the Notebook

I just finished reading the novel The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. A story of love-lost-and-found-again.

The story opens present-day in a nursing home, where an elderly man reads bits and pieces of a love story of two young lovers from a notebook to his female companion. Young Noah Calhoun, a lumberyard worker, is instantly smitten with fifteen-year-old Allie Hamilton, the daughter of a well-to-do Southern family who is spending the summer at their vacation home in North Carolina. Allie's parents disapprove of their relationship, and Noah and Allie are separated. However, Noah and Allie's paths cross again seven years later, but Allie is engaged to wealthy Lon Hammond. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He presented a question all but universal in appeal: What would happen if two people were given a second chance at the love of a lifetime? According to Nicholas Sparks. "When love is real, it doesn't matter what turns the road takes. When love is real, the joys and possibilities are endless."

The notebook is about finding faith, hope and most importantly, love.

Quotes that inspired me---

+ There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I have loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me this has always been enough.

+ You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. And, my darling, you will always be mine.

+ My daddy used to tell me 'the first time you fall in love it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin' never goes away. This girl you been tellin' me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she'll stay with you forever.

+ Poets often describe love as an emotion that we can't control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. That's what it was like for me. I didn't plan on falling in love with you, and I doubt if you planned on falling in love with me. But once we met, it was clear that neither of us could control what was happening to us. We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me, love like that has happened only once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it.

+ It's not about keeping your promises, it's about following your heart.

+ The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've give me. That's what I'd hope to give to you forever.

+My dearest Allie,I don't know what to say anymore except that I couldn't sleep last night because I knew that it is over between us. It is a different feeling for me, one that I never expected, but looking back, I suppose it couldn't have ended another way. You and I were different. We came from different worlds, and yet you were the one who taught me the value of love. You showed me what it was like to care for another, and I am a better man because of it. I don't want you to ever forget that. I am not bitter because of what has happened. On the contrary. I am secure in knowing that what we had was real, and I am happy we were able to come together for even a short period of time. And if, in some distand place in the future, we see each other in our new lives, I will smile at you with joy, and remember how we spent a summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. And maybe, for a brief moment, you'll feel it too, and you'll smile back, and savor the memories we will always share together. I love you, Allie. Noah