How to Find Your Long Lost Love

A reunion with your long-lost love could be a new start on life.

"What Might Have Been." Most all of us have that someone we let slip out of our life. Maybe we were too young and dumb, or just too afraid to let them know our true feelings. Sometimes life is a Nicholas Sparks book. Could yours have the perfect ending, like "The Notebook"?

Instructions

1. Get social. Your first stop to finding your long lost love is the popular social networking websites. MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are not just for the young people. Many middle aged and older adults use these sites to communicate with family and friends. Do a name search for your long lost love on each of these sites. Search for a woman using her maiden name and her married name if she was ever married.

2. Do a simple white page search online. Free white pages websites that will let you search for people. The more information you have, the better your results: Many times you can find the person's address or phone number.

3. Never underestimate the power of Craigslist. It's for more than just selling items. It has become a huge social networking site and even acts as a free dating site. If you know a city where your long lost love might live, post a message under Missed Connections.

4. Look for him using Classmates.com. Classmates.com allows users to search by elementary schools all the way to colleges. You can also search by military installation or ship if your long lost love was in the military.

5. Talk to your mutual friends. They may know about your long lost love, and whether he is interested in a reconnection.

6. If all else has failed, consider hiring a private investigator. This might seem "stalkerish" to some, but if finding that special someone is important and you think your feelings would be reciprocated, give it a try.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't just show up at someone's front door unannounced or try to surprise them. It might seem romantic, but to some it may be too forward or inappropriate.

References

• Nancy Kalish's Lost and Found Lovers: Seniors Who Reunite With Old Flames
• Bloomberg: Facebook Might Be to Blame for Your Divorce; Sheril Kirshenbaum
• Your Tango: Smart Talk About Love; Look Him Up or Leave It Alone?