Let it Go

I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. For too long every ounce of forgiveness I own was locked away, hidden from view. Waiting for me to bestow its precious presence upon some worthy person. Alas, I found most people to be singularly unworthy of my valuable forgiveness, and since they never asked for any I kept it all for myself. Now the forgiveness that I hoarded has sprouted inside my heart like a crippled seed yielding bitter fruit. No more. At this moment my life has taken on new hope and assurance. Of all the worlds population I am one of the few possessors of the secret to dissipating anger and resentment. I now understand that forgiveness only has value when it is given away. By the simple act of granting forgiveness I release the demons of the past about which I can do nothing and I create in myself a new heart, a new beginning. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.


I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness. Many are the times that I have seethed in anger at a word or deed thrown into my life by an unthinking or an uncaring person. I have wasted valuable hours imagining revenge or confrontation. Now, I see the truth revealed about this psychological rock inside my shoe. The rage I nurture is often one-sided for my offender seldom gives thought to his offence. I will now and forevermore silently offer my forgiveness even to those who do not see that they need it. By the act of forgiving I am no longer consumed by unproductive thoughts. I give up my bitterness. I am content in my soul and effective again with my fellow man. I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.

~from Andy Andrews, The Traveler's Gift