An anniversary is a reminder of the union two people celebrated on their wedding day. While an anniversary may be a cause for celebration, it can also be a time to reflect.

Soth Sam Ann, 59, says he and his wife celebrate their anniversary each year by going through old pictures and remembering times they spent together.

“We got married during the Pol Pot regime in 1979,” he says. “We started our life together with nothing in hand, and we’ve formed a family facing many difficulties. So when the anniversary day comes, we always miss and think about each other.”

This year, he and his wife will celebrate quietly, sharing a dinner with their family.

“We don’t want to spend a lot of money on a celebration, because just a family reunion is enough for me. Sometimes I receive a wish from our children as well as from my wife, so those words and actions make that day became a special day.”

On anniversaries they spend apart, Sam Ann says, he is always sure to call his wife and tell her he loves her. As they’ve gotten older, he adds, they say “I love you” more frequently.

“Because we don’t know when the end day will come for us, we should savour the time we spend together and enjoy life together every day. Then when the anniversary day comes around, it can show us that we still have time holding hands and walking together into to the next year.”