After Ben and I divorced, we maintained a good friendship and raised our two children together. Recently, he introduced me to his new friend Lisa during our oldest child’s birthday dinner. Lisa was friendly, but I noticed how attentive she was to Ben, something I had never experienced during our marriage.
Later, Lisa wrote me a message asking if Ben’s forgetfulness could be changed for special occasions. I honestly replied, ‘That’s something you’ll have to figure out together.’
A few months later, Ben called, upset that Lisa had left him because of his indifference to anniversaries. I told him, “That’s why we got divorced. You have to meet people halfway.”
Lisa and I met after their breakup. She confessed, ‘I couldn’t accept that I felt unimportant.’ I encouraged her by saying: ‘You deserve someone who will appreciate you.’
After reflecting on all this, I realised that true love involves being valued and treasured, and this I realised after my marriage broke up.
