I guess I would consider myself a feminist- Yes, I’m married, but I still think I’d be okay without a man- I could stand on my own- But I can’t deny the men from my past and present who have made such an impact on my life- The men that have helped shaped me into the woman I am- The men who I would consider to be my greatest loves- ❤️
My father, who left me way too soon, was my first great love- He raised me to see my worth and instilled the drive to be the best person I could be- He was a constant presence even if he wasn’t physically there- He gave me the insight to look beyond the surface and notice the little things that make this world the amazing place that it is- He taught me to live life to the fullest and have fun! He was my guide, my instructor, my teacher- He taught me how to drive, how to ski, how to swim and to take risks- He gave me the pieces that make up who I am- I can still hear his laugh in the back of my mind- He showed me what love is-
My second great love, my college sweetheart… my first “real” love- The first person I fell in love with and knew it was real- It was sweet, it was pure… innocent- It was the kind of love we thought would last forever, but we were so young and both had so much more life we needed to experience- This love gave me a guide to end up where I am now- I learned how I should be treated and what it felt like to be truly loved and cared for- It wasn’t perfect, but a learning experience- I learned how you should treat someone you cared deeply for- I learned about the importance of friendship and communication- I think we both learned the hard way about truth, and honesty, and pain- This love was significant in my life because it gave me a foundation, a starting place to grow- I learned what I wanted in a relationship from this love-
My third great love was the heartbreaking kind of love- The kind you don’t ever want to experience but sometimes it’s necessary. You learn so much about yourself- This love hurt…ached…all of the time, all over- I lost myself with this love- It wasn’t healthy, but it was necessary in order for me to learn how to walk away, to let go, to be strong, to become a better version of myself- This is the love that broke me into so many pieces that I never thought I could put myself back together- I learned just as much from heartbreaking love as I did from my first love, just different things- I learned the importance of putting myself first. I learned not to settle, what I would and wouldn’t tolerate- I learned what I didn’t want in a relationship with this love-
My fourth great love is my husband- This love is sometimes hard… marriage can be hard- I learned, and am still learning, that it takes work- It takes forgiveness, understanding, communication, sometimes tolerance…and it changes- It takes commitment, not just to each other but to this life we created together- I thought that this love would be unconditional, but I’ll be honest, there have been times it wasn’t- This love goes through stages and you have to take time to get to know one another again-With this love I have learned that you can grow together or grow apart, and there are times you don’t know which road you want to take-
My 5th greatest love is my son- I’ve learned that motherhood comes with fulfillment, joy, heartbreak, and strength- I’ve learned patience and how quickly time flies- This love is unconditional- With this love I’ve learned the importance of admitting my wrong doings and how to apologize- I’ve definitely learned about my flaws and imperfections, and I’m still learning how to be at peace with that- I’ve had to learn how to stand firm and that sometimes tough love is the appropriate avenue to take- I’ve learned that now, I’m the instructor, the teacher, the guide just like my father was to me- I’ve learned how to love whole heartedly, but gradually let go, so he can grow- This love won’t ever change, fade, or go away- This love is constant and forever-
As strong and independent as I think I am, I have to acknowledge that I’ve become a better person, a better wife, a better mother, and probably a better friend, because of my 5 great loves-