Dear John

Dear John...what can I say about the book that I now consider as one of my favorites? To the book which made me cry more than I have ever cried reading a book? To the book which made me want to change sooo much in myself and become a better person? To the book which made me think about forgiveness and be able to take the plunge and forgive my sister who I hadnt talked for almost two weeks? 
a few weeks ago I was doing my nails and decided I would put on a movie to watch as I went through the long process of soaking, filing, cutting, painting and then waiting for my nails to dry... my dad reccomended me a "slow but nice movie" called "Dear John". I watched it twice. My sister joined me the second time and halfway through the movie said out loud: "What is that noise? OMG Chris, its you crying!!!" Yes, I cried my eyes out. It stayed in my mind for days. It made an impact. And lo and behold, the other day when I was giving one of my students a class this book stares me in the face: "Dear John" and before I knew it my treasured prize was in my bag and in my hands the moment I sat in the bus going to my next class. As always, not everything is the same as it is on the movie. In the movie the main character, Savannah is this stunning blond beauty with this unconciouss naïveté all about her. In the book she is a short good looking tan girl. The whole story has its little differences here and there but to my great surprise I almost fell off my chair when the end of my story finishes completely different from the movie. In the movie they end up 'happily ever after' but in the book he disapears and does the hardest decision ever in his life to make her happy since he loves her so much. But even despite my  astonishment at the sad ending of the book I think I prefered the original ending (the one in the book) because it portrays the true meaning of love and what love is all about.
"The secret to happiness is to dream dreams you can reach" is one of the first phrases in the book. I thought about that. It makes total sense. I learnt a lot about life, about putting others happiness first, of letting go of selfish attitudes and doing what it takes to see others happy - even if it means sacrificing for them. Well, hats off to Nicholas Sparks and his fantastic book...it took me on a journey which I will never forget and I am a better person because of it. 


Book Review:

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.