Love is a Many Splendored Thing

They say "it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."
I used to refuse to believe this. There is just no way that losing someone you've loved would be ok. At least if you've never loved you don't know what you're missing.
Now that I've experienced this exact event, I can say that I still disagree. But for different reasons.
In my experience, when you love someone completely, you incorporate so much of them into yourself that even when you are separated you haven't lost them. You can't lose them. They will always be a part of you, even if they left you out of their own choice. And because you loved them, if you really loved them, it's ok. You wouldn't have it any other way. It's just good enough that they graced your life for any amount of time.