Anyone who knows me well can vouch for this, especially my students, as my tangents can be quite epic and dangerous some days. I'm an opportunist--any chance that I have to share a piece of my life--a lesson I learned, or something that gives me joy--I do.
I realized this sometime in my college years, that I'm a habitual life sharer. Similar to an over zealous mom who constantly boasts about her child's achievements...yeah, that bad. It embarrassed me for a while as I could not figure out why I found such enjoyment in subjecting others to my personal experience, even wondering if my ambitious zealousness was appropriate at all.
I sat with these questions for a while before I realized... it's not only appropriate, but necessary. A story told, can be a lesson learned.
...Of course, as long as I don't get too crazy with my narrative genius...
The story Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis embodies this realization of mine perfectly. A story is told, a lesson is learned, and a man is changed forever.
This book surprised me, and I love to be surprised by books. It seemed like a simple enough concept--a man and a woman meet each other, fall in love, and have a beautiful life together as husband and wife until their deaths. Simple right? Well, not in 2014. We do live in an age where understanding marriage for some is like solving a long division problem with no understanding of basic math.
Gabe Alexander, the story's main character seeks throughout the book to discover just this: the secret to the "long division" problem. This long division problem is revealed through an entertaining journey with Gabe and Huck (Pearl) Alexander as they discover it's solution, but the beauty of Forever Friday is that Adam Colby reads Gabe and Huck's letters 60 years later only to learn the same lesson. Shifting from the early 20th century to 2006 throughout the story, Lewis allows for his reader to discover with Adam the story of Gabe and Huck's life. To be an active participator of not only the story that inspires, but the inspired. Adam carries the driving voice through Forever Friday giving us insight to the meaning he discovers about marriage through the Alexander's story.
"The poem for that significant event [their wedding night] highlighted this phrase: two hearts commanding devotion. When I considered how they practiced this idea early in their courtship--each putting the other's needs first--I decided it most likely set up a lifelong pattern of selflessness. Haley and I had selfishly demanded each others devotion, even while dating. As a result, we were never in command of our relationship. So was their altruism fundamental to avoiding The Long Division? I expected I already knew the answer, but there was still so much to consider." (Lewis, 119)
I was very taken by the authenticity of each character as well as the beauty of the message's presentation. Lewis so simply weaves this story together allowing us to both journey with Gabe and Huck, as well as Adam. Hearts so far apart, but so well connected.
I highly recommend reading Forever Friday (which I have so gratefully received for free from Blogging for Books).
There is so much beauty to this little story. Allow yourself to take the journey.
