You’ve Got Mail

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By: Gabriela Yareliz

One time, my friend Esmeralda was telling us what she would write in a one-paragraph matrimonial ad for each of us. It was a bunch of us from the law school clinic eating and chatting together when this went down.

When it was time to write my ad, she said something along the lines of: I can be as pretend cynical as I want, independent and aloof, but inside, I am a die-hard romantic.

I realized how right she was yesterday, when my friend suggested we go to her favorite café on the Upper West Side. We approached the café, and suddenly I had a mini-heart attack.

“Is this the café from the movie…” I didn’t even finish.

“You’ve Got Mail?” she turned around and asked me.

Then she answered, “Yes.”

*I swooned*

Tom Hanks flashbacks came to mind and butterflies filled my stomach.

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I was totally fan girling but trying to stay composed.

The manager man, who was seating people, took a liking to us and gave us the best table in the packed café. He was a charming fellow who ended up taking a photo with us at the end of the night.

It’s called Café Lalo. The trees outside have little lights, and everything glows. It was magical.

I was with two friends, and we each got a Elderflower Lemonade with our food. It came in the prettiest little bottle that resembles a vase. We each kept our bottle. I am going to fill mine with flowers in 2016.

I love how people are made of places, and places are made of people. I love how the simplest things can warm our hearts. And how memories can flow through our veins. And going to the theme of the movie, I love how unexpected friendships grow, and I love the beauty of the web life’s providence spins around us.

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Because life is magical like that.

All right Esmeralda, I proved your point. I know you are reading and smiling. *wink* I admit it, “You’ve Got Mail” and life’s little surprises do make my heart skip a beat. I am the girl waiting to see what Mr. Darcy will do. I am that girl. I am unarmed and laughing.

[Images from Tumblr]

Reflections Before Bedtime #62

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Sometimes, the simplest thing has the most profound meaning to a person. Everyone has a favorite candy, no? Mine is the M&Ms with peanuts. You know, the yellow bag.

People who sat next to me in my law school clinic knew that if they saw a yellow M&M bag with a bag of Ruffles chips, I was eating comfort food. And they knew I would share.

I remember a long time ago, when my father was in a weird stage of coming and going– before he left completely– sometimes, before he left on his mysterious excursions, he would ask me if I wanted anything from the outside world. I would usually be on the couch, in my pajamas, with my diary or a good book in my lap.

I remember that one night I told him I wanted M&Ms. “Regular? Or Peanuts?” he asked me. “Peanuts,” I answered. It became a thing, a routine, if you will.

I remember staying up waiting for him. There were times that he would come home late and simply toss the bulky yellow M&M bag at me without saying a word.

That bag of M&Ms was more than just candy. It was like assurance that he would come back home.

M&Ms with peanuts are a comfort food. A symbol of hope, relief and safety, to me.

You see, there came a day when he chose to leave for good. People do that. But God never does. He promised in Matthew 28:20 that He is with us, always.

I had a rough week. It ended well, by God’s grace. Today, I passed a newsstand and saw a stack of yellow peanut M&M bags. God stays. He never leaves. He continually shows us that He is not holding out on us. He is not deciding whether we are good enough. He is not weighing our worth. In fact, there is no place He would rather be than with you. With us. Emmanuel means God with us.

I don’t know if someday, a person will hand me a yellow bag of peanut M&Ms, and I will be sure that person won’t leave. Maybe. Maybe not. I hope I will meet people who are serious about staying in my life. That is rare, these days. And not everyone is meant to stay, but the ones who do are not regular, they are special peanut M&Ms. What I am sure of is a God who has proven to be faithful. If you want to see what I mean, ask Him to show you.

We don’t want what is regular. We weren’t created for regular. We want the peanut ones. Thank you.

Mid-week Soul Food

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By: Gabriela Yareliz

Happy Three Kings Day (January 6th is Día de Reyes).

Two thousand sixteen is on a roll. Anne Hathaway announced her pregnancy. (Yes, Princess Mia Thermopolis is pregnant. Shut up!)

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Garance Doré is in Mexico. She just announced that her boyfriend popped the question, and she said yesssss! Wedding bells!

And Zinedine Zidane is Real Madrid’s new manager. *Angels are singing* Let’s face it, anyone would want a gorgeous, skilled man leading him or her to victory. Isn’t that what we are all looking for? *grin* Ok, I am obviously not talking about futbol anymore. I digress. But before we switch topics, a photo of the man.

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[Image from Mango Man. God bless you, Mango Man].

Okay, I am done with Zidane. At least for now.

This new year is just handing out gifts left and right. Don’t worry. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, it’s coming. Expect big things. Thus far, this year is not disappointing. The year 2016 is doing it big– bigger than LA Persian hair. So, brace yourself.

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[Leyla Milani Hair]

Here is some curated inspiration to help you keep your chin up high throughout the remaining days of the week.

“Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others.” Brian Jacques, Redwall

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“Jesus Christ knows the worst about you. Nonetheless, He is the one who loves you most.” A.W. Tozer

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“A river of words flowed between us.” Ernest Cline, Ready Player One

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His eye is on the sparrow…So He is certainly watching over you.

