Do you have any regrets about the one that got away? Is there a long lost love that you wish you could reach out to? For many visitors of my www.SecretRegrets.com online confessional, that topic seems to be a recurring theme -- especially around Valentine's Day. Thousands of people have written secret messages of regret on my blog, and many of them are written in the form of secret love letters. I believe many people write these in hopes that somehow, some way, that special someone will stumble across what they've written and just KNOW it was written for them. And others write their secret regret and secret letters as a way to just get out what they've kept inside for so long. By bravely sharing their innermost private thoughts and feelings, they help us all realize that we're not alone in regretting -- especially when it comes to relationship regrets.
I've included many examples of these "lost love" regrets in my bestselling book series, Secret Regrets: What if you had a Second Chance? and Secret Regrets: Moving Past Your Past. I've selected several of the most touching anonymous love letters to share below. Some are sad, some are heartbreaking, some are maddening and some are tragic. Some show how timeless love can be, and how once you find it, it really should not be taken for granted.
Secret Letter #1 "...I regret letting your parents break us up so many years ago. We were young and they thought I was a bad influence. They sent you away to some distant aunt, and I moved on regrettably. I finally settled down. Successful career. Two beautiful kids, but I still think of you from time to time. I found you on Facebook. You seem happy but I so much would like to contact you, if just to get some closure. I would never do anything to harm your life, but would like to at least know if you remember me fondly." Male, Age 57Secret Letter # 2 "...I regret that I never told you I loved you. I regret that I never told you how much you mean to me, what kind of man you are, how I think the world of you even when you think the world is crashing down around you. I wish I would have told you that you are the man that I compare every other man to. That none match up because they're not you. You're the man that makes me light up when you walk in the room or when I hear your name. I regret not telling you those things. But I would have regretted telling you them even more... she's still your wife. She's still my best friend."
Secret Letter #3 "...I regret that I listened to you when you said marrying him was 'the right thing to do.' You were wrong. The right thing to do would have been to give 'us' a shot. Now I'm married, and still in love with you. Sadly, you realized too late you loved me too. And now, we're both too scared to admit our mistakes." Female, Age 33
Secret Letter #4 "...I regret taking your call after 18 years. I regret texting you all day every day since then. I regret continuing to speak to you. I regret going to see you. For us to be happy we have to destroy our families. I just can't do it to my daughter, but I can't imagine my life without you again."
Secret Letter #5 "...I regret telling you that I wasn't in love with you anymore. Mainly because you believed me and left the children and I... but also because it isn't true. I knew that you were unhappy, so I lied to you partly hoping that you would fight to get my love back... instead you left and have moved on. I hope you are as happy as you say... that's all I want for you. And secretly someday, I hope you regret leaving."
Secret Letter #6 "...I regret letting you go. I love you so much. It's all I ever think about. I love everything about you. I regret driving by your house. Because every time I do, I see her car in your driveway, and I die inside. I miss you so much. I love you with all of my heart, mind and soul. And I always will."
Secret Letter #7 "...I regret never really saying goodbye. I regret leaving you for no reason. I regret leaving you for him because he was more 'popular.' I regret letting him treat me the way he does when I know you wouldn't dream of. I regret taking advantage of you. You did anything and everything for me. I regret that it's been a year and a half and my eyes still tear up. I regret not knowing how things would've ended up. I hope you find happiness. I miss you."
Secret Letter #8 "...I regret that I can't just get on a plane and be with you. I regret telling him I'd try when I have no interest in being with him. I regret sleeping next to him and dreaming of you. Because it's not fair to any of us." Female, Age 27
Secret Letter #9 "...Finding old memento's still kills me. I wish I stuck with my initial gut instinct. I knew this is exactly where we would end up, but I couldn't resist -- I wanted you so bad. Now here we are, best friends who became lovers, who are now ignoring each other, and dealing with a killed friendship."
Secret Letter #10 "...I regret not telling you how I felt sooner. Now, you've settled for less, you're not happy, and he treats you like sh*t. You deserve better, and I wish I would have made it happen."
Feel free to share your regrets about lost love in the comments section below, or anonymously on the SecretRegrets.com website - and read more stories like these in the Secret Regrets book series available on Amazon, or downloadable on Kindle or Nook.