Forgiveness is Letting Go of Hope

I’m reading and writing a lot about forgiveness this week. Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor, will be visiting Albany next week and I had a chance to talk with her after viewing the documentary called, “Forgiving Dr. Mengele”. The film details Kor’s life as a survivor of the twin experiments by Mengele at Auschwitz. The story is her decision and process of forgiveness.

In AA we learn a lot about making amends and the downside of holding onto resentments and most of us try to let go of past grievances even as we hope to be forgiven for the things we did that surely make us real tests of forgiveness for others.

Here is just one of many great things I’ve read this week on the topic of forgiveness:

“Forgiveness is letting go of all hope for a better past.” --from novelist Gina Berriault.