God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.

Real forgiveness is not a settled account. An account keeps the figures, and figures can always be produced later. Something fuller is possible: the offense taken up, held close, and dissolved rather than filed away where it can be found again. You can tell the difference from the inside, because forgiveness that keeps a copy is never quite finished.

Think of someone you have told yourself you forgave. Check whether the record is still retrievable, whether you could recite the details tonight if asked. If you could, the work is not done, and the next step is to let the ledger go rather than to reread it.