Father

By: Gabriela Yareliz Alex Ikonn asked Asma Khan how she became a confident and secure woman filled with so much love; how she grew to have self-love. Her answer moved me. She said, “I believed my father.” No matter who your father is/was, what I find comforting is we have a Heavenly Father who hasContinue reading “Father”

The Violence of Growth

“Growth is violent like that. It doesn’t happen without endings. Without death. Without the parts of you that are clinging to control finally being ripped away. So I’ll ask you: how many times have you already died? And maybe… the next chapter of your growth is waiting for you on the other side of theContinue reading “The Violence of Growth”

Noise, Despacito

“You need to build a mausoleum in your head with big iron doors so that nobody can get in there except you. You don’t let me in there, you don’t let June in there, you don’t let your manager in there, you don’t let the record company people in there. You have to decide forContinue reading “Noise, Despacito”

Brush with Evil

By: Gabriela Yareliz The world is small. Sometimes, it’s interesting to think of time overlaps. This is bound to happen in the randomness of life and also, in its mysterious synergies. These are moments where you and another person are in the same place but you don’t know each other then. For example, the momentsContinue reading “Brush with Evil”

The Emergence of Joy

“Happiness requires that you find meaning – and meaning comes from suffering.” Arthur Brooks By: Gabriela Yareliz SamySam on Instagram has an infectious energy I admire. He stands there and hollers his signature, “Life is goooooood,” and then, does a little dance. I just want to bottle that energy up and keep it in myContinue reading “The Emergence of Joy”

The Feminine Wiring

By: Gabriela Yareliz I am on a train that says “No Service.” So far, it’s in service. Shannon Ford was on the TSC Podcast talking about pregnancy, recently. It was an awesome podcast. Lauryn Bosstick, the host, was also pregnant in these past few months; they talked about stuff I haven’t heard about. My favoriteContinue reading “The Feminine Wiring”

Forecasting

By: Gabriela Yareliz Last night at church, Erwin McManus reminded us of something powerful— our hope and anticipation for the future is tied to whether we believe God is good. Erwin walked us through Ezra, where the people of Israel laid the foundation for the new temple (the temple known as the inferior temple. Ironically,Continue reading “Forecasting”

Florida Heat

By: Gabriela Yareliz Even if two teams play brilliantly, only one wins. There will always be someone who falls second. Even if it’s barely second in a game that goes into overtime. (Overtime is something we can talk about later— life sometimes feels like an OT. You are exhausted, but still in the game, fightingContinue reading “Florida Heat”

Ownership

By: Gabriela Yareliz I was watching Vanessa Fitzgerald’s stories as she was on a walk. She was explaining to those of us on the other side of the camera that she had felt sort of in a funk. She then said something along the lines of, “We always find something to blame, but I knewContinue reading “Ownership”