A Tale of Two Love Stories

January 5th, 1980...The day my love story began

We all enjoy a good love story, right? I think most do. Many times we see a love story or hear about a love story or read a good love story book and we think man, if life could only be that way. And much to my own chagrin, life never does seem to fit into the scenarios we see on television and in the movies...you know, the love that is steeped in complete understanding and trust of each other...the ability to forgive even the harshest offenses...the innate desire to always see the best in each other. There may be a love story out there that possesses these rare qualities, but I've never seen it or even heard about it. Because love, like life in general, is a messy affair. It's a messy affair because it is a complicated relationship between two human beings...human beings who are messy. We're all a mess. If you meet someone who seems to have it all together, don't be fooled. Beneath it all, they are intrinsically broken. They don't want to be, thus making a valiant effort to make it look as if it ain't so. But it is. Sad, but true. Every human being on planet earth is a broken creature. But don't despair. This blogpost gets better.

​So we enjoy seeing them on TV and when we go to the movies -- love stories, that is. I, for one, am a hopeless romantic when it comes to the screen, big or small. Even if the story is not considered a "love story," if it has a bit of romance flowing through the plot, I'm in! I have always been a lover of going to the movies and, if it's a good love story, even better. There's just nothing more fun than settling down in a comfy chair in the cool of a dark room to watch a flick with a bag of that famous movie popcorn (oh, the popcorn!).  I have a good friend who buys popcorn every time she sees a movie. It doesn't matter if she has just consumed a large meal, she's gonna get that popcorn, baby. And it seems as I've gotten older, I am becoming more and more like her. But I do try and have a smaller meal before the movie so that I have plenty of room left for the popcorn. And after all, it is a whole grain, so I allow myself the splurge! But going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do. Especially when the weather outside is either too hot to tango or too cold to breathe because your nasal passages are frozen. So I bet you know where this is going. Yep, this is your free movie critique. Enjoy!

I have actually attended two movies in the last couple of weeks, both of which were love stories. Both were about a deep love between a man and a woman, and both were very good. There were major differences between the two but, because I am such a lover of love stories, I really enjoyed both and will give them both two thumbs up! But let me warn you, if you think you might want to see them, just remember...

Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert! Spoiler Alert! Okay, you are warned. Naw, just kidding. I've left out the main component that makes each of these stories unique.

The first film was Florence Foster Jenkins and, as far as I can tell, hasn't received much notoriety, except that it stars Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. It is based on the true story of a woman who hopes beyond all hope to be a famous opera singer but who does not possess the talent needed to see her dream through to fruition. Now, you can go to the Fandango website and get an overall summary of this picture, pretty much the same as I'm giving you here. The difference? The critiques I've read so far don't even begin to touch on the love story between these two characters. Because it's a story of two people who love each other deeply but cannot express that love physically makes it even more beautiful. It's a love that reaches deep, deep down into the hearts of each person and grows, built on shared interests and mutual respect. In the end, love truly does prevail. Go see this movie if:

• You like Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant...As always, Meryl Streep brings her amazing talent to portray "anyone she chooses" to the screen once more. But Hugh Grant really does shine in this movie. He can make me laugh or cry simply by the expressions on his face! If you have truly loved, you can see yourself in the pain on his face at times -- plus, I just love to hear him talk!
• You don't mind going to a movie that makes you laugh hysterically one minute (that pianist and  Florence's voice!) and cry the next minute
• You don't particularly love movies where there are multiple steamy love scenes (there are none)
• You enjoy period movies (takes place in the early 1900's -- and Florence's costumes? Elaborately hilarious!)

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The second movie is Light Between Two Oceans and has just come out. Wow, the love story of all love stories. The summary on Fandango does not (as well as the Florence Foster Jenkins movie) reveal the depth of the love between this couple, and the life circumstance that threatens to tear them apart. The main male character (portrayed by Michael Fassbender) is the story of a man who loves so deeply that he truly is willing to give his own life to protect the one he loves. He plays the part of a man who, despite seeing the terrors of war firsthand,  is good and true, hard-working and stable, and possesses a devotion that is rarely seen. The scenery is majestic, the cinematography is excellent, and this heartbreaking tale of extreme love and loss is one that will go down in my book as a true favorite. Go see this movie if:

• You love gorgeous scenery (filmed in New Zealand and Australia) and period movies (takes place at the end of the Great War and the dress and cars and simplicity in a time of post-war need is beautifully portrayed)
• You love Aussie accents!
• You don't mind carrying along an entire box of tissues because, believe me, you'll need them
• You prefer a more realistic love story that has depth and bitter sweetness and the attributes of a love that is relative and true.

There, I don't think I gave you too much info, did I?

I'll admit it. I am a true hopeless romantic at heart. But unlike when I was in my teens, I have learned through many years of life experience that true love is a lot more than the gooey feelings you experience when you have your first crush or your first kiss. It is a deep well of emotion and commitment that runs the gamut of everything from heartbreak to exhilaration and the real-life struggles that generously dot the years of love in between.

​And with that definition in mind, I think it might be entirely possible that I have indeed found true love my very own self...two broken pots in a broken world, somehow making life bearable because we have each other. It's our very own love story.

Make the title of this post The Tale of Three Love Stories, please.

My parents' love story began in the last years of of World War II...they were married in 1947 and were coming up on their 67th Anniversary when my mom passed away in 2014

The image to the left is one of the last pictures of Mama and Daddy taken before Mama passed away. Their love story was not without its troubles, but it stood the test of time for sure