Today
“Every time we face fear we grow stronger.” Patsy Clairmont
“I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past.” Unknown
“I want to be all that I am capable of becoming.” Katherine Mansfield
[Images from Tumblr]
Monday Inspiration: March 2, 2015
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Hello my fellow Monday survivors.
I hope those of you on spring break are having a blast. Yesterday, I walked through hail. So, as you can see, winter has not loosened its grip on NYC.
March has begun. Some of us soon-to-be-graduates are feeling giddy, distressed, nervous, heartbroken, empowered and definitely busy. I don’t know why, but when a new phase of life approaches, I guess it’s the human tendency to start a bunch of self-improvement projects. We start fixing our hair different, adopt a new makeup and fitness routine, etc. It’s all about making sure we look good and like presentable adults when we are finally released from the expensive prison that is legal education. I am just so grateful that even from one month to another we grow in maturity and life discoveries.
I was listening to Dr. Tony Evans’ final message in the “Believe” series, and he was talking about how sometimes we think God is late. He made reference to the story of Lazarus. He then drew a parallel. When one goes to a fast-food joint through the drive-through, if you ask for something more specialized or picky than the average thing on the menu, they will often instruct you to park in a designated parking spot and ask you to wait while they get your order how you want it, and they bring it out to you.
Dr. Evans said, the same thing happens in life. Oftentimes, when we think God is late, He is not. He is simply getting what is meant for you just right, for you. He is also getting us ready to receive that special order. So, if you are waiting on something, don’t lose hope or get too discouraged. Faith requires action. God wants to see us start the sentence so He can finish it.
I hope this week is powerful for you. I hope you feel encouraged, warm, and walking in a good direction. March madness begins. It’s on!
“I loved to sleep with the window open. Rainy nights were the best of all: I would open the window and put my head on the pillow and close my eyes and feel the wind on my face and listen to the trees sway and creak.” Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
“[…] howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.” Nehemiah 13:2
“My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.” Rumi
“But first, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake up in the middle of the night. And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your mind from following the signs.” C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair
“Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out.” C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
“The only place we need to see before we die is this place of seeing God, here and now.” Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
“People grow when they are loved well. If you want to help others heal, love them without an agenda.” Mike McHargue
“One day, you’ll see that the person who decided to jump ship was never the one who put the wind in your sails; you will always be able to explore the world outside of them.” T.B. LaBerge// Things I’m Still Learning at 25
“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.'” Elisabeth Elliot
“Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, it just has to touch someone where your hands couldn’t.” Rudy Akbarian
“She reads. She reads. She reads words of splendor to comfort her soul.” Leila Hussein
Find the words that comfort your soul. Find peace that surpasses all understanding. Have a beautiful week.
[Images from Tumblr]
Reflections Before Bedtime #12
“You’re So Cold” by: Brandon & Leah
Say what you wanna say
I’m more than just a phase
You underestimate,
but you don’t know that I’m deeper than outer space
Sweeter than milky way
Sneaky like Watergate; I’m always changin’
I’m harder to define […]
This might be hard to take, but you won’t see me break
I need to set this straight– there is so much more to me
Wanted like Jesse James
More boom than hand grenades
Just like the ace of spades
There’s only one of me
This Month’s Picks: February 2015
By: Gabriela Yareliz
February took us by storm. Winter storm. Ha. What a month. I could use a month to recuperate from February, but no such thing. March madness is here! The ICC Cricket World Cup has been a blast so far (probably because my team is doing well; Go India!). This month has had some bitter cold temperatures; my hair got longer (yay for hair growth spurts); I continued my read-the-Bible-in-90-days challenge (It has been a huge blessing. I start Proverbs tomorrow); and every day, every step has taken me closer to where I need to go next.
March is here. This is the month before classes end and all madness breaks loose. March madness is the madness the precedes the more intense madness that comes in April *grin*. Such is the life of a graduating student. Once the semester nears its end, everything gets real, quick.
