Today would have been our tenth wedding anniversary. The traditional gift for a decade of marriage is aluminum or tin; a symbol of how a successful marriage must be flexible enough to bend without breaking. Oh, the irony.

Still, I couldn’t let the day go by without an acknowledgment of what was, of what is no more, of what will never be. I seriously considered it, particularly in the face of my current circumstances, but I decided that this was an important message and an appropriate day to share it with you.

When we were still just dating  you told me that if things didn’t work out between us, you at least wanted to know that we learned something from each other. That we would both be better people for having shared our time together.

So, today, on our first Unnversary, I would like to tell you that I’m a better person for having known, loved and lost you. Over the last ten years, I’ve learned too much about myself and the world to list here, and you deserve some credit for the woman I’ve become. Thank you.

What do you say when it’s over?
I don’t know if I should say anything at all
One day we’re rollin’ in the clover
Next thing you know we take the fall

Still, I think about the years since I first met you
And the way it might have been without you here
And I don’t know if words from me can still upset you
But I’ve just gotta make this memory stand clear

I know I’m leavin’ here a better man
For knowin’ you this way
Things I couldn’t do before, now I think I can
And I’m leavin here a better man

-clint black, a better man