“So I went on writing. The story was writing itself and I was having a hard time keeping up with it. […]I’ve seen you, beauty, and you belong to me now, whoever you are waiting for and if I never see you again, I thought. You belong to me and all of Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil.” Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast pg.17-18 (Restored Edition by Scribner)
just-write-to-me.tumblr.com
By: Gabriela Yareliz
In life, there are certain moments where things are intensely–yours. You can be walking down the street, and a child gives you a smile–it’s yours; you may walk into a beautiful place, and you are the only one there–it’s yours; you may be sitting, not expecting a single thing and someone beside you shares your silence and ordinariness–that moment is yours, and that person is your partner in…
Belongs to: Gabriela YarelizBelongs to: Gabriela Yareliz
Alb. The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young, 385
Shall never see so much, nor live so long. –King Lear, Act V Scene III
SUMMER IN THE CITY [Inspired by: New York City]West Village, NYC; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
Despite my autumn fever, yesterday’s 68-degree morning, and leaving the house with a jacket today, it is still officially a tourist-crowded-sidewalk NYC summer. People’s addiction to ice cream does not seem to be waning. I am slightly traumatized from last winter, and I do not want to dig out my leggings or boots quite yet. I guess we can start easing in– wearing jackets and light sweaters with Oxfords.
Summer is often associated with a kind of freedom, even in the working world. People tend to take vacations in the summer, travel and make little changes, like moving or the cutting of hair. The fact that school is starting makes the feeling of freedom *poof* disappear like a balloon filled with water popping in your face and sprinkling you while the rest of water splatters to the ground.
West Village; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
Still, the city is green. Something that won’t last too much longer. The trees are still fully dressed and rustling. The sunshine reminds us that we are humans living on Earth (unlike our dark winters), and the brightness reminds us to live.
East Village; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
Summer carries with it a lot of noise. Winter brings with it an unsettling quiet because no one wants to be out and about, boots crunching on the snow.
Tribeca; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
Flowers adorn corners of parks and some plants dare to reach up to heights only skyscrapers can boast of. They looks at us down below, smiling at us. Not haughtily, only in an endearing way.
South Street Seaport District; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
It’s a time to be out at the South Street Seaport District watching old films outside on lawn chairs with cobblestone underneath. Little bulb lights on string blinking down from the Fulton Market area remind us of the stars hidden under fog and disguised in skyscraper glow.
It’s time to smile more, and really take time to appreciate all that will soon condense into cold.
SoHo fire escape; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
SUMMER IN THE COUNTRY [Inspired by North Central Florida]
Cedar Key, Florida; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
It’s stifling hot. The type of heat that doesn’t let you breathe, but that at the same time makes you sure that you are alive (maybe because it makes your blood boil). The heat invigorates you, while draining you. The sweat cleanses you, while soaking you.
Cedar Key, Florida; Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
It’s summer. The season where you can take an evening to watch orange and purple sunsets and take nights to see the stars. A season that casts a golden light on everything.
Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
The world is painted gold. The fields are carpeted with rebellious flowers that don’t ask for permission to grow. The wind spreads their beauty, so they can decorate the sides of country roads. Little critters are outside, invested in adventures of all kinds. The air is perfumed with curiosity.
Children sit inside, under sun lights and white vents that spew out cool air. Fans hum, and spigots outside drip-drip, keeping rhythm. Trees fight the angry caterpillars who eat up all of their leaves. They stay green and leafy despite the inconsiderate eaters. Squirrels balance themselves on fences; their cheeks bulging with berries.
Thunderstorms prune the trees’ bad branches, and the rain inundates the sandy ground. Many complain of the heat and wait for their season of relief.
Still, people know that when the crisp air comes, they will miss summer’s sultry embrace.
“Pure and undefiled religion speaks for itself. It transforms the characters of all who receive it, improving their usefulness and beautifying all with which it is brought in contact…. A man’s worth is not measured by the position of responsibility that he occupies but by the Christlike spirit that he reveals. When the Saviour abides in the heart the work bears the impress of the divine touch. Self does not appear. Christ is revealed as the One altogether lovely.”– Ellen G. White
[Images reblogged from 500-days-of-autumn.tumblr.com and autumntiming.tumblr.com]
Compiled by: Gabriela Yareliz
Marisa De Los Santos’ books always make me feel warm and fuzzy, comfortable, and they cast a soft glow on your soul. A book of hers is definitely a pick-me-up for the autumn days.