March will be a month of tough decisions; some dramatic acts of pure faith–> which means hardcore growth (not always fun, but always necessary). March, bring it on. February was tough but is now in the past. The February obstacles have been overcome by the grace of God, so I will build on that to strengthen my March walk.
I hope you feel strengthened through your March walk. I hope you will continue to find pieces of inspiration here. This March, let’s be more than lucky; let’s be truly blessed. Let’s turn those prayer requests and burning desires in our hearts into a testimony of how God intervenes on our behalf in our lives. Let’s walk through March together.
A little tribute to St. Patrick:
“Hence I cannot be silent,
and indeed I ought not be,
about the many blessings and the great grace
which the Lord has deigned to bestow upon me.”
Saint Patrick
1] This moment before the performance of Glory (from Selma) at the Oscars. John Legend and Common in a prayer huddle.
2]
“We get big faith because we serve a big God.” Jeremy Anderson
3] Joel Madden wrote this song for his wife Nicole Richie. It’s adorably sweet.
4] It has been a busy month. One of those months where you say:
5] Juicers
6]
7]
“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in the small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Teresa
8] Congrats to the minorities who have worked hard to share their stories!
9]
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh
10] Ravi Zacharias quote:
“Secularism when it has had its day will produce no shame. Pluralism when it has had its day, produce no reason, privatization when it has had its day, no meaning.”
11] There were some fabulous haircuts:
12]
“We were like matching bookends, almost touching but with volumes between us and stories, so many stories.”
from Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick
13]
“Author George MacDonald once said, ‘To give truth to him who loves it not is only to give him more plentiful reasons for misinterpretation.’ The love of truth and the willingness to submit to its demands is the first step.” Ravi Zacharias
14] Favorite things
15]
“Faith is not a concept you visit, it’s a lifestyle you posses.” Dr. Tony Evans
16] Ben Savage and Will Friedle filming Girl Meets World
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“If you choose to look for a big God, then you will find a big God.” Christine Caine
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“When you don’t live by faith, you are challenging God’s integrity; you are calling God a liar.” Dr. Tony Evans
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20] The bold, honest and creative Nicole Richie in Dubai
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22] Patricia & Giotto ❤
23] Peace and serenity
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27]
28]
29] New Yorker humor
30]
31]
32]
33]
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35]
36]
37]
38]
39] From my turf
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45] Scott Disick posted this on Valentines Day.
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48] Coming Soon
“May the strength of God pilot us;
May the wisdom of God instruct us,
May the hand of God protect us;
May the word of God direct us.”
Saint Patrick
[Images from Tumblr]
From Bible Challenge Day 39/90
“Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. Yes, The Lord will give what is good.” Psalm 85:11-12
Sometimes, we do know what we want, we just lack the faith to pursue it. We forget who places the dreams in our hearts and that The Lord himself gives what is good. 
Reflections Before Bedtime #11
“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.” Psalm 69:13 (From day 38 of my 90-day challenge)
In about eight weeks, life is going to feel like I am jumping off of a cliff with a hang glider.
I will fly, but only God knows to where.
Right now, I can only see the sky, and I am not about to look down. I tried to look down already, and I felt overwhelmed. Visibility for landing isn’t that clear, anyway. I guess that will get clearer as I go. For many of us, our lives are about to change in the most dramatic of ways. It’s hard to concentrate on anything these days, with so many changes coming full-speed ahead. Sometimes, believers don’t just walk by faith, but they find themselves at a precipice, with equipment, and they have to learn to fly by faith, too.
Right now, I feel I am at the edge of one of the many precipices I will face in my life. I see space, unknown, beauty, excitement, joy, wonder, goodness, blessings, and yet so much distance left to be crossed. In three weeks, I’ll have my eyes closed, and I’ll be adjusting my grip on the flying device; and in those next five weeks, I am going to show my trust and fly. And off I will go. This isn’t like parachuting. No one is strapped on to me, and no one is holding my hand. However, the people I love have faith that God has equipped me to fly, and they stand beside me as I inch closer to the edge.
