By: Gabriela Yareliz
When you see that everything is on fire, take a moment to put out the fire before everything turns into ashes.
Sunday Girl: November 22, 2015
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Have you ever felt like everything you have worked for and everything you hold dear is hanging by a thread? I needed this today:
“Hello fear,
Thank you for being here. You’re my indication that I’m doing what I need to do.”
Cheryl Strayed, Brave Enough
This Week’s Theme
[Image from @riawnacapri]
Reflections Before Bedtime #48
“I want everything—love, adventure, intimacy, work.”
Virginia Woolf, from a letter to Leonard Woolf
By: Gabriela Yareliz
On the other side of the world, two of my friends are getting married, right now. They are both extraordinary people. It’s like they were made for each other.
This world is full of mismatched couples–so, it’s neat when you find a couple well-matched; two people that help each other grow.
Different things drive people to come together. Sometimes, it’s a lease that is about to expire; lust; economic dependence; a fear of loneliness; an erroneous sense of needing to be completed by another; duty…
Marriage is a big deal and an interesting thing to think about. As we grow older, we change, the things we look for change, and oftentimes, good things are found in surprising places. I also think that with age things get more complicated, but also, in other aspects they become a lot clearer.
It’s okay to remind yourself of what you deserve and to not settle for the randos out there who are constantly preying and harassing. There are plenty of men out there who can’t handle their own peers and decide to try to score with someone half their age. No, sir. And then, there are women who think that love is when he stops playing his video game to look at you for a split second. Do we seriously date men who play video games? Let’s not go down that road…
I get that companionship is important, but I don’t think it justifies weird, mismatched couples. What is most important, I think, is to be super happy with oneself first. Be alone; be pure; be you. Grow yourself.
I think all of us are capable of a good match if only we would be patient and not settle or excuse certain things. This isn’t about searching for an impossible perfection, it’s about seeking and holding out for a good relationship that is possible, mature and healthy.
Love is probably like that Fast and Furious 6 scene where Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez race cars in London (where a young Rita Ora marks the beginning of the race).
Do your thing until you find someone ready and willing to drive full speed ahead in this crazy life with you.
Drive, drive, drive. Don’t stop for anyone who can’t keep up or drive stick shift.
Monday Inspiration: November 16, 2015
(The hilarious Fran Fine).
By: Gabriela Yareliz
The 90s were good to us. For some reason, cassette tapes came to mind. I used to make a lot of tapes, with many songs recorded right off of the radio by boombox or walkman. It was a moment of excitement when your song would come on, and the radio DJ would stop talking in the perfect moment, while you clicked ‘record.’ Sweet goodness.
The world felt like a different place back then. Ross loved Rachel; families spent more time together; neighbors talked; schools taught; and students were taught to respect and care. Cameras had film, so you had limited shots and had to wait in suspense to see your photos. Not much was on demand, but we survived. Hair looked bigger because flatirons were rare, and 80s perms left an aftertaste. People read more and spent more time outside. We would order books from Scholastic catalogs, and we would read about profound things that didn’t involve vampires. It was different. We were different. Weren’t we?
I just wanted to take a trip down nostalgia lane. If only I had the Magic School Bus.
The world keeps spinning. Maybe we are dizzy.
Christmas decorations are up. The wind is rough, cutting through our lips and cracking our skin.
This weekend, I was on the train, and I bit my lip slightly. Suddenly, I had that strange taste of blood in my mouth. I pulled out my mirror and looked. There was a tiny red dot, where I had bit my lip. Weird how something so small can spread such a terrible taste.
I hope that this week you stay warm, hydrated and without wounds. Don’t let small things bitter the whole. Realize that it’s a tiny cut and that no, you’re not bleeding to death, despite of how it feels.
Be filled with that warm, fuzzy feeling you got when you realized Rachel got off the plane.
Sometimes, that is all we can do when surrounded with so much tragedy– we can cling to the good we have experienced, knowing there is good to come.
Happy week!
“For every look you take at yourself, take ten looks at Jesus.”
Ellie Holcomb, She Reads Truth
“Love God and He will enable you to love others even when they disappoint you.” Francine Rivers
“You’re going to make mistakes in life. It’s what you do after the mistakes that counts.” Brandi Chastain
“Right now, I smell like old books. My hands scented with tired words and broken ideas. Right now, I smell like paragraphs and one too many adjectives.” Tyler Knott Gregson
[Images from Tumblr]
Douce France
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Tonight at church, we had an amazing spoken word and music night. I heard the music and testimony of a young man who found God, hope and music in the midst of his chemotherapy and anguish. He was so vulnerable with us tonight. It was beautiful.