Her debut novel.
It’s time to dig out my sweaters from the closet bags. (Ironing sweaters is tedious, but it must be done sometimes). It’s also a good time to watch H&M closely for two for one sweater sales.
I bought myself some ramekins (which I can’t pronounce), and I am excited to make more than kale-egg, gluten-free quiches in them. Pumpkins and squash anyone?
It will also be time to do more than juice with apples. Apples are special when they are in season.
One word: Red.
Spend more time outside to escape school and all other evils.
Shine your boots; or at least wipe them down.
Corduroy and flannel–I would trade suits for them any day in a heart beat.
“I’ve always felt an outcast; There is something strange about me. I don’t ever feel at ease in a group of people. I have to fight hard to overcome my fears.” – Marion Cotillard, The Guardian
One of Manhattan’s loveliest places is tucked away at 487 Hudson St. I have spent many evenings at the Gardens at St. Luke; sometimes they are empty, sometimes they are full of children playing, while the mothers and nannies sit in a circle on the grass surrounded by strollers. The guardians occasionally remind the children to play nice, and then, they continue talking about play dates, cupcakes, school events and motherly topics. I like the place so much, I even stopped by the morning of my birthday. I was alone and serene that morning; only the birds and butterflies made sounds.
Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz, Where the nannies and mothers usually sit and chat while the children play.
The Gardens are hidden away in the West Village; they are so close to the Hudson River that the gate entrance is on Hudson Street. The walk along Hudson Street in the West Village is one of my favorites.
Belongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela Yareliz
This is how I discovered the Gardens: One day, I was marching up Hudson Street, and I saw a brick wall with a gate. I was on the opposite side of the street, but of course, curiosity got the best of me. I waited to cross, and I entered the gate. It was like walking into the Secret Garden. It was an early spring afternoon (if I dare call it that–it was still cold). I walked through the gate and took a deep breath. The Gardens were solitary. Nice wooden benches were clean and inviting under spring branches. New little green leaves filtered the golden evening light.
Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz, The gate (a view toward Hudson Street).Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz, The view when you enter the Gardens.
When you walk in, you can walk little footpaths in whichever direction you choose. Little paths take you to different Gardens and compartments. There are benches, flowers, hoses, birdbaths, and sometimes, a guitar player in a melodious corner or a reader who is mentally worlds away.
Belongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela Yareliz
I am always looking for a quiet place to rest my mind. Despite the fact that I pray wherever I go, it’s always nice to find a place that invites you to be still, and above all, a place that displays nature in all of its splendor.
Ellen G. White once wrote, “In the things of nature, marred as they are by the blight of sin, much that is beautiful remains. One omnipotent in power, great in goodness, in mercy, and love, has created the earth, and even in its blighted state it inculcates truths in regard to the skillful Master Artist. In this book of nature opened to us—in the beautiful, scented flowers, with their varied and delicate coloring—God gives to us an unmistakable expression of His love.”
Belongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela Yareliz
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1
Belongs to Gabriela Yareliz
“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes […] (now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)” e. e. cummings
Belongs to Gabriela YarelizBelongs to Gabriela Yareliz
These Gardens have been such a gift to me. In each flower, bird and tree can be found a spiritual lesson, wisdom and hope for what is to come. I cannot wait to see the Gardens as they change when autumn brings its glow and winter, its gray.
When I walk through the Gardens’ gate, I immediately smell dirt, flowers, leaves and life. Joy and peace fill me, while the drip-drip of the birdbath and water collector makes music to compliment its little bathers, the birds. When you walk through the Gardens, just as in life, you walk a path engulfed by magnificent beauty.
From Ellen G. White’s Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3
“Knowledge is not all that we need; we must follow the light. We are not left to choose for ourselves and to obey that which is agreeable to us and to disobey when it best suits our convenience. Obedience is better than sacrifice.” – {3T 116.1}
Pick up a copy of Latina Magazine, September 2014 issue with Adrienne Bailon on the cover because it’s official: I have been published! I am super excited to have this opportunity to share a bit of my walk and growth as a young Latina professional. It has been a year filled with so many surprises and blessings. It is so awesome to be published by a magazine I grew up reading; a magazine that inspired me and showed me that people who look like me can succeed!
GABRIELA YARELIZ 