Love lost, love found - that's my story.  At 41 years old and never been married, I had settled into the fact that I would never find Mr. Right.  Or had I?  Years of dating the emotionally stunted and relationship retarded sector had left me hopeless.

Four years ago, I was preparing to move and was cleaning out when I stumbled across a box of old love letters.  The letters were from my first love, Lee, who had been in the US Air Force and stationed in the UK 20 years ago.  (Remember this was before computers and email or cell phones and an overseas phone call cost a small fortune).  He wrote frequently and passionately.  Through all of our ups and downs, he always signed letters, "love you always."  I read every one of them and cried.

For someone in his early 20's, he was emotionally mature.  He knew what his heart felt and followed it.  He knew how he felt about me and always told me.  Why didn't I see that before?  Or more like appreciate it before?  I couldn't say that about many of the men I had dated over the years.  Lee was the only guy I had dated whom I knew truly loved me.  Never since had I felt my love was reciprocated or that I could trust someone as much as I could him.  How could I have let him get away?  But he's happily married now, that ship has sailed.  I have to make the best with what I've been dealt.

Every once in a while I would reminisce back to Lee.  What would it have been like?  Does he think about me?  Would I ever find a love that special again?

In the fall of 2005 I heard from Lee (via email), a brief communication wanting to know how my life was.  We always knew where the other one was through a mutual friend, but rarely communicated.  Not to mention, he was happily married (I told myself) - off limits.  So why is he contacting me?

A couple of months later my mother was cleaning out and found another box of old love letters also from Lee.  Was this a sign?  I had just heard from him and I found the other letters.  Once again I read every one and the tears rolled down my cheeks.  Will I ever hear from him again?

In January 2006, my question was answered.  Lee contacted me again; he was going to be in town on business and wanted to have dinner.  Really?  I agreed.  At least 18 years have passed since I last saw him - what will he look like?  Will he be the same guy I knew?  I was very nervous.  When the knock at the door came I answered; I can't explain the feeling.  It was like looking at a stranger, but feeling safe at the same time.  He looked very much the same; a little older, a little heavier (as was I), but it was him.  Still tall, dark and handsome.  I kept my distance - remember, he was still married.

Dinner was nice; however the dreaded dead silence crept up on occasion.  Awkwardness was bound to happen.  I kept feeling like he had something to tell me - he was holding back.  He dropped subtle hints like he "used to have a nice dining room table" and "used to have a pool," but would never come out and say it so I did.  "So how long have you been separated?"  A look of shock came over his face, "how'd you know?"  How did I not know was more like it.  Still, I kept my distance; he's on the rebound.

We continued to communicate mostly through email.  In March he was in town again on business and came by for a visit.  The conversation drifted to our time together 20 years ago and what went wrong.  We were so in love once, but distance, misunderstanding and miscommunication did us in.  He moved away, got married and had three children.  He was gone forever.  He said he felt that my heart wasn't in it all those years ago so he made his decision to leave for good.  I had no idea he felt that way; he never told me why he had left.  Never gave me the opportunity to explain myself.

"So why have you been emailing me so much?" I asked.  "Why do you think?" he replied.  Looking into his warm brown eyes, he said in a most soft soothing voice, "It was always you."  The tears began to stream down my face.  If I could have bottled that moment I would have.  Unanswered questions I had carried around all those years had finally been answered.  Years of self doubt had been lifted.  He had truly loved me and more importantly he still did.

We spent the next few months getting reacquainted and quickly fell in love all over again.  Our love had passed the test of time.  The rest is history.

I can still hear his soft soothing voice saying those words, "It was always you."

Do you have a story to share with others? click here to send us your story and a picture and we'll be sure to publish the best ones we receive in this section!