Their Story, Not Mine

I just finished watching the Notebook for the umpteenth time. How many of you girls have crooned over the plot? How many have thought, "I hope that will happen to me!"
I have. It's an adorable story. Just as a synopsis for you guys out there, rolling your eyes, it's a story about a summer romance between a couple that is destroyed because of the difference is riches. Later, Allie finds Noah again and breaks off her engagement to be with him. He has always hoped she would come back, he built his house the way she used to dream about, etc etc. This is all revealed through flashbacks, and at the current time, Allie has Alzheimer's and Noah is still with her, telling her their story over and over again until she remembers. They're old and in a nursing home, but he still loves her. At one point he says to his kids, "I have to stay with your mother. This is my home now." All together now: Awwww.
But you know what, as sweet as that story is, the certain touch it has is not unique (well, it may be today, but it shouldn't be). That touch is loyalty. Even though Allie does not remember who Noah is while he's reading, he stays with her. He could easily drift out of her life and she wouldn't miss him. My point is, I don't have to have a Notebook story. In all honesty, I don't want a guy like Noah. He drinks and cusses, and has a violent temper. I don't want to be Allie. She's shallow and flighty, and has an even more violent temper than Noah. What is special is not the plot, it's not the characters. It's the element of loyalty. As long as I have that in my story. I'm not saying loyalty will make my story perfect. The only thing that can do that is a constant reliance on God, and the realization that my future husband will not be perfect, and I am not perfect. Expecting a married life to be a fairy tale creates a huge disappointment. Here's a quote I found in YLCF by Jennifer W.

"Another person comes to mind – a friend who just became engaged and then another with a different story and another...

Our minds become a bit clearer as we sift through the lives of others in our thoughts. We begin to regain peacefulness in our hearts and grasp a proper perspective once again. Yes, those are their stories. Not ours. Would we really want exactly what they have?

When we really think about it, the answer is no. We cannot be another person nor can we desire what another person has. God knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows what’s best. What may not seem “fair” or “right” to us today is actually a blessing in disguise. "