Rod Blagojevich Sends Wife Anniversary Letter From Prison

In what might be the highest level of communication the public has seen from Rod Blagojevich, the convicted former Illinois governor sent his wife, Patti, a letter from prison this week for the couple's 24th wedding anniversary.

Patti Blagojevich posted the letter to her Facebook page Monday night. She wrote that she decided to share the message "because I think it applies to everyone."

"Well here we are," the letter begins. "It is now the third anniversary of me not being home to celebrate our wedding anniversary."

There have been no public communications from Blagojevich in the more than two years he has been in the Federal Correctional Institution in Englewood, Colorado. He was sentenced in 2011 to 14 years in prison on corruption charges.

This isn't the first anniversary letter he wrote to his wife that Patti Blagojevich posted online. Two years ago he sent her an email asking if he could take her out.

In the letter sent Monday, Blagojevich laments the fact that he can't be with his wife on their special day and thanks her for loving him and for "all the good times together."

"It is so unfair, so wrong," he writes, "yet maybe that's what I get for being so cavalier about things like this when I could have properly celebrated our special day when I had the chance. I have learned my lesson. Never again will I treat our wedding anniversary as anything less than a national holiday."

He doesn't directly mention his case, which is on appeal, except for a single line: "The end of this nightmare must surely be near."

Here's the full letter Patti Blagojevich posted to Facebook:

Happy Anniversary
Aug 25, 2014, 1:06 PM
Dear Patti,
Well here we are. It is now the third anniversary of me not being home to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It is so unfair, so wrong, yet maybe that's what I get for being so cavalier about things like this when I could have properly celebrated our special day when I had the chance. I have learned my lesson. Never again will I treat our wedding anniversary as anything less than a national holiday. A day off; a day to celebrate; a day to make a big deal about. And why shouldn't I. After all, next to the birth of our children, marrying you and the day it occurred, is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thank you for walking through life with me. I'm sorry the journey has been so bad for so long. The end of this nightmare must surely be near. And I intend to use our new beginning to devote the same attention and energy I used in other things to making our world together more meaningful, especially by paying attention to the so called "little things"--- the things I have learned are, in a real sense, things that truly mean the most in the world. Like the love, respect, and high regard I have for you. I hope this day brings you some measure of joy. God willing, and it all goes as we believe and as it should, I am determined to make your happiness as much a priority as working to build a better life for our family. Maybe this long, dark nightmare is a blessing in disguise. Among the many lessons to be learned from it all is that life is so fragile. Without warning and with no apparent reason, what you thought would always be available suddenly disappears. The lesson therefore, is seize the moment when it's there, and don't put off the happy things for later because there may not be there later. I love you Honey. I miss you. Thank you for being my wife. Thank you for being the mother to our children Thank you for all the good times together. Thank you for the love you've given me. Please kiss my babies for me. Love, Rod xxooxxooxxooxxoo

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