The weight has been lifted, by Guest blogger Lorie Sheffer

butterflies
photo: Lorie Sheffer, York, PA

“Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed.” – Oprah Winfrey

Those words grabbed my attention. I was watching an Oscar themed interview between Oprah and Viola Davis, who is up for a best actress award for her role in The Help. Davis said those words, for which she credited Oprah, were life changing for her. They are powerful words. Think about it: When we can let go of what we wish the past had been, when we truly understand that the past can never be changed, we can finally move on. We can certainly learn from our past, but it cannot be undone. Davis went on to say that, no matter what that past is, it helped to shape who we are now. If we embrace it, if we forgive the things that were painful, then we are free to step into our future unencumbered.