This simple, yet powerful, quote attributed to St. Augustine has made it easier for me to forgive. “Unforgiveness is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die.” That’s it! Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person. It’s all about us. When we forgive someone, we’re not letting the other person off the hook, we’re letting ourselves off the hook. We free ourselves of the heavy burden of carrying anger and resentment, free ourself of the consumptive fires of hate, and liberate ourselves from the grasp of people who who have harmed us. One can argue that it’s not that easy, but for me, at least, thinking of that quote from St. Augustine makes it a heck of a lot easier than it would otherwise be.