Independence Day was marked

with a trip to the jewelers.

Surrounded by the glistening glory

of circles of nuptials-to-be,

sparkling promises of love eternal,

I faced the ending of this chapter.

A snip and my own circle slipped silently

to the velvet pad, where it lay broken,

a symbol of what was lost.

A sigh, a deep breath, and

shoulders suddenly lighter.

New beginnings are often frightening

but not nearly as threatening as

standing still.

Life begins again with my

Independence Day.