Tag Archive - Love
It Clenches Its Fist and Sets Its Jaw and Holds On
Last night, someone kicked me in the heart with this…
But I guess in my mind, romance is more lust than anything else. Real love gets stronger when things get hard, not weaker. It clenches its fist and sets its jaw and holds on. Real love isn’t passive or just a feeling that sweeps over us for a time – it’s a decision too.
It’s a lot like a ship. You have to maintain it; sometimes is calm, even boring. sometimes there are storms. But the storms aren’t when you bail – if you did that you’d just be in the ocean in the middle of a storm! It’s better to put in the extra effort and work to make it thru…
Not every day is a storm, not every day is exciting… although, knowing me, I’d still be really excited about even the more boring days – cause you’re freaking sailing!
So good. I want to clench my fists and set my jaw to those statements.
All credit belongs to my friend Victoria. 
Quiet Strength
Haz click aqui para leer version en Español
Quiet Strength, those would be the two words with which I would describe my Grandma, Mi abuela, Margarita Quiñones. Today I was given the news that she passed away and those are the words that keep coming to my mind. I can still remember my Grandma’s days, she would wake up early in the morning and make some coffee for her and grandpa. Then she would get ready to walk her grandchildren to the nearby elementary school, something that was done so often since there was a new kid to take to school everyday. After leaving the kids in school she would come and cook and take care of her home, go outside, work around the garden and take care of the smaller kids, until it was time to get the others from school. She was a really loving person, I still remember when she would tell us all that she was able to learn in just a couple of years that she was able to go to school, how she would tell us some of the English words she had learned and how all of us would gather together with her and grandpa to watch comedy shows and the news. While Grandpa has always been the storyteller, she was the quiet one, when Grandpa would flare up and fight against wrongdoings, she would be the one that in her quiet disposition would try to make things better with love. I am pretty sure they were a match made in heaven, as balanced as a couple could ever be. Now, that she has passed, the thing that saddens me is thinking about Grandpa, his heart belonged to her from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Even in the frailty of her last years, Abuelo in his strength would move mountains if it was necessary to make her feel more comfortable. He would feed her, stand by her, change her clothes, love her and give her all that he could possible could. I pray that during this time he will have strength and comfort in knowing that he loved her the best that he could have. I pray that the women in my family, and even the men would learn from her, how through her life and her quiet strength she made a difference by raising all her grandchildren. I pray that all of us in the family can learn from their marriage, how in the the hardest of times they learned to count on each other, fight alongside each other and made love the most important thing… for our benefit. There is no doubt in my heart and mind that she is enjoying heaven now, where there are no tubes going in and out of her body, where she can freely speak and move and where there is no more pain and suffering.
I loved that woman and will always love her.
God Sin Love
If God is not just and fails to deal with sin accordingly, he is a liar when he says he is love.
This quote was by my friend Victoria while we were having a great conversation regarding this generation’s view on some crucial points in Christianity, especially God, sin and Love. I personally love it.
Of Hugs and Prayers
I like hugs. There’s something about them that makes me happy. Maybe because I’m Puerto Rican and we love physical contact or maybe just the fact that hugs are awesome. It’s easy to go days without hugs, depending on the people you surround yourself or maybe because we get so used to living our lives like that. There are studies that say that physical touch can have mental and physical benefits and I can understand why.
Today, while spending my vacation in new Zealand, I saw an American lady that had I met last week, her name is Naomi. Something like this happened:
Naomi: Rand, how are you doing?
Me: I’m doing well, and you.
Naomi: Good, can I give you a hug?
Me: Of course. (We hugged and I felt a slight snap in her back, hopefully nothing serious, but I digress…)
Naomi: I’ve been praying for you and Ben, especially for you, so God will guide you and show you what direction to take in the next few weeks. Do you have an idea of what is the next step.
Me: Thank you a lot, I really need it. I am getting glimpses of some of the decisions I’ll be making but nothing fully clear yet.
Naomi: Well, know that I am praying and God will lead you in the right way. Please cover me and my husband in prayer.
Me: Of course. (I’ve been praying for them)
You may not see it as much but the fact that she hugged me and told me that she was praying for me was enough to give me some comfort that I really needed at the moment.
Sometimes we hold back and don’t tell others what we think or feel for fear of being inappropriate. Sometimes we feel God prompting a word or a prayer inside of us to share with someone but we keep it to ourselves for fear of being labeled as spiritual loonies and we prevent those we are called to blessed from receiving their blessing.
Hug someone today.
