The Greatest Love Story Ever Told-

By: Gabriela Yareliz
So, I have a couple of things floating in my mind. Yesterday, a man called into the Delilah show (yes, I said Delilah) and he wanted to dedicate a song to his wife, Sandra, because a childhood friend of his lost his wife in a car accident.

It made me so sad. Delilah brought up the good point that sometimes through other people’s loss we can value what we have. Also, we must realize that we aren’t promised tomorrow. Things can change so suddenly. (Then she played their wedding song. But that is beside the point.)

I think the idea of Carpe Diem is not so much living like a crazy fool and doing whatever to “enjoy” life. I think it’s more of a “live today wisely because it may be your last.” Wisely doesn’t mean be boring, but it does mean be wise. Being wise and being intelligent are completely different because wisdom only comes from God.

Anyway, continuing on- today I heard a woman say (no idea what her name is but she does some Christian free-verse thing) that Jesus is the greatest love story ever told.

I really like that thought. The other day as I and a friend filled out a bridal shower card, we wrote the Ten Commandments for marriage inside (ironically neither of us is married) but we asked people at the store, where we work, to contribute. (A nice collaborative effort, I know.)

In the end, we wrote that Love is a commitment, not just feeling and emotion. God has commited himself to us even when we reject Him. He is still there and merciful. Any human would have ditched us.

True Love can only come from God. And why do I capitalize Love? Because God is Love. Love rules this universe and keeps it together.
1 Corinthians 13 Paraphrase
Jesus suffereth long, and is kind; Jesus envieth not; Jesus vaunteth not Himself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave Himself unseemly, seeketh not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

(Jesus) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Jesus never fails.

He is the greatest Love story ever told- He is the greatest Love story ever shown.

Have a blessed day! Value those you near to you; Seek wisdom and truth; Love and love for real.

Monday

By: Gabriela Yareliz

It was a beautiful weekend, and it feels amazing outside. The change in temperature has everyone a bit giddy and unstable teetering on the edge of getting the sniffles (but not yet falling over the edge)…

The clear skies make me think of bonfires, stars, corduroys, pencils, wood, leaves, spices, and those little cut-out pumpkins elementary school teachers put on the walls around this time. Hoodies, scarves, warm sunshine-amazing. This all sets a nice backdrop and distraction from exams, work and the busyness of life.

I refuse to be trapped under flourescent lights in the library all week. Nope.
How long will this amazing weather last? Who knows-but I’ll enjoy it while it’s here.
Enjoy the weather! Today, focus on creating true happiness in your world 🙂 Happiness is a choice. (Warning: one sure way to avoid depression is to avoid the New York Times or the news) just for today though- it’s Monday. Monday and depressing news just doesn’t go well together.

Love Actually

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I really love this love story from Love Actually (no pun intended). It always makes me smile.

Love is strange. Does it creep up on us? Are there different types of love? The immature one, the mature one, the enduring one, the tragic one, the painful one, the magical one- or is there just one and we mistake the others for being the real deal?

Whatever the case may be, I think love can be transparent- it is about actions not words.

🙂

What if:

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Hello,

   So what if we all went back to what used to be. What if we changed what we think is normal?

What if:

[1] We took the time to listen.

What if we spent time in silence and listened to the many different things going on? The birds, people, the wind. What if we could take the time to see that “beauty was everywhere” (78: Mrs. Dalloway)? What if we took the time to not ask God, but listen to God?

[2] We used a regular pencil instead of a mechanical one or a pen.

We could write things in a form that is purely us. Something we probably haven’t done since elementary school. There are times when precision is not a requirement. Life, a note, a smiley-they are not lab reports or graphs-they are simply a drop of you.

What if:

[3] We stopped fooling ourselves about who our friends are. A friendship is composed of time, self-sacrifice, love and attention. It is not a title.

It is not 500 people wishing you a happy birthday on a Web site because they were reminded to. Real friends will find you where you are. They will love you, pay attention to you and they will respect you. We have fallen under an illusion of what it means to relate ourselves to other people. What if you wrote a letter? What if you sent a package? What if you picked up the phone and gave attention to someone when you could be doing 100 other things but they really need you…

[4] We had some sort of privacy.

