"If one day you are made to choose between the world and love, remember this : if you choose the world you'll be left without love, but if you choose love, with it you will conquer the world."
" How strange is the lot of us mortals ! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn ; for what purpose we know not, though sometimes we sense it. But we know from our daily life that we exist for other people first of all, for whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends. For happiness is like a kiss, you must share it to enjoy it ! "
These are the words of Albert Einstein, the TIME magazine's person of the 20th century. For a man who is known for his scientific breakthroughs, its worth knowing that he too fell prey to the intricacies of falling in love. Being in love, that's a given, its staying in love that poses a real challenge. I go for Einstein quote again - "If you cannot explain it simply, then you don't understand it well enough." Even Forrest Gump, stupid as he was, knew what love is. We all know what love is, we just try too hard to be original, doing things our own way, when the real trick is letting love sweep us to wherever it want to take us - that's why its called "falling in love."
" When the world starts to shine like you have too much wine, that's Amore. I guess everyone, at least once in their lifetime, had experienced the drunken feeling of being in love. That's a given, the real challenge is how to stay in love, keep the fire burning, and live happily ever after. One thing I learned from my grandfather was how to keep his woman at a safe distance but make her feel that everything he's doing was for her. My grandmother in return allowed him space to do his thing but made him feel that he can't live without her. It was simple, he treated her like a queen and in return, he gets treated like a king. Their home was their castle and everyone they come in touch with, they try to do good. There was no TV and gadgets during their time and grandma's connection to the other world was only through a window from their apartment unit where she while away her hours waiting for my grandfather to come home. Indeed, their lives were so intertwined that after she died, he followed her to the grave 11 months later.
Grandma was bedridden for about years and pain engulfed her.. Every night I hear her cries of pain. I tried to be of comfort but my grandfather would tell me - " You are no doctor, so just try to get some sleep. If ever we need to send you on errands, I will just wake you up. " And all night long I can see him keep vigil by her side, holding her hands, offering some comfort knowing that she will soon depart. He took her death calmly and as days passed spent most of his time sitting by the window where my grandmother used to spend her time with. He tried to put up a happy face each time my mother drop by to attend to his needs and I remember him telling Mom that he would never stand in her way if she was to follow my eldest sister to Canada. Then one day, without a sign of being sick, he died of cardiac arrest. Strange as it may seem, his face was marked by a smile in his casket. As the undertaker remarked, he must have had a pleasant death for he said it was impossible to put a smile on a dead man's face once you're making him up. It took me years to understand what love had done to their lives. It was not as as romantic as " The Notebook" for my grandfather could not read nor write, yet I always enjoyed reliving the times I was with them.
Now I guess I am living the same kind of life, maybe even better. They have only my mother who married at the age of thirteen. I have 5 kids, all in their 20's and we are still enjoying their presence. Life may not be as simple as my grandparents' life back then but one thing I was able to do at home better than most, the kids may have their cellphones and PC at home, we still prefer the old ways sharing stories and corny jokes. My wife is no longer as pretty as she was 30 years and 50 pounds ago, but she still have me under her spell. And here I am, still writing our love story. Well, that's Amore !
Grandma was bedridden for about years and pain engulfed her.. Every night I hear her cries of pain. I tried to be of comfort but my grandfather would tell me - " You are no doctor, so just try to get some sleep. If ever we need to send you on errands, I will just wake you up. " And all night long I can see him keep vigil by her side, holding her hands, offering some comfort knowing that she will soon depart. He took her death calmly and as days passed spent most of his time sitting by the window where my grandmother used to spend her time with. He tried to put up a happy face each time my mother drop by to attend to his needs and I remember him telling Mom that he would never stand in her way if she was to follow my eldest sister to Canada. Then one day, without a sign of being sick, he died of cardiac arrest. Strange as it may seem, his face was marked by a smile in his casket. As the undertaker remarked, he must have had a pleasant death for he said it was impossible to put a smile on a dead man's face once you're making him up. It took me years to understand what love had done to their lives. It was not as as romantic as " The Notebook" for my grandfather could not read nor write, yet I always enjoyed reliving the times I was with them.
Now I guess I am living the same kind of life, maybe even better. They have only my mother who married at the age of thirteen. I have 5 kids, all in their 20's and we are still enjoying their presence. Life may not be as simple as my grandparents' life back then but one thing I was able to do at home better than most, the kids may have their cellphones and PC at home, we still prefer the old ways sharing stories and corny jokes. My wife is no longer as pretty as she was 30 years and 50 pounds ago, but she still have me under her spell. And here I am, still writing our love story. Well, that's Amore !
👏😊👏
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