Happy Monday, to one and to all. After a road trip and a whirlwind of a weekend, Monday has begun. Life is still in fast forward with no pause button in sight. Even when I try to get in some sleep, it’s more like, Let me hurry up and fall asleep to get in as many minutes as possible in this tiny nap. Ridiculous. There is light at the end of the tunnel, it’s just not in October (for some of us; endurance is needed). Therefore, we continue to seek inspiration to help us through the good and the bad, the slow and the hurried, the grey and the sunny, and the warm and the cold.
Have a beautiful Monday. Monday-Fun-day– here we go!
1] Is it weird that we complicate life? We add social pressures; we mess up dynamics… Why do we do such things?
2] Climb the mountain!
3] When I was on my little road trip, I was fascinated looking out of the window at the fall trees. Some trees were already bare; others were still green. In one part of the road, everything was green except one bright orange tree. It’s clear that often times the only way things stand out is if they are different from all that surrounds them.
4] Life is a comedy.
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9] New England looks beautiful. Autumn is in all of its splendor. I saw a place called “Autumn Orchard”, which is cool in the autumn (very fitting). These people love autumn so much that they named a place–so that in the spring, it’s still Autumn Orchard…
Museum Rd. Even God paints the sky orange and blue… Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
If there is a place I am missing, it’s home. Go Gators!
“There is nothing eleven can’t do with 90,000 standing behind them”-Florida Football
Today is the Florida v. LSU game. Big rivalry; it’s a big deal. I am super excited for the Gators! So far, they are kicking some serious, LSU butt. I am listening to the game and cheering for every touchdown.
(Florida Football gave a shout-out to my friend Dilip at the end of the video above (too cool)!)
University of Florida Tumblr
The Gator Nation is everywhere, and we stand together behind our guys.
Yours truly–bleeding orange and blue, nostalgically.
GY
University of Florida on an early morning. Belongs to Gabriela YarelizUniversity Ave. Gainesville, Fla. Belongs to Gabriela YarelizGators for life. Belongs to Gabriela YarelizHigh school faces. There was no other university we wanted to represent. Belongs to Gabriela YarelizAndy, me and Fel on our college visit spring of 2009. Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
Hoy recibí una sorpresita en el correo de mis abuelos atentos que siempre me tienen muy consentida 🙂 Me mandaron la revista, con Blanca Suarez en la portada, Vogue España; que ahora es q esta llegando a las Américas de nuestra querida España. ¡Que emoción!
Blanca Suarez– de mis actrices favoritas. ¡Estamos esperando con ansias su pelí, Perdiendo el Norte, con Yon González!
For [s]he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever.
Psalm 112:6
I believe I met Mrs. T on a Thursday night.
It was a Thursday evening when I pulled into the Hope Lodge behind the university hospital. I parked and got ready to roll up my sleeves. The Hope Lodge is where people receiving cancer treatments and their families can stay while they are completing their treatments and procedures far from home. A good friend and brother from the church works at the hospital, and he came up with the great idea that we should go and help out serving dinner once a month to the families in residence and that we should visit with and sing to the patients. As a church, it was something we loved doing.
That evening, the kitchen was bustling under the bright little kitchen lamps. Some people were stationed at the food trays, others were at the sinks washing bowls and plates, and some were helping others sneak an extra dessert (just kidding). After serving the food, our church music group would set up the keyboards, guitars and microphones, and we would start singing songs about God’s love, mercy and the hope we can find only in Him.
That evening, a woman caught my eye. She was seated close to the microphones, and she was holding one of our song books. She was singing loudly with us. That was Mrs. T.
After the music time, we would sit at the tables and talk to the families and hospital patients. They were all very sweet people. I became friends with Mrs. T. We exchanged numbers, and we kept in touch by phone. There were times when I escaped the campus to hang out with her and talk.
She was a strong woman, and she wanted to see the town a bit more, so we arranged for a museum day. On museum day, I came to the Hope Lodge, and Mrs. T was with her sister who was visiting her. They were looking stunning. Mrs. T had a lovely orange scarf tied as a turban around her head. She was the classiest woman in town that day. I always appreciate a woman who can pull off an amazing turban and bright lipstick–a woman after my own heart. I took them to the art museum, and we had a ball. She knew so much about the different painters and works of art, and she told me what museums were like in her country. She told me about all the places she had traveled, and her sister was very sweet. I remember the university hadn’t finished the new Eastern Art wing and garden. Mrs. T wanted to see it.
On another occasion, she and I hit “downtown”. It was a cloudy day, and I remember we ate at this marvelous little Italian place where a lot of jurors from the local court would go for lunch. We ate a hefty plate of pasta and chatted about life and faith over garlic bread. She would ask me about my studies, and I would bore her with my stories about reporting. She always seemed amused.
Mrs. T eventually finished her treatments and was sent home. I didn’t see her after that. We kept tabs on each other through our common friend who works at the hospital.
Yesterday, Mrs. T passed away.
I pray that her family finds comfort in this difficult time. I pray God puts His unmovable peace that surpasses all understanding in her loved ones. I pray He fills them with hope and the knowledge that some day there will be no more death, sorrow or crying because He has conquered all things. I pray that God fills her family with the same kind of faith she had.
Though she is resting, her influence remains. I can say that her faith impacted me. She had a solid faith. She knew God was at her side, always. She knew she was not alone. This wasn’t something she hoped, it was something she knew.
