The writing prompt for today, is to write about someone I need to forgive. I think that for the most part I have forgiven everyone in my life that I have needed to. It was the only way I could let go of a lot of the bitterness that I had in me. However, “for the most part” does not mean I have forgiven everyone.

It seems to me, that most of the time it is fairly easy for me to identify someone I need to forgive. It is because I usually harbor a great deal of anger for that person. It is a bitter type of anger. The kind that is obvious to other people, and you can feel it eating away at you on the inside. The most helpful thing I can do when I feel that way about someone is to forgive them. It releases the anger, and resentment, it also allows me to move forward, and past how I might have been wronged.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible for me to clearly see everyone that I might be harboring unforgiveness for. Many times when I figure out that I have not forgiven someone, it comes as a surprise to me. It is a surprise, because I had thought that I had already forgiven them. I usually discover that pocket of unforgiveness a long time after the incident occurred. There are times when I think that type of anger is the most dangerous kind. It is sitting around inside me, clouding so much of how I think, and react to things. Since I do not realize it is there, I am not aware of how much it is changing me into a more negative person. Knowing my tendency to hold on to unforgiveness, I have been examining myself more closely – in order to root it out before it has a chance to take hold.

Right now, with all the harsh words, and actions that have gone on between me and my husband, I know that I need to find a way to forgive him. That does not mean everything is fixed between us – because it is not – what it does mean is that I am making the choice to let go of any anger I might feel towards him. It is going to take some time, and effort, but I know that I need to do it. Doing this will prevent that anger from eating me from the inside out, and it will also allow me to remain calm – even when he is not.