So many people think that if you don’t share, you are hiding something. How about they are just humans who know they are entitled to knowledge of somethings that only they need to know. In the end, people often times use your private matters against you, to talk about you, not care about you.

What if:

[5] We went outside and actually sat under the sky. If we could stop being so artificial and demanding, we would perhaps appreciate the trees that filter the sunshine’s rays, the sweltering heat that helps us enjoy a nice breeze.

[6] We paid attention to the words we speak and realize how they reflect on us. Whether we waste precious words in nonsense, cursing-let’s not waste a word.

What if:

[7] On our worst day we realized that someone in a hospital wished they were us? Perhaps if we realized that happiness, like freedom is inside of us. People and circumstances can take away things from us, but there are somethings that rest securely in your hands and in God’s hands.

[8] We took one day at a time. What if we make our path as we go? What if being unsure is okay, and letting God unravel His plan for us happens day by day? (EGW: Desire of Ages, Ch. 21)

What if:

[9] We knew love is not a feeling, but a commitment.

It is not using people.

Love can be painful and complicated, but what if we saw that love never fails.

Love is real.

[10] We stopped only caring about ourselves.

What if we decided that instead of being islands, we would grow with others. What if we don’t shut ourselves in with fantasy- in books,  and TV. What if we took who was real and expressed true appreciation? What if we took note how life changes, not only for us but the others on this planet we call Earth.

If we realized all of these things, we would probably be very different people. Maybe we would understand and enjoy a bit more of what life is about.

Maybe. I am going to try.

“La vida que tienes no hay otra solucion, debes buscar en tu corazon. Tu propio futuro lo puedes cambiar; tal vez llego el momento.”-L’auberge espagnole Kouz 1 ft. Ardag

One moment, one decision and one person can change your life forever.

😉

I think…

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I think life is fabulous…
confusing;
I think life is magnificent…
for the brave;
I think life is trying…
simple;
I think life is joyful…
love;
I think life is a mystery…
time;
I think life is a science…
one shot;
I think life is bright…
ironic;
I think life is exquisite…
gorgeous;
I think life is pain…
peace;

Life is a collage of experiences and more importantly, people.
No matter what comes our way, we need to grow and continue the race no matter how much it burns. Let’s set aside the frivolous things and go back to simplicity and silence. If we learn to observe, listen and love-we become changed.
Let us not give up on faith, hope and above all-love.

School: and we are back-

By: Gabriela Yareliz
Hello,

School began with sweltering heat. Everyone’s hair was moist and stringy and we all stood in close proximity on the bus trapped in a mixture of everyone’s distress and frustration with the weather.

Lines at the bookstore reached the back, and many of us paid several visits to exchange editions where they perhaps changed a comma this summer and our professors deemed it imperative to have the latest, comma-clarified version. Some of us went back for the cheaper edition, our hearts beaming as money was being put back on our credit cards.
Young, fresh faces attract attention, beginners falling off of their bicycles.
The sunshine streams through each trees leaves in an attempt to find us like a flashlight in search of something in darkness.

Statues and sculptures around campus have many students freaked out. We wonder, why has that person been standing there for hours? Until we realize that it’s all in our heads.

At this point, professors think they are incredibly funny or scary. International students still look lost by Wednesday. They closed Taco Bell- I’m still angry about this.

Athiests and Christians are already battling it out in the free-speech zone. The library is packed and so are all the other places no one will frequent starting next week until mid-terms.

I saw a girl try to steal a balloon from an apartment complex sign outside while waiting for the bus. I completely understand her desire for the red balloon, but stealing it? That’s low. She never got it unhooked from the others before the bus came though- (sigh of relief).

As a senior, I sit in classes where all people talk about is: jobs, internships, tension, and of course- New York.

For the others on campus, it is no different. People talking about research, the MCAT and other such things that make them lose sleep.

It’s okay though. After this first week, what we need is some low-stress thoughts.

Yesterday, while everyone ate lunch peacefully outside a cloud decided to empty itself suddenly and all you could see were umbrellas opening and people running. It was beautiful.
Nature, us, sunshine, lipstick, balloons, rain-

Here is a link to a video I fell in love with in my French business class when I did a case study on the company. It always makes me happy.

