On a show Oprah did of twin girls who were molested close to everyday for almost 7 years by their father and brothers, she defined forgiveness as: letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different. jooo!!! makes a lot of sense, the bitterness and resentment comes from that hope, the continuous feeling that the people who've wronged us could have been different people or they could have acted differently or treated us differently, that hope is the issue. Then she went on to say that it doesn't mean you have to allow the people back into your life or that you now have to be friends.

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I guess we are at a place were we've truly forgiven when the people or situation no longer has a baring over our lives, when we no longer make decisions from that place of hurt or whatever other negative emotions the situation brings in us, true forgiveness is when we are free from the past.