The Mid Life Dating Files 2025

A True Example of Love

For a long time, I struggled to understand what it really meant to feel loved. I didn’t experience that kind of love in my marriage, and after years of manipulation, I felt it slipping away in my relationship with my children as well. My ex-husband was not a loving person, and over time, he turned my children against me. When my marriage ended after 26 years, it felt like my entire world fell apart.

But in the middle of that loss, something powerful and unexpected happened—I was reminded of what real love looks like.

I have always felt loved by my parents, but during that season of heartbreak and rebuilding, their love became even more evident. When everything else felt broken, they showed up for me in ways I never imagined. The pain of divorce, while incredibly difficult, drew me closer to my parents than I ever thought possible. What felt like the greatest negative in my life became the very thing that strengthened one of my most meaningful relationships.

My parents have always been giving, supportive, and steady. Even when I’ve made bad choices. Even when I didn’t have things figured out. Even when I felt ashamed, hurt, or lost. They never walked away. They never judged. They simply loved me—unconditionally.

That, to me, is the true meaning of love. Love doesn’t disappear when things get hard. It doesn’t keep score or withdraw when mistakes are made. Real love stays. It supports. It shows up—every single time.

I am incredibly grateful they are mine, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I truly believe that things happen in our lives for a reason—whether to teach us, shape us, bring people closer, or sometimes to remove others altogether. And through all of it, one truth remains constant: I love my parents and my family more than I could ever fully put into words.

So if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this—cherish your family. Spend every moment you can with the people who love you without conditions, while you still have the chance.

Because that kind of love is everything.❤️