“Outside the will of God, there’s nothing I want. Inside the will of God there’s nothing I fear.” A.W. Tozer

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“I am convinced that the jealous, the angry, the bitter and the egotistical are the first to race to the top of mountains. A confident person enjoys the journey, the people they meet along the way and sees life not as a competition. They reach the summit last because they know God isn’t at the top waiting for them. He is down below helping his followers to understand that the view is glorious where ever you stand.” Shannon L. Alder

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“We are women, and my plea is let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is.” Elisabeth Elliot

“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.’” Elisabeth Elliot

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“Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.”

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Okay, now I am done…

[Images from Tumblr]

This Week’s Theme

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From the 1874 hymn “Another Year is Dawning” by Frances Havergal:

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
[…] another year for Thee.(1)

Monday Inspiration: January 4, 2016

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Does anyone else’s week seem a bit daunting? Don’t worry. I am not going to sit you down, so to speak, in a dark, dusty study with the tick-tock of an old grandfather clock in the background and tell you my to-do list for the week, while I pace the floor. I will spare you from the scary details.

This is what we are going to do. I am going to pray for you (yes, I believe my prayers can reach you), and you can pray for me. If you need someone to intercede for, hello. (A huge ‘thanks’ in advance). *angelic smile*

Here is the thing:

Sometimes, we intellectualize faith and God’s promises. We repeat the promises we find in scripture, we recite them, and we stare at them blankly. This will do us no good until the words leave our brains and go to the very marrow of our bone. The promises need to shake us to our core. It is only then that we will begin to cling to them in the way He wants us to. It is then that we believe. It’s not about the promise but about He who promised.

I pray that this week, you focus on God’s promises. Look at your discouragements, distractions, and pick a promise to focus on. Focus on what the promise tells you about God, the promisor. If you need ideas, you can find some promises, organized by topic/issue, here.

Believe. Know that He loves you. He chose you. He chooses you again and again, day after day. He works on your behalf. He guides you.

“Draw near. Nearer still, my child. Do not dare not to dare.”

Aslan | C.S. Lewis

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“The power of prayer is not in the one who says it but in the one who hears it.” Mercy Lokulutu

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“Consistency is the most underrated word in the English language.” John Maxwell

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“How do you know what faith is, if you don’t use it? Remember that we need to experience God, too. He is not a pretty word; He is an eternal being to be experienced. Faith is an experience to be lived! Faith is the result of knowing who promised, and that is God–who is not a man to lie to us.”  Yamid (that is my mother’s beautiful Arabic name) aka: the wisest and most beautiful person I know.

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“Come boldly, O believer, for despite the whisperings of the enemy and the doubtings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved.”

Charles Spurgeon

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“Holy places are dark places. It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them. Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.”

C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

 

 [Images from Webstagram @PropelWomen]

Autumn Thoughts

I love the quotes in this one. Many have been rereading this post, so I figured it deserved a reblog. Back by popular demand. Happy Sunday!

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Below are some picks from http://autumnindie.tumblr.com. A very quotable blog.
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She asked, ‘You are in love, what does love look like?’ To which I replied, ‘Like everything I’ve ever lost came back to me.’

Nayyirah Waheed

Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.

Andrew Boyd

Marry your best friend. I do not say that lightly. Really, truly find the strongest, happiest friendship in the person you fall in love with. Someone who speaks highly of you. Someone you can laugh with. The kind of laughs that make your belly ache, and your nose…

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Friday Glee: January 1, 2016

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Good morning! Happy New Year! As we start a new chapter, I wanted to share some words that have inspired me. May your year be one of spiritual growth and victory.

“Do not give way to fear.” 1 Peter 3:6

“In fact, if you feel a little scared, then you’re probably on the right path. Of course it’s scary. It’s vulnerable. It’s naked. God calls us to stop hiding, to stop dominating, to trust Him, and to offer our true selves.” Captivating, pg. 143

“We do not always get what we want, but that doesn’t mean that we no longer want it. It means we stay awake to the unmet longing and ache. Wait there. Invite Jesus to come there. And He will come. Not always to satisfy us by giving us what we want. But to come Himself; to meet us with His very Person and to satisfy us with Himself… The waiting doesn’t diminish us. As a pregnant woman is enlarged in her waiting, so are our hearts. He [God] is after something much more valuable than our happiness… He is restoring and growing in us an eternal weight of glory. And sometimes…it hurts. But the experience of sorrow in no way diminishes the joy of living. Rather it enhances it.” Captivating, pg. 145-146

“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks–we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.” Parker J. Palmer

 

“Water is powerful. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and even destroy iron.” Arthur Golden

Be open. Be authentic. Be pure and strong like water. Invite Jesus into the gaps in your life. Grow radiant through waiting. Walk hand-in-hand with the Savior this year.

I hope that at the end of this new year, someone looks at me and says, “She spent another year living in the presence of God.”