When you're newly divorced, it's hard to imagine ever loving again. But the truth is, you never stop loving. You love your kids with a fierceness because you know they need it most now. You love your friends and family because they have the grace and the patience to listen to your ex-related rants. And hopefully, you extend some of that love to yourself. You're more than worthy of it.
Sure, love is different after divorce, but it's still very much present. Earlier this week, we asked our readers to share with us how they've come to define love since their marriages ended. See what they had to say below.
JN Photography
"I would go through the hell of my divorce a million over to have these two little boys in my life. They have taught me more about unconditional love, life and myself in their precious short lives than I had ever discovered in my 25 years before them." -Hannah Robinson
Barry Fraser
"Love after divorce is wonderful. We're a big blended family now." -Barry Fraser
Joanna Montgomery
"I didn't know if it would even be possible to find love after divorce, but I met my true match when I was 40, right when I least expected it. And at 44, I had the child I never thought I'd have. If it hadn't been for these late-in-life events, I wouldn't have found out about the cancer inside me until it was too late. They discovered it during the C-section that brought our daughter into the world. All I can say is, never question the timing of the universe!" -Joanna Montgomery
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Jessica McCarthy
"I would define love as the bond between me and my son. I love that I caught on camera the way he looks at me! That's unconditional love!" -Jessica McCarthy
Kimberly Hyatt Jackson Photographics
"This is what love looks like after divorce. After taking the time to love myself again, I met a man who loves me for me. Love IS possible after divorce. This is proof." -Melissa Hyatt
Jenny Sampley
"Nahla, my red-nosed pitbull is love in the most perfect way for me. She watched as my marriage crumbled in the hands of my abusive husband. Though she couldn't save me physically -- I had to do that myself -- she saved me emotionally. I credit my strength and bravery to her. She was (and is) a steady ear to listen and paw to hold." -Jenny Sampley
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Matt Simms
"After divorce, I found solo happiness, then meet an amazing girl, got married and we now have a two-year-old princess and another one on the way next month." -Matt Simms
Susan Grace
"Three years after my divorce, my daughters Emily and Sarah define love for me. They exemplify the true meaning of unconditional love: so pure, honest and true. They love without fear, nor judgement of others. They don't hold grudges or count rights or wrongs. They show me the true meaning of love. After the divorce I thought I wasn't capable of finding that love again but my children remind me daily that I never lost it." -Susan Grace
Afton Marie Photography
"This is love. We are a newly married and blended family. What a crazy ride to get where we are now. And oddly enough, my ex and I have found a pretty civil way to handle parenting after divorce." -Nicole Messer
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David Gray
"Love after divorce is all about showing and sharing with my son what is good and right in life!" -David Gray
Erin Delpercio
"Divorce, for me, has meant happiness. Don't get me wrong, divorce is hard as sh*t...but then that wasn't far off from how married life was for me. My life is so much easier now. I can be a better, happier mom for my kids. I've also had a lot of fun meeting new people and I recently met a guy who was also going through a divorce and has kids who are about the same age as mine. Neither off us is ready to jump into anything serious, but both agree that we enjoy each others' company. Life is good!" -Erin Delpercio
Dominique Lamb
"This is me hanging out with my BFF wolf pack. This is what love is all about after divorce!" -Dominique Lamb
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Wendy Fox
"This is me and my new partner Jamie Laban. I couldn’t be happier and my three children from my previous marriage love and adore the three more children created from this new relationship!" -Wendy Fox
Leslie Foxworth
"This is what love looks like now for me: co-sleeping with the kids, pushed to the edge of the bed, but giving my girls the security they need right now and seeing their sweet faces when I open my eyes every morning " -Leslie Foxworth
Armando Ramirez
"I found my amazing smile and started to love myself again after 13 years of loving the wrong person. I will never place someone else's happiness before my own." -Armando Ramirez
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To see more photos that define love after divorce, check out our slideshow:
