Book of the day: Sammy, I Love You by Sally Nielsen
Life was good. In fact, life was great. It was the end of summer, and the days were warm and clear. As the sun set over the back deck of our brand new home, I glanced over at Sam playing with our two dogs, and thought just how lucky we were.
Sam and I had met in the winter of 2004 while I was in my first year of Business Management at the Queensland University of Technology. This particular day, I was crossing the middle of the university grounds with my friend Mark, and we happened to run into his twin brother, Luke, who was walking in our direction with a tall, handsome, vibrant guy. He lit up the space instantly. He was gorgeous, sweet, and had a smile that said ‘I am trouble, but you will let me get away with anything.’ In a particularly cheeky voice, he introduced himself as Sam Goddard, and gave me a once over. I knew he liked what he saw and I felt an instant attraction. A rush of excitement ran through me. The boys chatted about Sam’s upcoming eighteenth birthday party, as I drifted in and out of conversation, thinking about this handsome man.
Before I knew it the conversation was over and we were walking in separate directions, each with one half of the ‘Evan’s Twins’. To this day I still remember looking back and seeing him look back at me, that cheeky smile wrapped around his face.
Sally Nielsen is a wedding planner, whose own wedding plans were turned upside down when her fiance suffered a catastrophic stroke, leaving him completely dependent on her and his family for all his needs. When others said she should put him in a home and get on with her life, Sally refused. Sam was the love of her life and she was going to stand by him regardless.
As Sally fought to bring back the man who was her world, she wrote in a series of diaries about her hopes, her anger and her frustration, but above all else her ever strengthening love for Sam. With searing honesty, Sally recorded the highs of each small step in Sam’s recovery and the plummeting lows of her own depression and lonliness. These are those diaries.
Sammy, I Love You is an incredible story of devotion, courage and determination. But more importantly it is an inspiring love story that will make you value every precious moment with the ones you love.
