I have seen this post circling Facebook many times, but it didn’t resonate with me until I saw that an ex-boyfriend had been tagged by his new girlfriend. It reads:
“To the girl who let him go, thank you. Thank you for walking out of his life, for leaving him. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to love him, do things that would make him happy, to really keep him. Thank you for hurting him. If not, he wouldn’t have learned something valuable. I will try my best, to not cause him pain, for it hurts me to see him cry. I will do all the things that you failed to do for him like be there for him when he feels so alone, prioritize him and make him feel like he’s not just an option, give him time and affection even when he is not asking for it. I will take care of the man that you failed to appreciate. I will love the man that you took for granted. I will do anything to keep him and make him stay. I will love him for all that he is, and will support him in anything that he wants to be. I will be the partner that you failed to become for him. I will be the woman who will never make the same mistake that you did. I will never let him go.”
I don’t like to get caught up in Facebook drama as many people tend to project their life is way better than it actually is. We’ve also seen those posts that prove it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows that are later deleted to continue to portray that life is all good. However, sometimes there are things we need to say to remind each other that we are all human, that we all make mistakes, and that in every relationship there are always at least two people involved. This is one of those times.
To the woman who loves him next, thank you. Thank you for walking into his life, for staying with him. Thank you for taking the opportunity to love him, do things that would make him happy, to really keep him. I wanted to do these things for him; I tried to do these things for him. I never meant to hurt him, but he had something valuable to learn. Thank you for trying your best not to hurt him, to cause him pain, for feeling his pain when you see him cry. I used to do all of those things for him; I tried to be his rock when he felt so alone, to put him first so he would know he wasn’t just an option, to give him the most valuable thing I had: my time and affection even when he didn’t want it. I tried to show him how much I appreciated him and how I would never take him for granted, but he was fighting his own inner demons. I would have done anything to keep him and make him stay, but he had something valuable to learn. Thank you for loving him for all that he is and supporting him in anything that he wants to be. Thank you for being the partner that I failed to become for him because he wasn’t ready. I prayed and wished for you to come into his life; a woman who would love and appreciate him the way that I once did. You see, it wasn’t a mistake; I had to let him go because he had something valuable to learn. He had to learn to be the man that you need; to appreciate you and not take you for granted, to be there for you when you feel so alone, to make you a priority, to give you the time and affection you so deserve, to support you in anything you want to be, to become the partner that so many others failed to be for you, and to love you for all that you are. Don’t ever let him go.