King

By: Gabriela Yareliz This Christmas season, if there is anything that stood out to me the most from the familiar Christmas story it was its humility. The bleak circumstance of it all. How the God of the universe’s arrival frustrated every expectation. His parents filled with the same anxieties that overwhelm us, at times. TheContinue reading “King”

December 2021 Quotes

By: Gabriela Yareliz These are some of the quotes that have been spinning through my mind, these days: One “We have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws,” Martin Luther King, Jr. once said. These days, I wonder what that looks like and what that would mean exactly. I am currently reading Eric Metaxas’ bookContinue reading “December 2021 Quotes”

Winter Scene

By: Gabriela Yareliz When you see a cardinal, it means angels are near. I saw that at a garden center, recently. I thought it was cute. I feel like angels are always near, but it’s a nice reminder. A cardinal on a winter day is a popping apparition. We all have different scenes that flashContinue reading “Winter Scene”

Here I Come A-wassailing

By: Gabriela Yareliz Searching for Memories I can see myself holding the Christmas carol book, fast-forwarding the little white cassette in my purple boombox past that one song, “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In.” I found that song to be boring. Not sure why. Skip. My favorite one was “Here We Come A-wassailing” (thereContinue reading “Here I Come A-wassailing”

Secret Santa

By: Gabriela Yareliz I heard someone at the entrance of Bath and Body Works talking about how he needed a Secret Santa gift under $35 when the employee asked what he was looking for. It has been a while since I had heard about Secret Santa, but now I hear the phrase floating around more,Continue reading “Secret Santa”

The Values that Stand the Test of Time

By: Gabriela Yareliz I keep thinking about how much values matter. When children are tiny, parents do their best to try to instill manners and certain values in their children. Every family reflects a values system, whether it realizes it or not. Some are unbiblical values that are learned, such as: “Lying and cheating aren’tContinue reading “The Values that Stand the Test of Time”

Eyes On You

By: Gabriela Yareliz Welcome to another day. A new variant. A new state of emergency. More fear being vomited onto us. (If only we reacted to it as the vomit that it is). That’s what seems to be heaped on us, like a bad record on repeat. It’s the day after the worst day ofContinue reading “Eyes On You”

The Soul’s Interpreter

“The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye.” Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre By: Gabriela Yareliz For some, our identities are complex and odd things that have layers upon layers. Some layers are closer to the heart. Some stick together. Others hide. Some layers areContinue reading “The Soul’s Interpreter”

Switching Off

By: Gabriela Yareliz My mind is going (taka-taka-taka-taka). Switch is on. I saw something beautiful, written by @jessicaalixhesser, today. I wanted to share it with you: “Don’t let them steal your vision or your life, you hear me? Life is not what they keep telling you it is. Mostly, life will be friendly to youContinue reading “Switching Off”

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”