a cry

I have made many mistakes in my life

And hurt others along the way

With my insensitivity and lack of the Love I profess.

I am not perfect, I humbly confess.

I am  doing my best.

Seeking what is good for my soul,

Purging all the rest.

It Is a process

and God is not finished with me yet.

It is His Grace that keeps me aright,

That lifts me up when I stumble and fall.

If not for His Grace, I would not be here at all.

Only by His mercy, am I fulfilling the call.

In His love toward a wretched sinner

I have a Hope that resides in me

Taking the wrong course terrifies me

I cling to Truth that sets me free

Stumbling along the way

Yet tomorrow is a new day

Renewed in Mercy

Oh Lord, have Mercy

A love that never lets go

I don’t really want to write this. Perhaps it is because opening up and being vulnerable is new territory for me.  That path is unbeaten, fresh, and ready to be walked. Yet I hesitate, for I do not know where it leads.  Are there dead ends?  Are there monsters lurking behind the corners?  The monsters of fear, insecurity, doubt? It is a scary thing; vulnerability.  So I will do my best to express my thoughts without fear of retribution.

This morning, I woke up feeling rested, fresh, and ready to conquer the day. I was thankful for a new beginning, a fresh start, and the sunrise peeking through my window.  The extra hour of daylight savings as well!  What a morning!  But just as suddenly as I opened my eyes, and relished in the moment, that moment vanished and was replaced with dread, fear, feelings of failure, and my motivation to get out of bed dissipated as memories of the previous night returned like horrific flashes of light, invading my head space with thoughts of regret and negativity.  Suddenly, I did not want to go to church. I began making excuses that I was just unworthy.  My actions are hypocritical and I had no right shining out there, while the deeds that I am committing are breaking my Lord’s heart.  I was distraught. Yet I got up, and decided that regardless of my state, I will run, run, run to Jesus, begging Him for forgiveness the whole way.  I will refrain from sight, from service, and from anyone else because I am an unworthy servant. I will go in, repent, leave, and cry and repent some more. 

So with my plan set in place, I head to church, head bowed down, avoiding the glances of people off of the serving team, of which I take great delight in and am honored to be a part of.  I try to make my way to the cafe for a cup of coffee, and stop short in my tracks when I see someone whom I felt like avoiding that day, standing directly in the way of my path.  I quickly swerved from that direction and headed straight into the congregation, irritated that I could not have a warm cup of fresh brewed coffee that could at least offer some kind of solace to my already shot morning.  As I walk into the congregation, I practically run into the serve team gathered around in a circle, preparing for the next service.  I thought to myself, “ I cannot bypass these people, it is unnatural and unacceptable”. So I joined in the circle, almost sheepishly, hoping no one would notice the guilt and shame written across my face.  I hung out for a moment, almost hoping I could somehow escape.  But I lingered, I prayed, I set my belongings down, gathered my name tag, went to get a coffee, and took my post at the door to greet all the incoming worshippers of Christ. 

I did not even know how to properly stand. I felt so awkward and out of place.  Yet I stood there, and something happened.  As if something clicked inside of me, and I decided that I will release all my fears and inhibitions, and just go for it. Just keep on going.  So I confidently took my stance, coffee in hand, smile on my face, and greeted incomers with a genuine smile, and a heartfelt “Hello, welcome in”!  It was beautiful.  It filled my heart. It touched my soul. It changed my perspective, it renewed me.

The rest of the church service, including a conversation I had with one of the ladies that I was serving with,  left me overwhelmed with joy and encouragement, and a reminder that yes; the Lord does love me inspite of my flaws.  I hide, like Adam and Eve hid in the garden.  Yet God:  He goes seeking, calling “where are you”?  Unrelenting, unwilling to give me up.  His Love it surrounded me today.  He stopped me in my tracks.  I tried to run, I tried to hide.  But He did not let me get away.  He has a plan and a purpose for me.  And only He can make that perfect plan come to fruition.  He is a perfect God that is so intimately in love with an utterly imperfect human. I am a beast. I am a worm. The most unworthy of servants. Stumbling through life, begging for forgiveness every day. Wondering when I will stop and be more like Him.  Relishing in His love and forgiveness.  For only that allows me to forget my past, and move forward.

