Have you ever been in love? Have you ever felt this abundance and joy in the arms of another? Have you ever been heartbroken? Have you ever felt this ache in your heart and this pain in your tummy? Have you ever broken someone else’s heart?

Ohhhh, LOVE! A four-letter word that holds so much value. Something that can make us feel a rush of emotions and something that can hurt us in seconds if gone. It is the most beautiful thing we get to experience in this lifetime. We get to FEEL all these things! We get to experience its complexity and its depth.

As a little girl I always dreamed of this boy. I couldn’t picture his face, but it was this FEELING. I was a hopeless romantic and believed the fairytales that “my prince charming would save me.” And as I grew up, I simply forgot about it. I started crushing on boys in middle school and started dating in high school. I got my first kiss my freshman year in senior hall by a star football player who in my eyes was so HOT. I thought this would be the highlight of my life. I still remember the shock of his kiss, the warmth of his lips, the butterflies in my tummy, the racing of my heart, and the nerves of “did that just happen.” LMAO. I thought that would be the highlight of my life. And then I heard Taylor Swift drop some wise words... (Yes, I’m a Swifty and I love her soooooo much!) She said… “In your life you’ll do bigger things than dating the boy on the football team, but I didn’t know that at fifteen.”

WOWWWWW, was she right! Through time I’ve realized we are here to EXPERIENCE. Experience love, experience loss, experience memories, experience growth, experience adversity. LOVE is the gateway to unlocking deeper layers of ourselves. In every relationship you learn new things about yourself. And after any relationship you will find that you have changed. You learned something through another that has altered something inside of you. And to me, that’s the true beauty of love.

I recently went to a wedding, and it was so beautiful to witness the union of two beings coming together through the power of love. It’s so magical! The pastor said, “This ring is a symbol of love as there is no beginning or ending in this circle.” And it hit me. Just as we grow through the cycle of life, we grow through the cycle of love. Love has so many layers, has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows but the one thing that remains consistent is your growth through it. You have overcome all that you have faced and that is powerful!

“JUST AS WE GROW THROUGH THE CYCLE OF LIFE, WE GROW THROUGH THE CYCLE OF LOVE.”

For years I was in search for the recipe of love. And I found… There is no formula. We are all here growing through different experiences. Some find love through one person, others find it through different people. And the fascinating part about all of it is that each encounter leads us closer to ourselves and source. We learn so much about ourselves through the love of another. And I hope you reading this right now welcomes love into your life. If you don’t have a partner, I hope you find the strength to be open to welcoming one in. If you do have a partner I hope you love him/her a little extra today.

“YOU ARE WORTHY, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, YOU ARE LOVE, AND YOU DESERVE TO BE LOVED.”

Love is a GIFT we get to experience. The high’s and low’s are all part of the process that makes us stronger and leads us to a deeper love of self. I want to remind you that you are worthy, you are beautiful, you are love, and you deserve to be loved.

Con mucho amor,

J.V.