She was a lovely, lovely woman. If there was a word lovelier than lovely, I would use it. She was very kind and always encouraging, despite all she was going through.
I am forever grateful and blessed that our paths crossed.
I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate the song “Be Still My Soul” to her family. It is sung in this video by one of the lead singers of our church music group:
Still, my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow
God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone
Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows
Still, my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming
It’s intimidating to come into full eye contact with your busy week. Here is a dose of Tumblr magic for your Monday. (It’s how I cope with law school Mondays).
The work/study week begins.
Guys, God is still on His throne; a Savage Garden song just came on; the world is still spinning. Yes. It will be a good week.
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“Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing & your attitude when you have everything.”
3] From Christine Caine’s desk.
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“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” -Cecil Beaton
5] Take a walk through your garden (figuratively speaking–your soul). What needs weeding? What needs watering? What needs to be shared? Just take a minute and sit there. Be still. Adopt a bunny. Be daring and eat something without washing it. (That last one is ridiculous…I blame Monday)
“Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.”
6] God’s timing is perfect for all things in our life. God has set eternity in man’s heart.
7] Not everything can be planned, avoided and/or calculated. Some things just happen. And remember: Oftentimes, things aren’t happening to us, they are happening for us.
Today, I woke up and stared out of my window. The day was gray with a dark green hue. Rain was falling steady. I was still in my apartment glancing at the neighboring building’s fire escapes, which were shiny, black and wet, avoiding the thought of walking to church. The rain did not let up. I then put my poncho cape over my skirt, blouse and backpack. I looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame–not Esmeralda. I took my umbrella and walked down the stairs, careful to not allow the hall door to slam and wake the neighbors. When I shuffled through the lobby, my friend, one of the building managers, saw me and laughed. I looked ridiculous. I wasn’t feeling the walk– I let out a half sigh when I was unwrapping the Velcro of my umbrella. He told me it was a beautiful day. I gave him a half smile and managed to pop my umbrella open. The truth is– the East Village looked like magic today. The rain made all of the plants look greener than green. The lighting made the city look like it was dressed for a party. Stunning. It took me 40 minutes to get to the church. I was waiting at the intersection to cross and walk into the church on the corner. My hand clutched my skirt which was absolutely soaked. There was water in my boots, my socks were wet, my hair was wet–I basically looked like I had just gotten out of the shower. I was laughing so hard when I reached the doors of the church. Someone could wring me. Despite the weather, it was a perfect day. The air was cool, the rain was lovely, and I was reminded of how amazing it is to be alive; feeling, walking around (the squish, squish of my boots)– Rain reminds me of the things we see as slightly inconvenient that make us grow, that cleanse us, that make us feel. Rain is kind of like love; tiny drops fall and break, but they fill oceans that go on for miles; they revive dry streams and refresh a still lake.
“The magic of purpose and of love in its purest form. Not television love, with its glare and hollow and sequined glint; not sex and allure, all high shoes and high drama, everything both too small and in too much excess, but just love. Love like rain, like the smell of a tangerine, like a surprise found in your pocket.” ― Deb Caletti
Delilah (radio host) just started playing Dan Hartman’s “I can dream about you” song for this adorable guy who called in. It’s time for bed.
xoxo.
[Images from Tumblr: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: Anushka Sharma]
I think it’s in moments of transition and decision, and moments of complete uncertainty and darkness, that you see people seeking for peace and guidance the most. It’s part of the human condition. We all do it, and we all seek for these things in different places. Oftentimes, we show up at empty wells hoping to find water.
I love people’s stories. Learning from others, saves us from a lot of heartache, and it can give us ideas as to which path to take or how to approach a situation. This is why biographies are amazing. Nothing beats a true story. Nothing is more intriguing than a true victory.
Today, as part of some autumn inspiration, I thought we could look at some words spoken by a very wise woman who had some incredible victories in her life; a woman who faced a Nazi soldier, years after suffering in his hands during the Holocaust; a woman who not only faced the man, but who offered her forgiveness. We often get so angry and annoyed at petty things in life (first-world problems, anyone?). Yet, this woman, in her simplicity and inner struggle did something supernatural– something that does not come easily to us because of our plain human nature. Her life illustrates how we all struggle and have anger, resentment, emotions and desires that are completely justifiable–yet, if we allow and ask God to let His goodness be found in us, He will put His love and grace in our hearts. When we forgive and when we love, we allow God’s goodness and mercy to shine in the world.
Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch woman who is known for her writing about her experiences after ending up in a concentration camp after hiding Jewish brothers and sisters during the Holocaust. She also dedicated herself to other charitable works such as helping the mentally disabled and abandoned children. She was a woman who loved, suffered and knew the true meaning of forgiveness. And while she never married, her life was filled with love for those around her. The amazing thing about love is that it keeps reaching out, even after we are gone, because love is eternal. Love does not fail.
She has written several books and published some journals. Below are some snippets of her wisdom. I call it wisdom, because intelligence is one thing, but wisdom comes from God.
I hope you find words that make you reflect on peace, on trusting that hand of God that guides you with loving kindness like a parent does with his or her child. May we all choose to love in a way that keeps reaching, enduring and sustaining.
“Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.” “Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.”
“God’s viewpoint is sometimes different from ours…In the Bible, I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us.”
“Do you know what hurts so very much? It’s love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.”
“There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans.”
“In darkness God’s truth shines most clear.”
“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”
“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
“You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.”
GABRIELA YARELIZ 