Love comes when you’re 5 years old and you see the little boy from your preschool class playing in the sandbox.
Love comes when you’re 10 years old and you and that same little boy from the sandbox decide to get married on the playground across from the swing set.
Love comes when you’re 13 years old because you’re in middle school now. And he has a skateboard and you have a flip phone and together you’re cool.
Love comes again when you’re 16 years old and this time it’s a different boy. This boy makes your heart feel warm and your stomach drop and swarm with butterflies. You see, this love is the real deal because you get to paint his football number on your cheek for the big Friday night game and maybe smirk to yourself as the other girls glance by in jealousy.
Love comes again when you’re 25 years old and you think you’ve found the one since that old high school love faded away.
Love comes when you’re 35 years old and 10 years later you still know he’s the one.
Love comes when you’re 40 years and can still relish in the comfort and warmth of the home you’ve built together.
Love leaves when you’re 45 years old and suddenly he’s not the one anymore.
Love is still gone, 2 months later when the divorce papers are stacked up high on the kitchen counter.
But love comes back again.
Maybe it’s 10 years after the divorce or maybe it’s 20.
But it comes back.
And it doesn’t look the same anymore. That familiarity is gone and there are laugh lines you won’t recognize.
But what you recognize is the way it makes you feel good again.
Love will come back and it will be just as beautiful as ever.