The powerlessness in love

“The pain of unreturned love is a reminder that love is a gift, not a transaction.” – Unknown There's this term I have recently stumbled upon that I haven't been able to shake off: unrequited love . Sometimes called one-sided love— it’s when one person has strong feelings for someone who doesn’t feel the same way in return. And I think that's exactly where I find myself, loving someone who doesn't love me back, or maybe they do, but it's not in the way I need, not with the same clarity, not with the same depth. It's hard to say, all I know is that I'm loving into silence, into uncertainty, into the unknown. This is a kind of love that is not loud, it's not demanding, and it does not ask for too much. It just stays quiet, it's patient, and as time goes on, it begins to feel like a slow surrender, a powerlessness you never expected to feel. It's not dramatic either; it's just...waiting. Hoping, praying, and sitting with the ache of love that ...