Nourishment for Hard Times

By: Gabriela Yareliz Where We Are What does it look like to confront moments of uncertainty? We all do it, day after day. I was listening to a doctor on a podcast who is temporarily staying in Harlem, and she was talking about how there is a depressive cloud over NYC. The subways are silent.Continue reading “Nourishment for Hard Times”

The Anatomy of a Sabbath Meal

By: Gabriela Yareliz Happy Sabbath to any and all who may be reading this shortly after my posting. Sabbath is characterized as a day of rest. In my words, a huge sigh of relief. Work has been all too consuming lately (but grateful for it), but all of the recent commotion, tensions and transitions haveContinue reading “The Anatomy of a Sabbath Meal”

Freedom, Faith and Virtue

By: Gabriela Yareliz I had the opportunity to listen to Eric Metaxas the other day, through a livestreamed event about his latest book, Is Atheism Dead? His discussion was on freedom, faith and virtue, and how they are all intertwined. Metaxas has written many best selling books, including one on William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace: WilliamContinue reading “Freedom, Faith and Virtue”

What a Revolutionary Is Made Of

“Sometimes, the greatest safety can be found in taking the right risk. Whether it be an individual, a community or a country, when faced with tragedy or fearful uncertainty, we either become bigger and enter life more fully, or else we accept a diminished life and resign ourselves to a smaller way of being.” MichaelContinue reading “What a Revolutionary Is Made Of”

Carried Home

By: Gabriela Yareliz Recently, my fiancé (yes– you read that right!) and I were driving back from a farm outside of the city. Taconic State Parkway, y’all. Unwillingly crawling our way back into Gotham City. It was late, and it’s a dark highway. The only thing illuminating those narrow, dark winding roads was the occasionalContinue reading “Carried Home”

The Comedian: LeJuan James

By: Gabriela Yareliz I am not really sure what I can say about half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican LeJuan James. He is wickedly funny. He became famous through his YouTube Channel where he makes light of our culture’s quirks and imitates our mothers when they would lecture us. What Hispanic person hasn’t sent one of these videos toContinue reading “The Comedian: LeJuan James”

A Lesson from Jesus’ Selections

By: Gabriela Yareliz Something that has truly impressed me about the series The Chosen is how alive the characters are. They stand before us in their flawed and relatable humanity. Sometimes, when we read Scripture or we have read certain stories over and over again, we see these characters as kind of flat. We missContinue reading “A Lesson from Jesus’ Selections”

Some Gave All

By: Gabriela Yareliz When I was young, I had a little bear that was dressed in a military uniform. I called him Lieu-teddy, short for lieutenant. My dad gave him to me when he was training to join the Air Force. I believed that if I squeezed him hard enough, my dad, out in training,Continue reading “Some Gave All”

A Letter to Louisiana

By: Gabriela Yareliz The waters will recede and return home. You’ll be home, too. The sunshine will peek out and warm the flaky paint skin on the old buildings. It will soak up the heavy rains like a mother cleaning up a wound. Its hot rays a bright Band-Aid. You’ll sit on your porch againContinue reading “A Letter to Louisiana”

Round with Mystery

By: Gabriela Yareliz We don’t always have things figured out before we start. Sometimes, all we have is a question. Beth Kempton talks about this in her summer writing course. I get that, and yet, we often foolishly want to have things figured out, a map charted, a path paved. We like neat little thingsContinue reading “Round with Mystery”