bill Pelke, author, Journey of Hope ... from Violence to Healing
Wilma Derksen's powerful book highlights a profound paradox---to achieve some degree of control over one's life and emotions in the face of grief and trauma, one has to do the opposite---let go of control.--Ted Wachtel, editor, BuildingANewReality.com
With this book Wilma Derksen has found a way to redeem the seemingly irredeemable. After living through a parent's worst nightmare, she devoted herself to the hard work of forgiveness, dissecting each stage with a surgeon's skill. The practical wisdom that has emerged could only come from someone who strained to forgive the unforgivable---and somehow succeeded. What she learned along the way brings hope to all of us who struggle with this most difficult, yet most necessary task.--Philip Yancey, editor-at-large, Christianity Today
