Lauren Jarvis-Gibson

I know it’s hard to imagine. It’s hard to picture in your mind when the past is so clearly etched in your heart. But, one day you will find someone who will let you be your true self. And who won’t ever make you regret letting them walk into your life.

Find someone who always believes in your love, because to them you are the most magnificent and beautiful planet in the galaxy. And find someone who makes you believe in that kind of love again. Because it’s out there for you. And it will happen one day.

Don’t stop climbing. Don’t stop swimming. Don’t you dare give up. Because even though we go through devastation and wreckage, the days and years of magic make it all worth it.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

You find joy in the little things. Spending a lazy Sunday afternoon means the world to you. Seeing him smile makes you beam with energy. Having him give you hug after a hard day, makes your week.

Sometimes all you need when you feel a little lost, is a conversation with a good friend you haven’t seen in a while.

Gets along with your family. If he doesn’t even at least try to get along with your family and win them over, he’s not worth it. Period.

You don’t want to be intimate anymore. There is no passion in the relationship anymore. Kissing them isn’t fun like it used to be and there is no fire burning in the bedroom either.

The pain of watching someone fall out of love will never be erased from your mind. Your body will hold that grief in your bones and in your cells that like to remind you every once in a while of what you used to have.

To the girl who has replaced me, you are incredibly lucky. You have hit the jackpot and the lottery all in one sitting. So don’t screw it up. Don’t mess this one up. Or else you’ll be just like me, and forever regret the day you ever said goodbye to a man like him.

Find a man who adores you on the inside and out. And find a man who wouldn’t ever dare let you go, because you have the most beautiful mind he has ever seen.

Love isn’t going to erase your insecurities. Love isn’t going to take away your depression or anxiety. We would like to believe it has the power to do this. We would love to believe it. But, it’s not the real and honest truth.

Not only are they looking for a good boyfriend or girlfriend, but they are looking for someone who will understand their mental illness. They can’t date someone who is ignorant to their problem, and they need someone who can give them empathy and support.

Sprout imperfections and scars with each petal you bloom, and don’t ever apologize for just being you. Be a wildflower, one that comes from nothing and grows into something.

Find someone who feels like your favorite place. And find someone who becomes your favorite home to rest your tired head on at the end of everyday.

It’s nice sometimes. To know I had something so special that made saying goodbye so hard. And to know that at least once, I got to experience true, real, big love. But I still miss you. And I wonder, do you miss me too?

The journey of loving yourself isn’t always going to be linear. And it isn’t going to always be balanced. There will be days where you look in the mirror and hate what you see. But there will also be beautiful days, where you get up in the morning and like who you are. And you will smile to yourself, proud of how far you have come.

We don’t know how to communicate anymore. We just spit out white lies and hushed whispers. We don’t know how to be in love. Because all love has become for us, is something that ends.