There is a quote by Nicholas Sparks that reads, “There is no love like the first.” In every person’s life there are many firsts; first kiss, first boyfriend, first time breaking a bone, first sport, first day of school, first lost tooth, first job, first breakup, etc. I think that one of the most profound of the firsts has to be your first love. We each come across that person in our lives; that person who changes everything from the moment they enter and maybe they are whom you end up with, or maybe they aren’t. But what happens after the first? We can’t all just stop loving after one attempt at love. What comes next?

To the boy I loved first

I said I wouldn’t love anyone like I loved you; I wasn’t wrong. When you broke my heart, all I was looking for was someone to replace what you had taken away from me; to fill the void that had me lost and alone. I quickly learned that there was no one that could replace you or what you had been to me. So yes, I won’t ever love anyone like I loved you, but it's not a bad thing and I’m not sad about it. I don’t want to love anyone the way I loved you. I don’t want to make the same memories; I don’t want to cry for the same reasons or to laugh about the same jokes. I don't want another you.

To the boy I loved next

Hi, love. I’m sorry that when you found me I was only looking to replace what I had lost, but I’m so glad you found me when you did. When I met you, you changed me. You were not my first love and you did not fill the spaces he had left empty; instead, you gave me more. You started creating beauty in places where I saw none in myself. I had it wrong the whole time, and only now did I realize it. I didn’t want what I had before because that’s what had broken me; I needed someone new in my life, someone who would see me as something worth pursuing. Thank you for being gentle when you knew I was broken, for understanding that I am uniquely myself, for not judging me based on my past, and for learning to love me the way that I am.

In my opinion, Nicholas Sparks was right because there is no love like the first. That’s why it's what it is: the first. There were so many things I learned, not only about myself but about relationships too. So, to my second love, I’m glad you’re not the first. You taught me about second chances. When I thought love may not exist for me, you proved that wrong. For that, I will never be able to thank you enough.

I love you.