What I wish I was told when I reached my 20’s

If you asked me what I am doing, I would tell you I am sitting here being angry. Angry at the laws and rules and regulations that society, culture, religion make for us. How they shape and mold and condition our mind. Predict our future and what to expect, then throw us into the winds of this world, barely able to fly, and watch in disdain when we crash and burn.

No one told me reality has no mold, no law, no regulation, no limit, and no regard for my conditioning. Rather, it threw life into my face; whether I was ready or not. I was completely caught off guard, trying to juggle all the curve balls while maintaining a balancing act upside down, on one arm, with the audience of the whole world watching pitifully as I struggle. And that is a modest picture. But, the show must go on. So what do we do? Who can give us the answer? Or even a clue? What is life? How do I live it without screwing it up even further?

What I have come to realize is that Life is not something anyone can prepare for. Life is a gift. Yet unfortunately, we receive this gift with bias, skewed perspectives, dread, misconception, etc. etc. We blow through our twenties searching for meaning and purpose; while committing the most sins possible, and running on mercy and grace, repenting every Sunday morning. We near our thirties, anxious about the fact that we have not figured life out yet, only to realize; life doesn’t turn out the way we have expected! Life did not turn out the way it was supposed to be, the way we were told! And with tear streaked faces, we slowly come to terms with the realization that we may never receive what’s “expected”. Whatever that is, anyway. We may never figure life out. We may never please culture or religion. Society is always changing its fickle mind. Life is meant for living. In the here. In the now. Day by day. One step after another. This is life. It should be championed. Cherished. Lived! This is what I wish I was told when I reached my 20’s.

Running my own Race

Goals are an interesting phenomena.  We set them based on our skills and strengths.  We set them to overcome weaknesses by presenting ourselves with numerous challenges. Then, we dip into our prowess to make dreams a reality.

Why do we goal set? Easy; to get a head in life, right? I hate to ask this, but have you ever compared your effort with someone else’s?  I have. I have.  I had to take a step back and have a pep talk with my inner self to reassure myself that we all grow at our own personal pace.

Sometimes, however, I cannot fathom how some people are just blessed.  Blessed. And I mean BLESSED with something I am working so hard to attain.  Almost as if that came so effortlessly to them.  They were given it. Born with it. Or got lucky and have that which I yearn for. Which I pursue with such vigor; sometimes wearing myself out to the point of exhaustion but always picking myself up again and persevering.  I have been told all my life that “life is not fair” but in all honesty, that does not even begin to justify this phenomena.  It is quite unfathomable to me. I cannot in my mind come to terms with this reality.  How is it that I can put in all my time, effort, invest so much of myself into one or two particular goals, anticipating a specific outcome, only to come up with nothing?  Yet I look around and see others practically flaunting those things so nonchalantly..it causes me so much wonder, almost to a point of anger. How is this possible? And why are my seeds taking so long to sprout? 

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a great quote comparing and contrasting people in all stages of life and the end result/outcome.  The bottom line was that everyone is going at their own pace.  We cannot mock or envy those around us, because they are running their race at their pace, as are we. As am I.  I found solace in that, and was greatly satisfied to stumble upon something that agreed with what I have been thinking on, and what I have eventually come to terms with.  I no longer feel left behind, forgotten, although difficult at times.  I have decided my race has been outlined specifically for me, and I would never be the amazing woman I am today, had I not gone through the challenges life presented me. I am continually growing and developing, achieving and failing. Learning and pressing on.  

Who can explain the phenomena of hurt?

We’ve all been there.  That shattering, gut wrenching feeling of a broken heart. Crushed, used, abused, and left alone to put the pieces back together. Tear stained eyes, soaked pillows, countless nights of cries. Rejection, failure, loss, torn apart, a broken heart, hurt.

It’s true, what they say, that in dealing with loss, one of the stages is denial.  All the signs are there, but you cannot accept it.  Cannot voice it, face it, register it. These things happen to other people, surely it will not happen to me!  I am too great of a person, I have so much to offer, so much potential, I have been doing all the right things, sure I may have slipped up here and there, lost my temper, said some things I didn’t mean. But we got over it, right? We worked it out, hugged it out, loved it out. What happened.  Why are you ignoring me?  Why did you leave me?  Why did you HURT me?

