Loneliness…It’s an emotion that’s never really welcomed, but sometimes needed. Moments in life arise where it’s actually healthy to experience the emptiness of having no one in your life. In those painfully uncomfortable moments, you’re granted the solitude to reconnect with faith, reconnect with life, and reconnect with your unique understanding of who you are and what you want.

By now, you’ve either seen or heard about the 52nd edition of the Grammy Awards. Don’t worry though, this piece isn’t designed to relive any of those moments as I’m sure you’ve had your fill. Instead, I wanted to focus on the song that won the award for “Best Female Pop Vocal.” The song was Beyonce’s “Halo,” and I have to admit that I’ve gained a newfound appreciation for it.

During my time as The Fly Guy, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn many invaluable lessons. The most important of which is this: People don’t always want love advice. Sometimes, they just want to be left to their feelings. This typically happens during a painful breakup. And while kind words and deeds occasionally help, there’s only so many times that a person wants to hear, “everything will be ok.”

Heartbreak comes in many forms. And while they’re all painful, the most tragic of them all is the type that’s self-inflicted. To have found true love, only to lose it due to your own foolish actions is a tough pill to swallow. Your existence then becomes consumed with your desire to find answers and to reconcile the matter both internally and with the one that got away.

This is perhaps the easiest piece that I’ve ever had to write. It’s easy in the sense that expressing my love for you has never been difficult. You’re ingrained in my DNA, and are now officially a part of my being. So it’s only right that I share with the rest of the world my eternal gratitude for one of God’s greatest gifts.

Never let life consume you to the point where you fail to seize any and every opportunity to express thankfulness and appreciation for the special people in your life. So in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday that just passed, I thought I’d pull out some of the songs currently on my playlist that accurately say “thank you and I love you.”

Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike … If I love the girl who cares who you like?” And with those words, Ralph Tresvant cemented his place as one of my all-time favorite love philosophers. Ok, “philosopher” may be a strong word, but you have to be willing to look past the source to embrace the message.

Since Mondays are usually so hectic for us all, I felt the need to program in a much-needed break—a moment for you to breathe, take a load off, and reflect back on some of music’s most poignant expressions of love. Starting today, we’ll feature a new (but really old) video each week and celebrate its ability to capture the true essence of love and relationships. First up is Jon B.’s “They Don’t Know.”

I was scrolling through my iPod this morning and stumbled across Jodeci’s “Cry For You.” Now I have to admit, when the song first came out, I thought it was dope (even though I probably wasn’t old enough to really understand its meaning.) But after a quick listen today, my perspective on the quality of its message has officially changed.

We all come from different backgrounds, which I’ve come to both understand and appreciate. It’s those same differences that make this world so great, and what ultimately creates the spice within our romantic relationships. But no matter how different we are, or what we may believe in, we all experience tough periods in our lives—especially in the area of love.