Tonight, we were pained to hear of the terror attacks in my sweet France. It left the world in shock. I find it truly heartbreaking. As many of you know, France has a dear place in my heart, and it has given to me some of the most amazing moments of my life. My prayers are with those who are suffering, scared, confused and angry.
Part of what the young musician said tonight was how the world has nothing to offer us. We live in a broken world gone mad. Money, aesthetic, images, glittery romances, the music scene, notoriety… It all leaves us empty. When you are sick in a hospital bed, you quickly realize none of these superficial elements matters.
Everything is devoid meaning if it is not infused with an eternal perspective.
When we are spiritually empty, nothing else can fill the God-shaped void in us. Things can burn, fade, be stolen or destroyed. We must cultivate that which no one can take from us.
In this time of pain and hurt, let us look at our lives; let’s reflect on love, honor, justice, innocence, good and truth.
Let us cling to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us be filled with the peace God gives that the world cannot take away. Let us know that His plans are greater than ours.
You know when you meet someone amazing that fills your thoughts? It’s a surreal moment when you realize that someone has chosen to love you. Being loved, really loved, is pretty magical. That’s what God is offering us. Regardless of how we respond, He loves us. He wants you to have that moment where you realize you are valued and dearly loved. Perfect love casts out all fear, scripture says, and it adds, God is Love. Love never fails.
En deuil avec ma France❤
Reflections Before Bedtime #47
Aladdin always wins, in my book.
[Images from Pinterest and Tumblr]
That Bod
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Our bodies are always changing. Some prefer the rock hard body, others go for a more sculpted soft tone. Regardless of your style, a good body starts with your diet.
Our bodies are temples. Some people think I look the way I look because I am twenty-something. While my age may be an advantage, that doesn’t change the fact that I am very selective and careful with what I eat (vegetarian, gluten free). There are obese twenty year olds; people seem to forget that. People think age is magic. Health is not an accident.
As the holiday season approaches, let’s be extra careful about what is going into our bodies. Feeling good starts on the inside, and it shines out. Two words: lifestyle and discipline.
There can be health and beauty at every age and stage of life.
Here’s to never letting ourselves go! #cheers #whereisthenog?
#PremIsBack
By: Gabriela Yareliz
#PremIsBack, and I am excited. I just wanted to show Salman Khan some love. He seems to be getting better with age. Sonam Kapoor looks ethereal in this film, and Bollywood strikes again. No one does film like India. No one. Bringing in Diwali 2015 with a bang, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.
Happy Week: November 8, 2015
By: Gabriela Yareliz
A new week begins, again.The pharmacy looks like a Christmas wonderland. I was walking through Little Italy, and there are already ‘Merry Christmas’ light banners shimmering in the night above the streets. Still no sign of eggnog, anywhere. This is frustrating, but anyway…
This weekend was a good weekend. I saw old friends, reflected on new friendships, and I spent time studying my Bible and exploring God’s desires. It’s really something when you study what God wants for you. Our society is so messed up, and sometimes, we grow a bit jaded or cynical when we see the ‘realities’ that surround us.
But then, when we take a minute and see what we were created for, what God wants us to have, and what we could have if we walk in obedience to His word and trust in Him– then suddenly, what might have seemed undesirable or slightly ridiculous or unattainable turns desirable because we see it for what it should and could be.
I encourage you this week to look at God’s promises and God’s desires for you, whether it be career wise, in marriage, in personal growth– explore what God created you for. You may find yourself realizing that you really want to live your life in a way that honors God and brings you closer to that ideal.
John Wesley once said it is not possible for a man to be happy who is not also holy. Writer Gary Thomas expands on this saying, “Who can truly be ‘happy’ while filled with anger, rage and malice?”
It’s time to see how we can submit to God so He can help us walk in a more sanctified, holy, obedient way. It is then that we get closer to who God created us to be. It is then that we are closer to living out the joy we were created to enjoy.
Happy week!
“It was November – the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.” L.M. Montgomery
“In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.”
Cynthia Rylant, In November
“The deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able honestly to pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.”
Elisabeth Elliot
“Breathe through the fear, and walk through the fire.”
“Love is patient, and that is the hardest part of love.”
T.B. LaBerge // Unwritten Letters to You
“We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts”
A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.”
Sophia Bush
“You are the poem I never knew how to write and this life is the story I have always wanted to tell.” Tyler Knott Gregson
“Maybe, I have always carried you with me. Maybe, you are all the wild in me.” Tyler Knott Gregson
[Images from Tumblr]
GABRIELA YARELIZ 