And so it goes: woe is you, and nobody knows how to console your aching heart. No one has the answers, and you’re left mourning for the loss of something you could not hold on to; try as you might.  And you wonder, what went wrong?  You’re angry that you allowed yourself to get so attached, to get swept into a situation out of boredom, loneliness, curiosity, or just mere bliss.  Whatever the reason, you did not expect your heart to latch on this strong.  Resulting in feelings festering inside, emotions running wild, a zest for this person so fierce, it’s hard to explain, even harder to contain.  A situation you meddled with for fun, turned into your worst nightmare-and it’s only just begun.

And the nights, they linger, and you long for rain to match your blues. But it’s sunny and warm, and life waits for no one. So you’re forced to continue marching on, accepting the bitter reality, and realizing that you; even you, are not impartial to heartache, heartbreak, rejection, loneliness, hurt.

Sometimes we do the hurting too. It’s a phenomena unexplained.  A vicious cycle uncontained. How do you protect yourself from this horrible pain? By guarding your heart; as the ancient writer of Proverbs says.  Good advice, I would say.  But like Eve, the forbidden fruit is always tempting, no matter the pain that lies ahead.

Another year older

As the day proceeds and the minutes march on, my last moments of 27 drip away as if I’m watching an hourglass. Sigh.. the things that life teaches.  Things I wish I knew when I was younger, mistakes that could have been avoided. Sins that could’ve not been committed.  Woes and worries, stress and anxiety.  Your car speaker going out on your already failing car.  Putting it up for sale praying it’ll go for a decent price.  stretching every last dollar, yet indulging in that yummy cafe latte that you simply cannot resist.  Fighting back tears as emotions get the best of you when you realize you’ve sold yourself short.  And fierce determination building up, reclaiming your strength, demanding you  get back up again and keep moving.  Sucking up the pain, worry, and realizing these are the daily battles we face in life.  Understanding finally the exclamation “putting my big girl panties on and dealing with it”.  Life.  It’s chaotic, it’s messy, it’s confusing, frustrating, rewarding, blissful, wonderful, adventurous, excruciating at times, full of trials, but the greatest teacher to all the lessons we have yet to learn. Day by day, year by year. Marching on like an everlasting army. Moving, and moving, and moving. On and on and on.  Life. It has been beautiful.  Thank you God for another year of this roller coaster ride where the highs are high, and the lows can be painstakingly low.  It’s a beautiful life. and I am thankful for each day.

 

Rediscovering myself

I am working on self love.  I realized that is what I lack.  Sure, I love my appearance.  But do I love me?

Growing up in a big family had its pros.  But it also had its cons.  Those I did not come to realize until I grew up and began dealing with myself.  Myself at work, in relationships, public settings, alone.  “Who am I?” I would often ask, wonder, ponder..search.

After getting hurt, or rather, allowing toxic people into my life and run rampant all over me, I realized something was not right.  How was I allowing this?  Why did I obsess over people who rejected me?  Why do I desire so passionately and fiercely to be accepted?  Why am I afraid to stand alone?

1. How was I allowing being mistreated?

I was the middle child.  Closer to younger.  Much younger than the older siblings.  Too young to go out, too old to play.  The feeling of being left out; it hurt.  It felt like no one wanted you around.  You weren’t qualified enough.  You were beaten down, talked down to, unaccepted, rejected.  That was the card you were dealt.  And it became accepted as normal treatment.  It was so regular, you did not blink an eye when it was happening.  Rather, you try to improve to fit in.  But you don’t. So you go around in life accepting the same behavior.  Accepting anything and everything life throws at you, regard it as a normal functionality of life, and do what you must to fit in with the crowds.

2) Obsession over people who rejected me.

I don’t know how I managed to get here, but apparently it’s an ego issue.  Which is a relief and hopefully a quick fix.  Or maybe its reliving childhood trauma all over again.  Being rejected.  left behind, unwanted, unseen, ignored.  And you plead with the world to see you, take notice, love you, accept you.  But you feel discarded.  Why?  Why do you feel this way?  Why do other’s opinions matter so much?  Why are you so afraid of your own voice, your own thoughts?  Was it because you were never taken seriously?  So therefore, you’re downtrodden, and angry when yet another person walks away from the mess you don’t know you’re in.

