EVERY BREATH

Nicholas Sparks, surprisingly, has not lost his spark in writing romance novels.

Using one of the simplest plots I have read so far in a novel, Sparks put two people on a beach for less than a week and they managed to develop a bond of love that lasted decades thereafter without any contact. Common right? But what sets their story apart from the rest is not just the strength of their love but how they magically found each other again.

Oftentimes, we make choices based on our supposed plans and wants in life. In so doing, we find ourselves in a path of no return and no amount of regrets can change the trajectory of our existence. Such is what happened to Hope. She loves Tru so much but choosing him would mean giving up her dreams of becoming a mother which has been the role she always wanted. So, despite a heavy heart she chose to walk away. I cannot reconcile her choice though with her claims of loving Tru. For me, love encompasses everything, even the seeming lack of the beloved’s capacity to produce offspring. For me, getting married should be about wanting to be with the person you love and children should just be a plus, an additional blessing for the union. Getting into the institution for other reasons, even just for having children, makes the marriage more of a business transaction than a sacred union.

Tru, as characterized, is the real deal. He tried to live his life the best way he can but also never letting go of his love for Hope. He accepted her decision without blaming her for the crashing pain he has to suffer. In fact, he even supported her choice by letting her go without any recriminations. He understood her point of view even while dealing with the pain of his loss.

More than two decades after and with all normal routes of finding another person already exhausted, Hope finally decided to ask the universe for help in bringing Tru back to her. How? I will leave it to you dear fans of Nicholas Sparks to find out while reading this book. Expect letters of love that will make you weep in gratitude for reminding us of deep love and compassion that certainly makes us humane.

The lesson I got from this story is one of bravery- to let ourselves experience love in the most unexpected places. To believe that we are where we are supposed to be and that every step that leads us somewhere is leading us to the best love of a lifetime. That is the work of the universe and one we should be trusting with.

As for our Tru and Hope, they found each other again. Older, wiser and even with looming threats of sickness, their time finally came.