The Anniversary that Wasn’t
From 2025 NPR LifeKit call-in segment on “Unexpected Moments in Marriage Recovery.”
A woman shared that, months after her husband’s affair, she was dreading their upcoming anniversary. She told friends she didn’t want to mark “a date that now felt meaningless.”
On the day itself, he left a small box on the counter.
She almost ignored it.
Inside was a simple note:
“This isn’t our anniversary. Our second beginning hasn’t happened yet.”
No jewelry, no flowers, no grand gesture.
Just that one line.
She didn’t know how she felt about it, but she appreciated that he didn’t try to pretend the day was something it wasn’t.
Later, she wrote, “It was the first time I felt we were in the same reality.”
Do you have something to share? Tell us about it.
