Forgiveness - a definition

I heard on the radio today, a snatch of an interview, with a couple whose daughter had been murdered. They could of course never condone the actions of the person who killed their daughter, but it sounded like they had learned a way to live with it.

They spoke about the concept of forgiveness and offered this definition:

Forgiveness is the act of letting go of someone and letting them get on with their life

The words stayed with me as I got out of the car to do my various tasks, buy bread, something for dinner, go about my day.

I couldn't imagine what they gone through or how they had managed to distill that concept down into  something so simple and profound.

I carried it with me throughout the day.

I like the shape that it made and the possibilities it created.