I've never regretted loving, not even once

First of all, before I say anything, listen to this song.
Daughtry-September
　
When I listen to this song, I immediately think of the confusing thing known as love. More so, a failed relationship and/ or love interest that has come and gone. He spends a majority of time in the verse seemingly
wondering if all this trouble he went through was worth it. Reflecting on these things seems to be the primary focus of the song. However, there is one line that really gets me, and is primarily what I am writing about. The line is at the end of the chorus:

Reflecting now on how things could’ve been
It was worth it in the end

As a self-admitted hopeless romantic, I have had a tendancy to get burned by love's flame.  It's mostly just classic cases of "she just doesn't feel the same way'". And i'm often left wondering if it was worth it. This especially rang true for me in the last few months. I won't say who this girl is, but those of you who know me will know.

I had felt very strongly about this girl for years. And time and time again, I could never say the way I felt. This tore me up over and over again. This especially got to me when she recently  started dating someone else(every guy knows this feeling). They say time heals all wounds though, and I will vouch for that. Time, friends, and a much needed vacation to NYC helped me get over it. I still wondered though, "was it worth it"? Years of pining after the same girl only to come up with nothing, was it worth it? I wrestled with this for weeks. This changed one day.

I was having a textversation(hey look, I made a new word!) with a good friend of mine. It was then she gave me told me something I'll never forget. She said "I've never regretted loving someone, not even once." That struck me. After thinking about this quote and my particular situation, I knew exactly how I felt.

In the end, it was all worth it.

Yeah, I didn't get a relationship out of it like I hoped for. But I came up far from empty handed. I will always have alot of happy memories I won't soon forget. I also learned many life lessons that I will cary forever. God, in all his goodness, I believe used this expereience to mold me into the man he wants me to be. This includes molding me into the man I need to be to meet my wife and eventually be a good husband and father.
So I will continue to love. Yeah, I might get burned. But that's a risk i'll gladly take. And if that does happen, I'll remember one thing:

I've never regretted loving anybody, no, not even once.