Forgiving is, first of all, a way of helping yourself to get free of the unfair pain somebody caused you.

Any moment that opens us up to the reality that life is good is a parable of the supreme end for which we were made.

We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are.

I learned that gratitude is the best feeling I would ever have, the ultimate joy of living.

Kindness is the power that moves us to support and heal someone who offers nothing in return.

You and I were created for joy, and if we miss it we miss the reason for our existence. If our joy is honest joy, it must somehow be congruous with human tragedy. This is the test of joy's integrity. It is compatible with pain. Only the heart that hurts has a right to joy.

Spoken forgiveness, no matter how heartfelt, works best when we do not demand the response we want. I mean that when we tell people we forgive them, we must leave them free to respond to our good news however they are inclined. If the response is not what we hoped for, we can go home and enjoy our own healing in private.