It’s now or never. A new chapter begins soon. Soon, it will be now.
Wednesday Musings: February 25, 2015
“Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling, but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just….start.” Unknown
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Happy Wednesday to you! We are in the middle of the last week of February 2015. This moment won’t come again. I hope this week is treating you well. I hope you are busy, productive, warm, doing something for others and smiling every chance you get to smile. It has been one of those weeks filled with satisfaction, tears and struggle. My mom always reminds me of all I am and should be grateful for. Gratitude really changes our spirits and our hearts. This week, I proved again that Jesus and Nelson Mandela are right, kindness disarms. Also this week, I heard my alma mater has spring break next week, and my mind has floated to spring, flowers and sunshine.
“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
“I hope that at the heart of whatever you are looking for; you find Jesus there.”
T.B. LaBerge // Go Now
“We are sinful not because we’re victims of darkness, but because we’re lovers of darkness.”
John Piper
“In our world,” said Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.”
“Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it’s made of.”
C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian
“I knew you would do me good, in some way, at some time;– I saw it in your eyes when I first beheld you: their expression and smile did not–(again he stopped)–did not (he proceeded hastily) strike delight to my very inmost heart so for nothing.”
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
“You are a woman. Skin and bones, veins and nerves, hair and sweat. You are not made of metaphors. Not apologies, not excuses.” Sarah Kay, excerpt from “The Type”
“Pray, pray be composed, and do not betray what you feel to every body present.”
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
“Who taught you
that the
value of a woman
is the ratio
of her waist
to her hips
and the circumference
of her buttocks
and the volume
of her lips?
Your math
is
dangerously wrong
her value
is
nothing less
than
infinite.”‘Greater than’ by Della Hicks-Wilson
Learn to let God be enough.
“Faith is proven obedience even though you don’t understand the instructions.”
Dr. Tony Evans
[Images from Tumblr]
Happy Birthday Sugetha!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUGETHA!
What can I say? You and Srinivas have been such a blessing to my life. You have the most amazing heart. Gold, pure gold. We rarely come across people as thoughtful as you in life; never lose that. When the weather is bad, when I feel sad (and many times you didn’t know), you reached out to me and made me smile. Your time and your thoughtful attention to detail are beautiful symbols of the priceless and abundant love you spill onto all who surround you. Those of us around you are so happy and fortunate to call you friend.
You inspire me, and your words have been a great source of encouragement and joy to me. God has spoken to me many times through you. It has been beautiful to share, talk and pray together.
I knew about you long before I met you, and I knew you were special. When I met you, you confirmed everything I already knew. 🙂 I hope you have a blessed day and new year. Never forget how special you are! God will give you an extraordinary year. Each chapter that comes is better than the last.
Life will give us more memories together and great times to come.
Today, let’s jam to this song (one of our favorites):
Sending you a virtual hug to the West Coast (and a hug to Srinivas trapped in the polar vortex, as well)!
Love you girl.
XOXOXO
Gabby 🙂
Monday Inspiration: February 23, 2015
By: Gabriela Yareliz
Happy Monday to all of you. I could not get out of bed this morning, but once I did, there was no turning back. The week begins at full speed once that alarm goes off. Time to hustle. This is the last week to make February count for everything it’s worth. It is going to reach 0 degrees tonight, so I guess if we keep moving, we won’t freeze.
Keep it real. Stay inspired.
“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet
[Leila Bekhti]
“Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress – which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once.”
Unknown
[Power couple Leyla Milani and Manny Khoshbin]
[Macarena Garcia]
[Persepolis]
[Random New Yorker humor (the lawyer cartoons)]
[Feeny wisdom]
[Images from Tumblr and Webstagram]
GABRIELA YARELIZ 