I Wish There Was Something Else I Could Call Him

Ex-Spouse? Really? So what does that make my husband...my current spouse? That implies that I will discard him for a future spouse. My earlier marriage was declared sacramentally invalid and annulled. In a sense, though legal, it was not a marriage in the way the Catholic Church defines marriage.

I have been married to my husband for almost thirty years, in my heart, he is truly my one, true love, my sacramental spouse. In the spirit and understanding of the sacrament of matrimony, I have full intention of being his wife 'Until death do us part."

I would love to see a change in our speech to reflect that significance accurately. Perhaps my ex could be referred to as my non-sacramental spouse and my husband as my sacramental spouse? I know it's just language, but I really wish the language could reflect what is in my heart and supported by church teaching.