Forgiveness is for yourself; it’s for your peace of mind, your sanity, your freedom, your health. Your forgiving doesn’t need anything from the person who hurt or betrayed you.

Forgiving does not necessarily mean making up with the person who hurt you. It is about letting go of the grudge, the anger, the resentment, the thoughts of revenge. It is your own internal process of working through what happened, rebuilding a sense of safety by setting boundaries and letting go. The other person is not part of it at all. Reconciling with them is a whole separate thing.

Forgiving is not forgetting; most likely you won’t be able to really forget it. It’s more about remembering the event differently – not with a grudge or anger, but with understanding and compassion.

Of course, it might be easier if the other person showed remorse, took responsibility, apologized, and offered to make it up to you. But even if they didn’t or won’t (or can’t, ie: passed away), you can still let go of the grudge and hurt. Forgiveness involves only you. Do it for yourself. You deserve to be freer, lighter, happier.