Have you ever loved someone who didn’t love you back? I'm
not talking about being involved with someone who hurts or abuses you.

I’m, also, not talking about loving from a distance, wishing and hoping the
object of your affection would notice you. What I am talking about is being
involved with someone who doesn’t have the same depth of feelings for you as
you do for him or her. The person likes you all right and is willing to spend
time with you but he or she just doesn’t love you the same as you love him or
her.

How does that feel? Does it feel painful, as if you were losing out on
something? I’m suggesting here that that kind of experience doesn’t have to be
painful. If you are a person who loves deeply and intensely, you may not
encounter someone to return the same depth of feeling that you have but that
doesn’t mean the person you are with doesn’t give you all he or she has.

When you find someone to love that way and it feels so intense you think you
might explode with excitement and happiness sometimes, that is a privilege—no
matter what the other person returns to you. The simple act of loving another
is truly a gift. How many people do you think go through life without ever
loving that way? Too many!

When you have been given the honor and privilege of finding someone to love so
intensely, enjoy the opportunity to share your feelings with the other person.
Please don’t ruin that experience by deciding that if the other person doesn’t
love you the same way or as strongly as you, then somehow that diminishes the
love you feel for him or her.

Love is a gift. Give yours freely with no strings attached and you will be
amazed at the satisfaction and unadulterated joy you can feel. It’s truly an
amazing experience. Do you have one to share?