Sparks Notes

Sunday night I saw the movie A Walk to Remember with Mandy Moore and Shane West, a movie I was interested in seeing that I just happened to find on sale at the supermarket early Sunday morning. I read the book a few years ago so I don't remember every detail from the book, but I don't think the movie followed the book all that closely. An important difference between the book and the movie is that the book takes place in the 1950's, whereas the movie is supposed to be the 1990's. At certain moments, I had to fight back the tears. (I may see it again more privately and allow myself to cry freely.) The leads are excellent in their roles. While watching A Walk to Remember I thought maybe Nicholas Sparks' brother, Micah, played the part of the cardiologist, but it turned out to be David Lee Smith when I checked the credits. (Does Sparks ever cast family members in his films? Or friends? Or fans? Heck, I'd settle for a walk-on part.) I really enjoyed seeing the lush landscape of North Carolina, after hearing descriptions in the books of Nicholas Sparks. All the wild storms in North Carolina create such beautiful settings--no wonder all these romances take place!

I'm almost done reading The Rescue, and should finish it today.

Happy Mother's Day!

"My mom's attitude made it hard not to like her. She was always upbeat, no matter how terrible things were, and she made light of things that most people would have found unbearable. For instance, my mom worked (as many mothers did), but she had to ride a bike to work. Whether it was pouring rain or 105 degrees, my mom would dress for work, hop on the bike, and start pedaling the four miles to the office. Her bike had a basket on the handlebars and two more behind the seat; after work, she's ride the bike to the grocery store, load in whatever she needed, then ride home. And always--I mean always--she beamed when she walked in the door. No matter how hard the day had been, no matter how hot or wet she was, she made it seem as if she were the lucky one and that her life couldn't get any better."
~Three Weeks With My Brother, A Memoir, Nicholas and Micah Sparks

This passage by Nicholas Sparks could describe my own mother, who was also unfailingly cheerful after a hard day's work. While she rode buses and the subway to work rather than a bicycle, she was energetic and uncomplaining every day. She walked to the supermarket and lugged home bags of groceries after work up the steep hill to our apartment. My mother, who raised four daughters, seemed to thrive on hard work!

Happy Mother's Day!