Can you forgive? really forgive?

That is Todays question... Can you forgive? Really,really forgive? Forgiveness is not about the other person whether you believe it or not ,its for you ! Yes I said you! If you read my blog you know I put it all out there so that others might learn from my mistakes or that I might encourage someone eles. I wrote about being raped and how for years I walked around hating him with a passion ,it consumed my life ,it was almost in all my waking thoughts. How he took my virginity that was suppose to be for my high school sweetheart that waited six years for it ,how I got pregant and had a horrible abortion at fifteen,how because of all of this I tried to kill myself,this all if this was his fault! I was full of hatred,it was eating me alive so I forgave him not for him but for me so that I may go on without this hatred eating through me changing who I was ,who god had called me to be. I forgave him! I will never forget what he did to me and I am a big believer in karma and know one day...... But its not up to me I gave it to god and I forgave him. So today when I think about people that really hurt me and you know some days the pain is so bad. You can't belive someone could do that or say that to you ,these are the days I have to remember the most that I need to forgive not for them but to turn me loose so that I may concentrate on more important things I must do. So the next time hate is eating you up think of me Hell if she can forgive her rapist I can forgive my sister for not returning my calls, my kids for saying mean things,for my co worker who took my job whatever fill in the blanks ... Just forgive ! It is for you!