Hundreds of Winnipeggers descended on McNally Robinson Booksellers yesterday evening to celebrate the launch of Wilma Derksen's new book The Way of Letting Go.

Those in attendance got to hear Derksen speak of how she dealt with the tragedy of her daughter being murdered, and to hear valuable life lessons that she has learned throughout her journey.

In 1984, Candace Derksen, Wilma's daughter, disappeared while walking home from school. Her body was found seven weeks later, and the police charged Mark Edward Grant in 2007 with first-degree murder.

She came out publicly shortly after Candace's death that she would forgive the murderer, but many people questioned her. "After that, we realized how much people did not understand that," she said.

At the launch, Derksen said that the writing process for this book was therapeutic. "It's the words you choose that help you cope," she said.

The book describes the fifteen different issues on the journey to forgiveness, and Derksen describes what to let go of in each issue. She calls these the "15 Monsters", in where during the process of forgiveness, she would devise characters for what each issue represented.

Derksen believes that forgiveness is about letting go. This took her and the Derksen family some time to do, and that it is not easy. "We are more convinced than than ever that it is the way to go. We really want to tell others that forgiveness works. After 32 years it still has brought us to a place of happiness." 

Her inspiration for writing this book came from her father's values. "I dedicate this book to him," she said. "Everything came from his belief of forgiving others, pacifism, and non-resistance."

She also spoke of the experience after letting go. "After the act of forgiveness, you start to turn around and see something new always moving towards you that is so beautiful. I love that because it gives you a new look on life."

Derksen hopes that her book can support others who might have gone or are going through similar experiences. "If I hadn't chosen (forgiveness), I would be in a very different place right now."