If you’ve ever been in love, you know that there’s really nothing better in the world. I mean, if you’ve truly, 100% loved someone with every piece of your being and every morsel of your soul, you know not much else tops it. Many people spend their lives in relationships with people they merely like, with people they keep around for company, but few enjoy the benefit of being madly, deeply, and crazy in love with another person. If you’ve ever felt that way, you know that person is at the forefront of your mind right now. Maybe you’re lucky enough to still be together… or maybe they now live only in your memory.

Their face, their touch, the way you laughed together, the adventures you went on, the butterflies they gave you. All those things you haven’t seen in years but still remember so clearly make you believe that maybe one day, maybe somehow, you will be reunited and live happily ever after. You watch The Notebook and you cry thinking maybe that could happen for you. You watch it again and think that true love never goes away and never ends. You watch it again and each time you watch it you believe in your heart of hearts that the love you shared is strong enough to bring you back together and each time you watch it you wonder when your time will come.

But your time may never come. Love is strong and love is magnificent but sometimes two people are just not meant to be together. Things get in the way: Life, circumstance, distance, other people and eventually the hope for a new beginning starts to fade. The reality of it all comes crashing down hard and leaves you stranded, wondering what you could have done differently. The truth is, there’s nothing you could have done differently and if you had changed even a mere moment of your past, there’s no guarantee you would still be with that person or that you would even be in the exact position you’re in right now.

As much as two people could love each other, sometimes the cards just don’t fall in your favour. That is not to say that the strength of your love could not still, to this day, move mountains. Believe in the love that you felt and know that they felt it too. If it was as real as you know it to be, then you can be positive that you still cross their mind as well. But crossing minds and crossing paths are two very different things. There’s a chance that the love of your life may have a new life now, just as you do. A life that only includes the memory of what you had and the love you shared. You may never cross their path again in your entire life, even though you may think about them often and wish for just one more glimpse. There may be songs on the radio or certain movies that bring them to mind and make you cry, and that’s okay. Maybe they think of you when that song comes on too.

Find comfort in the fact that you were lucky enough to find such a love. If only for a few years, a few months, or a few weeks you found something that many people will never really know. You found a connection with another soul that made you feel alive, that made you smile bigger than you ever thought possible, and someone that you will never forget. You may still believe that one day your love will be strong enough to reconnect you and bring you back together and if that gives you comfort, then never stop hoping or believing. But don’t stop living the life ahead of you because you are reluctant to give up the past. Don’t allow the past love of your life to prevent you from bearing your soul and your heart to someone new who you might end up falling even more in love with.

You will never again love someone the same way as you did the one who got away, but you can love again and only when you allow yourself to give up the dream of finding your way back to that one certain person will you really see what else lies ahead. True love never ends but relationships do and sometimes the broken pieces are just never meant to be put back together. Heal yourself, heal your heart, and believe that new love can be just as great, or even better than the idealistic love you have carried around with you for much too long. Free yourself and new love will come again.

Shannon Ferguson is a writer who recently returned to her roots in Cornwall. With degrees in Communications, Psychology, and Broadcast Journalism, Shannon created her successful blog, The Love Hawk, and is a contributing writer for many websites including The Huffington Post and Elite Daily. View her blog at www.thelovehawk.com, like her page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @TheLoveHawk and be sure to listen to her online radio show “The Love Hawk” every Tuesday at 6pm at www.dunet.ca