When it came to forgiveness, I was a closed book. I felt that when someone hurt me, it was practically impossible for them to regain my trust once again, even if it was in the past and maybe long forgotten, but after seeing the video “Walking after Midnight”, I realized that forgiving isn’t to forget, it is to move forward and relieve the pain not only in myself, but in the person as well. Even though I would never be able to feel exactly the way Karen did when realizing her husband had died due to a party gone completely backwards, I can imagine how much she must have hated the man behind his death and how much strength it took to really forgive him, to work with him in order to create change in others’ mindsets.

I’ve been in the shoes of the person who did the supposedly unforgiveable and it is enough to know that when you hurt someone you never intended on hurting, you want to do anything to free yourself from the guilt, just as much as whomever you’ve hurt wants to free themselves from the despair.

The quote “Forgiveness is my gift to you, moving on is my gift to myself” really describes my perspective on what it means to pardon someone for their mistakes. I learned that when something unspeakable happens to you, it’s always going to be at the back of your mind, whether you want it there or not, so in order to overcome your constant feeling of hatred, disappointment, or anger, you must accept that life goes on, better things will eventually arise if you let go of all that’s weighing you down and open your eyes towards a continued future.