Rose La Biche

Smile, be barefoot (but don’t step on anything sharp), breathe deeply and relax.
It’s all going to be okay. This is only the beginning.
😀

I see my God in you (song)

You are my heaven, you are my passion
You are my wish, you are the peace of my soul
You are the coldness/calmness of my eyes, you are the heartbeat of my heart
I don’t know anything else, I know only this
That I see God in you, what should I do
my head is bowing down in your worship, what should I do
that I see God in you, what should I do…?

What kind of distance is this, what helplessness
I have touched you with my eyesight
sometimes your fragrance/scent, sometimes your talks
without demanding I have got this world
You are the light of my heart, you are the wealth/treasure of my lives
I don’t know anything else, I know only this
that I see God in you, what should I do
My head is bowing down in your worship, what should I do
that I see god in you, what should I do….?

Whenever you come, it teases me
by teasing, your shadow kisses me
when you smile, when you shy
it seems like my God is dancing
you are my progress/growth, you are my worship

I don’t know anything else, I know only this
that I see god in you, what should I do
My head is bowing down in your worship, what should I do…?
That I see god in you, what should I do…?

“He held my hand when there was no one beside me. The truth is, I see God in him.

No matter where I go, he is there. One can leave a man, but how does one leave God?” -Taani -Rab ne bana di Jodi

garden bits.I drove all night. Italian. (500) days of summer (literally)

School is out. From adrenaline to no pulse. Life revolves around LSAT Logic Games and Logical Reasoning. I’ve been touring libraries, cooking new recipes and reading the fat ABA Law School Profiles book. HEADACHE.

It has been a whirlwind of cool breeze, hot sunshine, long winding roads with green on both sides and troppo (too much) pasta.

Day dreams are filled with the Amalfi Coast and James Blunt music in the background. A current mental soundtrack includes Puccini’s Nessun Dorma. SIGH. Troppo influencia Italiana.

I still use my journalistic research skills for the public good and I’ve become very accomplished when it comes to training to be a professional domestic.

“I do the cooking, the housekeeping… and so much more.”-Manuelo-So Little Time

I watched a Greek movie about Spices that made me cringe. Sometimes I wish I was standing in the middle of a square in Prague.

My days are green; filled with the smell of garden partout. A strange sort of bliss like rosemary bread soaked in a pond of olive oil.

As I’ve drifted aimlessly through library aisles, I’ve stood in front of writers’ masterpieces that once I went breathless for but now no one can pay me to reach out and grab a book of fiction. So-I leave with a tall stack of linguistic books and law school memoirs. Everything non-fiction except the occasional movie. That illusion and love of all that is fake in literature lasted only through high school. I still love you Davy Copperfield.

I’m an expert at grabbing horrible movies. Unless they have Hugh Grant in them. You can never go wrong wrong with him.

My short hair is now longer. When I wake up it resembles a lion’s mane.

I sometimes feel a sudden desire to hear French a la Quebequois. It’s all because of Celine Dion’s “Taking Chances World Tour DVD.”

“I Drove All Night” spins in my head like a broken record. See, that’s too many songs on replay.

Every library and person should be stocked with at least one Celine Dion CD-just saying. I’ve read that Mark Finley book I got at church. It’s stellar. Good job, man. I have two verbs to conjugate in my Italian workbook. Avere and Essere. I keep avoiding them but I dream using them.

And finally, I’d like to say that one of my high school love theories was right. I’m starting to believe it, despite those who tried to prove me wrong along the way.

“Summer: Well, you know, I guess it’s ’cause I was sitting in a deli and reading Dorian Gray and a guy comes up to me and asks me about it and… now he’s my husband.
Tom: Yeah. And… so?
Summer: So, what if I’d gone to the movies? What if I had gone somewhere else for lunch? What if I’d gotten there 10 minutes later? It was – it was meant to be. And… I just kept thinking… Tom was right.
Tom: No.
Summer: Yeah, I did.
[laughs]
Summer: I did. It just wasn’t me that you were right about.”
-(500) Days of Summer

Okay, that’s all for today. You’ve got the melange in my head.
I leave you with some Celine Dion, which makes the world a better place.
“What in this world
Keeps us from falling apart?
No matter where I go I hear
The beating of our one heart
I think about you
When the night is cold and dark, uh huh yea
No one can move me
The way that you do
Nothing erases this feeling between me and you

I drove all night……. to get to you
Is that alright?
I drove all night……..”

Jam and sing your heart out.