Ex's in Utah (or somewhere, or anywhere)

Wow, I'm speechless. Okay, probably not, because I'll have enough words to fill up an entire page, but I am breathless.
I just got an e-mail from my last boyfriend. We parted on no terms, because he didn't talk to me at all. Lots of details, but not for here. He apologized. He stepped up to the plate, and apologized for being a coward. That, in and of itself, is not being cowardly.
Why is he writing me now? What makes this day so special that he has to get this off his chest? Should I respond? What should I say? How can I tell him that I cried for months and gained 20 pounds? How can I tell him that I still think about him? How can I tell him that everyone I know dislikes him? How can he understand that he hurt me, and that his apology has made it all worth it? Is this at all normal? Does this kind of thing happen everyday to other people? I want to tell him every good thing that has happened to me since he disappeared off the face of the earth, and that it's okay, apology accepted. I want to tell him about meeting my Super-Cutie, and leaving Primary for Young Women, trying to find another apartment, learning to make bread, how much I've grown. I want to tell him that it's not okay, apology not accepted because he hurt me, and for no other reason than that. I want him to know all the bad thoughts I had about him, and how bad I felt about myself because he was a worthless boy.
I want to tell him that everything's going to be fine, that I'll find that perfect match for me, and that it's not him, and he'll find his true north, too. I want to be his friend, and I want to be his girlfriend, and I want to despise him the rest of my life, and curse him with all the plauges of Egypt. I want the best for him, because I love him. Of course, it's not the same love as I felt when we were together; it's different, and I want him to know that. He mentioned that everything happens for a reason, and that there was a reason that we were supposed to meet. I know that there was a reason that he was prompted to send me this letter of apology. It may just be because someone is making him, or some other reason that I don't know of, but to me, right this moment, the only reason is because I needed it to see how I felt about him, how I felt about letting him go, and how I feel about moving on.
And I'm ready.