3) Desire to be accepted.

After being neglected and overlooked for so long, you crave the need for attention, acceptance, recognition, guidance, and will do whatever it takes to get it; right?  Some people act out and misbehave.  Or in my case, you recede.  You lay low, try to remain unnoticed and unheard, lest you give yet another person the chance to mock you or scorn you, correct or reject you.  Those needs that were not met growing up resulted in fear, resentment, insecurities, pain, non acceptance of self, self loathing, trying to figure out what was wrong with you, and why no one likes or accepts you.  No one champions your strengths, sees your potential and capabilities, admires your accomplishments, encourages you to continue striving. No one cares. So that longing for someone, anyone to show some sort of interest is like a hit of opium when that need is finally met.  That’s why we allow toxic people into our lives.  Our sense of judgment, filtering, and boundaries is skewed and not developed fully.  We take what we’re given and try to make the best of the situation.  Often leading to compromising our values, beliefs, and morals.  We debase ourselves.  We allow ourselves to be trampled on, laughed at, scorned, bullied, and we don’t realize that we have a voice and we are allowed to use it.  We were never given the opportunity to sharpen this tool.  Rather, it was always silenced.  Suppressed, tuned out in the noise.  Forgotten in the chaos.

4) Why am I afraid to stand alone?

I shouldn’t be by now.  Because alone is all I’ve ever known.  And alone is where I discovered myself.  My beautiful, loving, caring, capable, valuable, lovable, desirable, intellectual, incredible, unique, special, and talented self.

The mess is still there, but I’m doing my best to clean it all up.  Clear up the hurt and the heartache.  Wipe away the pain of rejection and fear of failure.  Sweep out all negative thoughts and emotions.  And nurture to life what was neglected by others and by myself for so long.

A fire awakened

a fire was awakened

burning with an invigorating flame

the allure of passion

and a quiet breath of surrender

eclipsing the moon

as flames lit a starless sky

desire so unyielding

there was no end to her cry

no answer to her why

only the resolution of shattered pieces

extinguishing impassioned flames

in cataclysmic fury

of a heart set ablaze

a fire awakened

recklessly abandoned

woefully unconsumed..

tatisreverie

The night that’ll never be again

You appeared unannounced

uninvited

I was not looking for you

yet there you were

and my heart was instantly smitten

to my surprise

and yours.

you took me by the hand,

and you showed me the moon

and even though I knew this could not be

I allowed my heart and my head to swoon

I followed you through the night

and let you rest your head upon my shoulder

as we ventured through the city

night after night

knowing soon this will be over

the adventures that awaited

flash through my mind

as memories flood back

and I smile every time

although my heart it hurts

the knowledge gained is crucial

the experience of past mistakes

laughter into tears

sheer ecstasy into inconsolable sorrow..

was it worth the pain

was it worth it at all?

The questions we dared not ask

allowed to leave unsanswered

we rode through alley ways

laughing in the night wind

our hearts heavy

but we forbade it to sink in

and deep into the night, as we travel on

we wait in embrace trying not to catch the dawn

yet our eyelids betray us

as sweet slumber steals our infinity

until I wake to a bittersweet moment

where I am left alone

staring back at you

as my heart begins to tear

In ways I never knew

You are a memory I cannot take

yet a memory I often return to

the night beside the water

where you showed me the stars and moon

the clouds that danced above us

sweet silhouettes before our eyes

while we gazed unto the heaven

agonizing over the coming sunrise

we threw caution to the wind

 and conquered the sultry night

hurriedly, painfully, blissfully

the night of many stars

the night of broken hearts…

while time it waited for no one

Marching on without a care

disregarding our distance

laughing at our despair

but in it’s hurried pace

it swept us along

mending our broken hopes and dreams

time

we thought our enemy

was the greatest healer of things.

as the coals of passion settle

and ashes fall to the ground

I find that when i search for you in my memory

my heart no longer is bound

I do not reach for you

while I gaze into the sky

I peer into the horizon between us

magnificent as the stars

the moon we no longer gaze at breathlessly

has laid it’s plaster upon our tainted scars