Monday Inspiration: September 28, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Hello my fellow Monday survivors! I hope today was a day of much accomplished. Mondays are so tough, sometimes. We are still jetlagged from the weekend, and it’s full speed ahead.

I hope Monday gave you something to smile about. I also hope you conquer the week like a star.

This week, look at your priorities and make sure you are giving value to what is most important.

Let’s start off the work week inspired! Autumn is here. Pumpkins, overcast skies, chunky sweaters– It doesn’t get any better than that.

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

Kenneth Blanchard 

“How would your life be different if…you stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others.”

Steve Maraboli

“Even though no-one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard

“The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.”

(via elenamjacobs)

“Don’t lose heart if it’s very difficult at times, everything will come out all right and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.”

Vincent van Gogh

“Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.”

Norman Vincent Peale

“When I make him laugh, I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Drew Barrymore
[Images from Tumblr]

Reflections Before Bedtime #41

By: Gabriela Yareliz

“I am poor, but if I see eggnog, I will buy some.”

It’s night. There is a full moon covered in a frosting made of fog. My limbs are aching after an extremely long and delightful walk. Today was beautiful. Walking is like a drug for me.

It was a great day of reflection, discovery and fun conversations. I am sitting here listening to Delilah, the lady on the radio who takes calls, song requests and gives advice. Love her. Listening to her is an old tradition of mine, but it never ceases to make me feel 90s. It makes me feel like I am Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle. Sometimes, my life resembles a Meg Ryan movie. I do romantic comedy very well. Emphasis on the comedy part.

Maybe my life is more like a John Cusack film… anyway…

We all need recharge days. We all find ourselves, at some point, at a place where we are learning a lot, all at once. Life happens, and you have to learn to deal.

Sometimes, we live too naively; we are insecure, intense, intimidating and self-preserving. It’s about learning to be patient; trying to expand your perspective outside of yourself; simply giving people a chance and letting people in.

On my way home from the market this week, I had a little carton of eggs in my cart. I walked several blocks to get home. By the time I got home, I thought several eggs had cracked because of the ups and downs along the way.

Sometimes, you will find some things break and get messy. You clean it up and move on. There are other times, when nothing breaks, and it withstands the journey. You don’t know what is happening along the way. You just hope and pray your investment is safe. You only know if everything is okay, when you get home; when you are standing on the sacred ground called kitchen.

The journey is long. No one seems to be in a rush, and there are a lot of cracks in the sidewalk. The faster you go, it seems, the more likely things will break.

There are some journeys you walk because you believe you can make it home, all eggs in tact; other journeys, you decide not to walk after all; and other journeys, you must decide whether they are worth the effort and time.

Last reflection of the night:

If you see eggnog–buy it. No questions there.

And now, back to Delilah. John Legend is on, which means this caller’s love story is a winner.

#FilmMood

No Reservations

Kate: I wish there was a cookbook for life, you know? Recipes telling us exactly what to do. I know, I know, you’re gonna say “How else will you learn, Kate.”
Therapist: mm. No, actually I wasn’t going to say that. You want to guess again?
Kate: No, no, go ahead.

Therapist: Well what I was going to say was, you know better than anyone, it’s the recipes that you create yourself that are the best.

Friday Glee: September 25, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I rode the train with a precocious child. He kept asking a bunch of questions, like which trains arrived at what station, and why certain tracks were higher than others. He was probably five years old. Then, when he arrived at his stop, he reached over and grabbed his mom’s hand and led her, in a gentleman-like fashion, off the train. Adorable. It reminded me of how brilliant people are the ones who ask a lot of questions and give love.

Today is Friday. Thank God. There is a lot to be grateful for.

I wanted to put out a reminder today, from Psalm 85:12: “Yes, the Lord will give what is good…”

Have an awesome end to this arduous week.

Reflections Before Bedtime #40

Compiled by: Gabriela Yareliz

“Serenity is the immense sweetness of no longer expecting anything, just walking, just moving on.” Frédéric Gross, A Philosophy of Walking, 146.

“The inescapable thing about walking is that once started, one is forced to arrive. There is no other way, one has to progress. And at the end of the fatigue and the road, one always arrives, it’s enough to add up the hours and think: Let’s go! It was written, unchangeable. When you are on foot, to arrive you must walk. Will as destiny.” Id. at 158.

[Image from Tumblr]

Monday Inspiration: September 21, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

As I am writing this, it is still dark outside. I can see the bridge lights twinkling. My hair is wet and curling into an untamable mess.

This week, two of my dear friends turned a year older, Liz and Feliz. It’s crazy when you start calculating time, and you realize how long you have known someone. Friendship is a blessing.

It’s that time of the year. September is ending (in case you hadn’t noticed). Autumn is in the air. Another exciting week stands before us. I hope you live this week with joy. It’s great to be alive!

May we grow; may we encourage each other; and may we seek truth.

“The only meaningful thing we can offer one another is love. Not advice, not questions about our choices, not suggestions for the future, just love.”

Glennon Melton, Carry On, Warrior

“Human beings grow best with encouragement and love. Today, let every word you speak (to yourself and others) be filled with kindness.”

Cheryl Richardson

“You can’t get much done in life if you only work on days when you feel good.”

Jerry West 

“It is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth.”

Neale Donald Walsch

“Go forth and set the world on fire.”

St. Ignatius Loyola

“No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.”

