The Three Loves of Our Lives:

1. The Awakening
Love, in its first encounter, is often like a tender spring blossom—delicate, innocent, and filled with promise. It happens when we are young, inexperienced, and perhaps a little naive. This love is pure and exhilarating, marking the beginning of our emotional journey. It’s the love that introduces us to the concept of giving and receiving affection, the first time we open our hearts to another person.
This first love is often born out of curiosity and the thrill of the unknown. It might happen in high school or during our early college years when everything is new and exciting. The butterflies in your stomach when you see them, the stolen glances, and the nervous giggles are all part of this love’s charm. It’s the first time we experience what it means to care for someone else beyond ourselves.
But as time passes, this love often changes. We grow, and so does our understanding of what love truly is. The same things that once brought us joy may now seem trivial. We begin to see the flaws in ourselves and in our partners. Sometimes, this love ends over seemingly silly things—a misunderstanding, a harsh word, or simply growing apart as life takes us in different directions. We may look back on it and think it wasn’t love at all, but it was.
This first love teaches us the simplicity of love—the joy of giving without expecting anything in return, the beauty of discovering someone else’s world, and the innocence of believing that love is always enough. It’s the love that opens our hearts for the first time, preparing us for what’s to come.

2. The Lessons Learned
The second love is the one that truly shapes us. It’s the love that comes with challenges, with tears, with sleepless nights, and with hard lessons. This is the love that tests our boundaries and pushes us to our limits. It’s often passionate, intense, and all-consuming. It’s the love that we fall into headfirst, without thinking about the consequences.
This love is filled with highs and lows. It might start as a whirlwind romance, where everything seems perfect, but soon, cracks begin to show. Misunderstandings turn into arguments, small issues become insurmountable, and the trust we once had begins to wane. This love may involve betrayal, lies, or even emotional or physical pain. It’s the love that hurts, but it’s also the love that teaches.
Through this second love, we learn about ourselves. We learn what we want and what we don’t want in a relationship. We learn about our own strengths and weaknesses, about our capacity for forgiveness, and about the limits of our patience. We realize that love isn’t always enough to overcome the challenges that life throws at us. We grow from this love, even if it breaks us in the process.
This love makes us stronger, more cautious, and more aware of our own needs. It’s the love that teaches us to protect ourselves, to set boundaries, and to know our worth. It’s the love that, in the end, makes us better prepared for the love that’s yet to come.

3. The Unexpected Gift
And then, when we least expect it, the third love comes along. This love is different from the others. It’s not loud or dramatic; it doesn’t come with the intensity of the second love or the innocence of the first. Instead, it creeps into our lives silently, almost unnoticed, until one day, we realize that it’s there, and it’s real.
This third love often arrives when we’ve stopped looking for it, when we’ve made peace with our past and learned to be happy in our own company. It’s the love that catches us off guard, that breaks down the walls we’ve built around our hearts. This person might not be what we expected—they might not look like our usual type, or they might come into our lives in the most unexpected way. But there’s something about them that just feels right.
With this love, there’s no need for pretenses or masks. We feel safe being our true selves, with all our flaws and imperfections. This love is patient, understanding, and kind. It’s the love that sees us for who we truly are and loves us anyway. It’s the love that makes us want to build a life with someone—to dream of marriage, family, and a future together.
This third love is the one we thank the universe for. It’s the love that feels like coming home after a long journey. It’s the love that makes us believe that everything we’ve been through—the heartbreaks, the tears, the lessons—was all worth it. Because this love is what we’ve been waiting for, even if we didn’t know it.

A Personal Reflection
For me, I’ve experienced two of these loves. The first love, as it often does, happened when I was young and vulnerable. It was a time when I didn’t fully understand what love was, and when it ended, it left me with a sense of betrayal. I was too young to comprehend the complexities of love, and it made me wary, distrustful even. It built a wall inside of me, one that I didn’t know how to tear down. I wanted to love again, but deep down, I was afraid—afraid of losing, afraid of not feeling safe.
Safety, for me, is the cornerstone of any relationship. I want to feel secure, both emotionally and physically. I want to know that the person I’m with will protect me, support me, and cherish me. My second love was passionate and intense, but it lacked boundaries. It was a love that hurt, that broke me, but it also made me evolve. It was through this love that I transformed from a girl into a woman. I learned what I wanted and what I didn’t want, what I could tolerate and what I couldn’t. I learned that I deserved more than just passion—I deserved respect, kindness, and understanding.
And now, as I stand at the crossroads of my life, I’ve learned to be content in my solitude. I’ve found peace in being alone, in knowing myself, and in loving myself. The third love hasn’t come yet, but I’m hopeful. I know that when it does, it will be worth the wait. I’ve evolved, I’ve grown, and I’ve transformed. I’m ready to welcome this love with open arms, knowing that it will be with someone who is truly worthy of my heart.

The Power of Love
Love, in all its forms, is a journey. It’s a journey that teaches us about ourselves, about others, and about the world around us. It’s a journey that can be both beautiful and painful, but one that is always worth taking. We may fall in love three times in our lives, each time for a different reason, and each time, we learn something new.
The first love teaches us about innocence, the second about strength, and the third about the beauty of finding someone who loves us for who we truly are. These loves shape us, mold us. They help us grow, evolve, and become the best versions of ourselves.
So, let’s not lose hope. Let’s embrace the journey, with all its ups and downs, knowing that each step brings us closer to the love we deserve. Because, as the saying goes, God loves three. And when that third love comes, it will be the most beautiful, the most powerful, and the most fulfilling love of all.

Words by Elle Taylor