Love is one of, if not the most, powerful emotion and feeling on Earth. It can be the source of the greatest of joys, but also of deep sadness. Few understand this range of experience as well as the author, who at 16 fell completely in love in her native Armenia, only to be forced to move with her family to the US shortly after. Armine tells this true story of loss and redemption in all of its dimensions in her book. The excitement surrounding this honest, emotionally powerful series of experience in a young woman into a woman’s life, is high and rising.
According to Armine, “Love Has No Limits” tells her story starting in Armenia, to being separated from her love as her family pursued greater opportunities in the United States, and her time waiting and hoping to be reunited. It culminates in her connecting with her love again, with all the magic that could be expected to bring, even after deaths, divorces, and the greatest of challenges imaginable. Love Has No Limits is Armine’s story of keeping faith in oneself and in love despite heartbreak, betrayal, and loss. It shows that through faith all things are possible.
Love is one of, if not the most, powerful emotion and feeling on Earth. It can be the source of the greatest of joys, but also of deep sadness. Few understand this range of experience as well as the author, who at 16 fell completely in love in her native Armenia, only to be forced to move with her family to the US shortly after. Armine tells this true story of loss and redemption in all of its dimensions in her book. The excitement surrounding this honest, emotionally powerful series of experience in a young woman into a woman’s life, is high and rising.
According to Armine, “Love Has No Limits” tells her story starting in Armenia, to being separated from her love as her family pursued greater opportunities in the United States, and her time waiting and hoping to be reunited. It culminates in her connecting with her love again, with all the magic that could be expected to bring, even after deaths, divorces, and the greatest of challenges imaginable. Love Has No Limits is Armine’s story of keeping faith in oneself and in love despite heartbreak, betrayal, and loss. It shows that through faith all things are possible.
While drinking a glass of red wine, I watched the blazing
fire roll down the hill. I got the second emergency
alert call to evacuate immediately. I couldn’t believe
this was happening again. Last time this happened my son still
lived at home, my parents lived with us, and Peaches, our sweet
dog was still alive. Back then, I had to get everyone organized,
packed, and ready to evacuate. Back then, I’d been more nervous,
concerned about my aging parents, my teenage son and our dog,
who could sense the tension and had anxiously paced back and
forth with her tongue hanging out. This time, it was just me. I
thought about what I should take with me. After all, I had already
lost so much in life, yet at the same time, I felt I was blessed with
all that I still had. After all, my parents had moved me halfway
around the world when I was a teenager, leaving my love behind.
I had grieved losing two husbands by the time I was 50, another
husband in between who betrayed me at my most vulnerable
moment, and I’d struggled with my father’s cancer, which ended
in suicide. Just as I was catching my breath, I had to put my dog
to sleep followed by my mother’s long-term illness and her painful
death. At the same time, I was so grateful for all I had. I was so
happy that I was not angry and resentful. I was not bitter; I was
content. I had love again, and I was stronger than ever before. I
was still standing.
As I packed a change of clothes, my laptop, few photo albums
that my son requested and my small metal safe deposit box with
important documents, I reflected on how little all our possessions
really matter to us. As I was packing the albums, the memories
started to come back, old wounds flared up and I started to feel
the pain and the deep sadness. I ached for my son who had lost
his father at age ten. I felt lonely; I missed the people I had in my
life that I’d loved and lost. I missed all they brought to my life. At
times, I could not believe I had survived all that had happened
in my life in such a short time. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I
realized the effects those pictures had on me and why I did not
even want to take those albums with me. I had the memories
in my heart and that’s all I could ever have, the rest of my life.
I realized that’s why I no longer made photo albums. I realized
how simplistic life had become for me. I did not need much. I
cherished the moments I was with the people I loved and that is
all I ever needed.
I put everything in my car and drove down the street and
down the hill to leave Oak Park, where I had lived for 28 years. I
was full of emotion. I thought this might be yet another traumatic
moment in my life but at the same time, I felt like this couldn’t
happen. When would I ever get a break? I thought about my son
and how this would affect him. After all, he and I had shared
experiences and we had worked hard to always see the light. I was
tired of being strong. I was tired of being in survival mode. How
different my life would have been had I made different choices. I
had to follow my heart. I had to live fully, not just exist in a predefined
box. I had no regrets, as I went down my memory lane.
All the events that happened in my life and choices I made shaped
my life and who I am today.
What a beautiful book that I chose on a whim!
As I first began the book, I thought I'd be able to stop at certain chapters and put it down. Nope! I could not put the book down. I never wanted to stop reading, and I definitely didn't want the story to end. Each chapter, and every scene, was described in such a way that I could easily depict the images in my head.
Although the story was bittersweet and had a lot of sad moments, it still continuously gave me hope.
Yes, this was a biography, but it was such a well-written story that it seemed too good to be true! I even stopped for a moment, thinking this book was just fiction because of the way it was written, and because of its format, but then I snapped out of it! I realized that of course none of this was fiction. It was real. None of it is made up. This is Armine's real life story. Even though the story continuously had its loops, it was nothing I expected, but everything I wanted. And even though I hoped for a better ending, it really just reinstated that someone's real life is not a romance novel that could always have a happy ending.
What a beautiful, beautiful story.