I was always looking for love in a fancy way, filled with bells, whistles, butterflies and fireworks. So when I received a key, representing love, I expected it to be more  just that. Fancy.  I was taken back by the understated shape and the rather plain style.  I wanted it to be more ornate in design, something vintage with yet a classic feel. I couldn’t understand how this key was going to help me embrace love.  What I didn’t know at the time was that this key and an epic heartbreak were about to change my life, and the way I looked at love forever. 

So here is to the boy who broke my heart, and the receiver of my key, thank you for teaching me all about love. You loved me when I didn’t think I could love again, healed my heart when it hurt to believe, fought for my heart when I was scared to reveal to myself how much I could be loved and broke my heart when you knew it was time to let go. Thank you for teaching me that love needs room to fly, a chance to fall and faith to fight. You taught me love forms wings along the way. Through heartbreak, you helped me pull down my walls, smash my mirrors, remove my disguises and to see love for what it truly was. SIMPLE. HONEST. BEAUTIFUL.  

I learned not be scared of falling, embracing or taking a leap. I discovered my own heart without expectations, definitions or requirements. I learned to love myself without boundaries, effort or fear.  When you broke my heart, you dared me to redefine love.... and I did! You challenged my spirit and moved my soul to lengths I didn’t know I could reach. You gave me the courage through despair to see how beautiful love stands out in its simplicity and charm. You helped me to learn that love is not complicated when embraced. Love doesn’t hide behind barriers, details or filtered finishes. It shines.  Through every tear shed, laugh expressed, kiss exchanged, challenge met or memory made, you helped me discover that love (and the key) never lost its brilliance. LOVE. IS. SIMPLE. 

Love to me now … 

Love stands on its own. It’s epic in attention with a soft balance of awareness. It’s bold in spirit. Fearless in bravery and a warrior in strength. Love doesn’t need an armor of protection, love just needs to be seen. I needed to believe in a love so pure and authentic that I could discover the rarity of its raw form. Love can’t be scared and neither can I. You changed my heart and the way I love forever. Thank you for teaching me that kind of love I wanted and revealing a path for me to find it. I hope this key brings to you a journey that reveals how loved you are. How courageous, kind and passionate your heart is. How powerful your story is. How lasting your impression is and how healing your love is. May your journey and this key be a reminder to all the joy you bring to others and the hidden treasures of your spirit that I adore and you have yet to uncover. I will always love you, hold you in my heart and be thankful for the story we wrote together. Here’s to you finding your greatest adventure in love.

-Anne