Mary Wollstonecraft

“When you offer peace instead of division, when you offer faith instead of fear, when you offer someone a place at your table instead of keeping them out because they’re different or messy or wrong somehow, you represent the heart of Christ.”

Shauna Niequist, Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes

“Love is running your fingers over the cracks in someone’s heart and soul while looking into their eyes with a smile that says, ‘I’m staying.’”

Randall Core

 “It has made me better, loving you.” Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

“But you can’t plead with autumn. No. The midnight wind stalked through the woods, hooted to frighten you, swept everything away for the approaching winter, whirled the leaves.”

Yevgeny Zamyatin 

[Images from Tumblr]

Knowing Your Commitment

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Oftentimes, when we think of (Simon) Peter, we think of the things he said to Jesus. Jesus once told him, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-3

Peter responded, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death.” Luke 22:33

To this Jesus replied, “The rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.” Luke 22:34

We always think of Peter in these terms. The disciple with the empty promise. We always characterize Peter as the hot headed, mouthy disciple. And many times, he was.

What I would like to propose is this: Jesus was right in that Peter ended up denying Him thrice before the crucifixion. Yes. Peter was scared, flawed and still had a lot of his journey to walk. Jesus knew this.

Still, while Jesus was right about that part in the short term, and He predicted Peter would turn again to strengthen his brothers, Peter was also right.

Peter failed Jesus when he denied Him. However, while Peter was very flawed, he knew where his commitment was. Peter was committed to Christ. The execution was a little illusive sometimes, but history tells us Peter suffered a lot for Christ’s name. History tells us Peter was crucified upside down. Peter ultimately did go to prison, and he died uplifting the name of Jesus.

Just like Peter, we are flawed individuals. In different ways, we may deny Jesus and what we believe by the way we live or the things we say, and later we cringe. But here, Peter shows us how important it is to know what you are committed to and to know what you love, regardless of how many times you screw up. This life is about dusting yourself off and standing every time you fall. It’s humbling. I just wanted to point out that God is not ready to make us better, He is ready to transform us. God helps us grow to the point where we can keep the commitment we have made in our hearts. The important thing is to have a commitment in your heart and press down that path. What is your heart committed to?

And remember, while Jesus saw Peter’s weakness, He saw Peter’s ultimate return and strength. And Peter was right about one thing; he knew who he wanted to serve.

In the end, Peter changed the world keeping the commitment that was in his heart.

About your nickel–

Friday Glee: September 18, 2015.
I reread this on the train this morning, again. It needed a repost. It was such a good reminder. I am often the girl asking for the nickel. I am in the process of learning to accept the $20.

Gabriela Yareliz's avatarGABRIELA YARELIZ

From Destiny, by Dr. Tony Evans, pg. 140

“A little girl came to her father one day and said, ‘Daddy, you promised to give me a nickel.’ Her father had promised her. So he reached in his pocket, but he couldn’t find a nickel. Instead, all he had were dollar bills. In fact, the smallest bill he had was a $20.

He said, ‘You’ve been a really good girl lately, so here is a twenty-dollar bill instead.’
The little girl started to cry. ‘But Daddy,’ she said, ‘you promised me a nickel.’
‘But sweetie,’ he replied, ‘this is a whole bunch of nickels.’
Yet because she could not understand, tears streamed down her face.”

This is not to say that only when we are good God gives us good things. No, His grace is always present with us, and His purposes for us are always greater that what we…

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Monday Inspiration: September 14, 2015

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Hi, hi! It’s Monday! (Partytime music in background).

I hope you are ready to conquer your week. The weekend was nice. I met some new people, walked like 70 blocks through Manhattan in fall weather (in heels), cooked, wore a hairnet, started up some Arabic lessons after years of neglect, caught up with old friends and got pumped about a new project I will be starting. But now, it’s work week time. Adulting.

Lately, I have been feeling like I am just going nonstop, and I am a pretty chill and flexible person. So, part of my effort this week and beyond will be to focus on taking better care of myself. I can’t change the fact that I am crazy busy, but I can hit the pause button a bit more.

I hope that this week, you conquer all. I hope you take some time for reflection and to take care of yourself.

Many times, we run around putting bandages on our problems. We mask symptoms, and we keep going, full speed, down a not-so-good path. Let’s stop masking, and let’s start listening and treating the roots of our problems. Have a healthy, succesful week.

Let’s rock!

“The difference between mercy and grace? Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance. Grace gave him a feast.”

Max Lucado

“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”

Inception, Dir. Christopher Nolan

“I remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.” (via jay-walden)

“What a terrible thing to think ‘Did they not love me because I was not their first choice?’ What a terrible thing that is, because you shouldn’t be on a list at all. Yes, love is a choice, but not one that settles. We see someone and we think ‘I want to love this person and build them up.’ And so you do, and not in a way that says ‘I want to love this person because they can do A.B. and C. For me.’ No, you love the person because you want to see them grow in beauty, grace, love, gentleness and wisdom. You want the best for them, because to you, they are the choice you made for better or worse, and not a number that fit all your needs and desires; because love comes with a servants heart.“

T.B. LaBerge // Things I’m still learning at 25

“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.”

Henry Rollins

“Read books. Care about things. Get excited. Try not to be too down on yourself. Enjoy the ever-present game of knowing.”

Hank Green

[Images from Tumblr]