Closure and Peace

**Before reading this post, it would be helpful to read a previous post from September 2015 entitled "A Letter To My Ex," which is linked here.

I hand-wrote the letter linked above to an ex-boyfriend before posting it online as an anonymous open letter. I have kept it in an envelope in my desk drawer since September, but I removed it yesterday, March 21, 2016. I set the letter on fire and watched it burn. I was not aware of the healing power of fire, but this cathartic and therapeutic action has brought peace to my mind and heart.

While performing this action, a series of songs raced through my head. I think the combination of fire and music provided me with the closure and healing I needed in order to move on with my life and to accept that my life has changed. I believe that I learned a lot in this past relationship, and I can now keep the good memories without hurting when thinking about them. I invite you to continue on reading, as the following is my commentary on the music I thought of during the burning of the letter.

"A slamming door and a lesson learned / I let another love crash and burn" (Thomas Rhett)
I learned a lot from this particular past relationship, but I also let love crash and burn. Maybe I should have fought harder for the relationship when I let it go, but it is too late to change that now. The door has been shut on this relationship, and it is time to move on.

"You're one bridge I'd like to burn / Bottle up the ashes, smash the urn / I'm through with you" (The Band Perry)
Burning the letter I had written to my ex-boyfriend was, for me, equivalent to burning the bridge. It made me feel as if I was really through with him. I can now say I am at a point of no turning back, and it feels pretty awesome.

"So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time / As far as I'm concerned, you're just another picture to burn" (Taylor Swift)
How could I burn everything without thinking of this amazing song? Taylor Swift's country music may be the most cathartic and therapeutic experience for any girl undergoing a painful break-up. Seriously, her words are exactly what a girl wants to hear. ANYWAYS I am so glad that I lit that letter on fire. I have wasted a lot of my time on this ex-boyfriend. We started talking at the end of my sophomore year of high school, and now I'm a freshman in college. I now realize that he is no longer worth my time, because I have moved on to bigger and better things. He has become just another picture to burn.

Thank y'all so much for reading about my cathartic experience with fire and music. This activity has brought me incredible amounts of closure as well as peace of mind and heart. I am praying for all of my readers, during this Holy Week especially. I love you guys!