Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality

May 22 2013

Busy Mind #3

 

CARRY ON!
Carry on I shall because that is all I know to do.
When things are tough I carry on.
When my feelings are as tumultuous waves in a deep mysterious sea-
I carry on.
When my heart is a labyrinth of unexplainable emotions I carry on.
When my soul is divided, confused and bemused I carry on.
When defeat knocks at my door I carry on.
When victory embraces me into her sweet bosom I carry on.
When my feet are too tired to walk,
I dance as my way of showing life that I will indeed carry on.
When disappointment is consistent I carry on.
When loneliness jeers at me
Telling me I shall be forever alone, I carry on.
When fear encroaches upon me and I am scared of even my own waning shadow I carry on.
When tears are all that are forthcoming
I smile through my tears,
Showing adversity that I can indeed carry on.
When the burden I carry seems so heavy
that I feel crushed to fine powder, I carry on.
When lying tongues wickedly wag at me
Pointing accusatory fingers in my face, I carry on.

When I am looking for my soul mate I carry on because I know everyday that dawns on me I am getting closer to finding him or he finding me.

When I run out of words because the pain is excruciating I carry on.
When all I can do is wince I carry on.
When I see no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow I carry on.
When I see more darkness than light I carry on.
When I fall on the floor,
My soul feeling like a crumbled up piece of scribbled on paper, I carry on.

When My soul feels tarnished as copper no one has cleaned in years-
I carry on.

When I feel the silence threatening to drown my voice out
So I am never heard from again I carry on.
When I feel my light being dimmed as a swarm of locusts, by the chaos swarming around me,
I carry on.
When I don’t know what to feel I carry on.
When I don’t know what to say I carry on.
When I am not sure about anything I carry on.
When there are no answers I carry on.

When my questions far out number the grains of sand on the beach of my intended destiny and purpose, I carry on.

When I know that my knowledge and the depth of my understanding are not enough to help me through, I carry on.

When I feel like I am being tossed about in the wild ocean of my heart with out an anchor for my vessel, I carry on.

When I see no light house in sight and I feel my vessel is just about to ship wreck on the shores of my uncertainty, I carry on….WILL YOU??

EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2013 

 

 

 

Mar 14 2013

HEAVEN…WHERE IS IT?

Show me heaven
Can anyone really do that?
Can one human reflect it to another?
For what is heaven?
Is it a trouble-free life?
Is it a life with no struggle or pain?
Is it where you don’t go insane?
Is it where you don’t worry
Is it where people don’t have to say sorry?
Is it a place that can be found on earth
Is it a place of laughter and mirth?
Can it really be that far away
Or is it closer than we think?
Is it a far away galaxy
Or maybe it’s a star,
You might miss it if you blink
Oh if we could only see

What is heaven
Is it 2 hearts beating as one
Is it being able to forgive
Beyond the seventy times seven

What is heaven?
Is it a smile on a baby while he sleeps
Is it real before we all reach age seven
We see it when we’re little
And then we all fall asleep

Show me heaven
Tell me where it is
Give me a road map
In this life, is there such a place?

-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2013

 

Feb 11 2013

Good-Byes Suck!

Good-byes are awful

No need to say ‘em

Say good-bye when love is done

say good-bye when someone’s dying

Otherwise, leave things be

Good-bye is way too final

See ya!

Ciao!

Adios!

Adieu!

Arrivederci!

All sound so much hopeful

All sound like

Catch ya later

Up ahead, down the lone winding road.

Good-bye means just that

No chance of ever meeting up

Good-bye means we closed the door.

-Eva Santiago copyright 2013

 

 

 

 

Feb 11 2013

LOVE IS YOUR NORTH STAR

Embrace the pre-dawn for there is always beauty in the darkest hour before sunup.Look at the black hour of your life as a sign that pain ends as soon as the sun peaks over the horizon. Fathom the pitchy dark. Feel it’s intensity. Know it’ll soon be daylight when the sun dazzles and washes all your fears with a staggering brilliance. Don’t run when it’s dismal. Sit still and allow yourself to feel what you feel without any fear. Don’t numb yourself during your bleakest hour; explore your thoughts and give them a voice. Just because it’s black as ink doesn’t mean you’re dead. Remember plants and all living things grow in unlit times. No  illumination doesn’t mean you’re lost. Just be still and wait for the dawn of your most radiant days; knowing they lay up ahead just within your reach. Use hope and trust as your guiding stars. Set your compass pointing it towards love. Because love never fails you in the dark. Love is your North Star pointing you towards a resplendent future.

EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2013

Jan 10 2013

Why Sandy Hook Elementary?

Hello everyone! Here is my view  on The Sandy Elementary School Shooting. I hope you have a great day !

http://hendersonpress.com/opinion/item/1632-why-sandy-hook-elementary

Wednesday, 09 January 2013 20:21

Why Sandy Hook Elementary?

Written by  Eva Santiago, guest columnist

Why are we so shocked when a massacre such as the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut takes place? We are a society who values life very little and sometimes not at all. Do you ever wonder why previous generations never heard of such tragedies striking at the heart of their communities?

Why are school shootings such a modern day phenomenon? We have to be 100 percent honest with ourselves and take a peek back into our history because there, we will find some answers.

When Roe versus Wade was approved, the Supreme Court put a price on life by passing that law. Years later we have young, pregnant teen girls who end up throwing their newborns in dumpsters. It is not a long stretch of the imagination then, that perhaps the bad seed sown in the moral soil of our nations is now bearing thistles and thorns.

Our youth’s innocence is in peril!

We have the Hollywood machine that glorifies death and devalues life in film after film. The family is key to bringing up well-adjusted children and our families are in trouble.

The cornerstone of society is the traditional family consisting of a husband and wife working together to benefit the children they bring into the world. Now, we have T.V. shows that attempt to redefine the traditional family, meanwhile our kids are watching this and forming their own conclusions without any moral guidance from their adult care takers.

Societies where life is valued very little or not at all won’t last forever

I believe it’s already manifesting. Just because you have birthed a child or several children, does not necessarily mean you value life. If you have children and you raise them right; investing your love, time and talents to help mold them into future capable, well-adjusted adults; you value those lives because we value what we invest in.

The opposite is true too. If you have children and you neglect them; you don’t value life those lives. People who don’t value their own life will not value another’s.

Our nation’s young men are committing heinous random acts of violence. Conversely our young women throw their babies into the trash heap. Are we alarmed yet at the signs of the times?

From the cradle our kids are subjected to random acts of violence on T.V. Then they go off to school where too many of them are drugged to dumb them down.

Adam Lanza- the shooter in Connecticut, James Holmes-shooter at the Batman movie premiere, Eric Harris and Dylan Kliebold-shooters at Littleton, Colorado all had this in common: They were hooked on psychotropic drugs. This trend is frightening and it continues seemingly unabated. Indeed we are living with bad seed sown long ago.

Parents today, in hot pursuit of “the almighty” dollar have forgotten their kids. Children don’t need a lot of things. They require love, time and attention. Material things will never satisfy them.

Time well spent with them is what they crave. I don’t think any child grows up and misses the toys they had or didn’t get. When they grow up they reminisce about the good times and memories.

Who of us can look back on our childhood and remember everything we received at Christmas or birthdays? But we can look back and remember the times our parents or adult caretakers were present or absent when we really needed them.

So our dilemma has a simple solution. We must return to valuing life and it begins at home with our own children. Spend less time buying them things that break and don’t last forever.

Spend more time with your kids and let them know every single day that you love them. This is how we get back our families; one child at a time.

Thusly our nation can begin to heal and bring restoration to our communities. Love, time and attention are the keys to healing our children. Nothing else will work. It all begins at home…

R.I.P. To The Children and Families of the Tragedy in Connecticut.

Eva Santiago is the mother of four children, writer and poet. She is the author of ‘Salsa: The Taste of Life’. The opinions of guest columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Henderson Press ownership or editorial staff.

In shadow box beside editorial:

LOVE: A CHOICE FROM YOUR WILL

The fountain of youth

Atop a tall mountain

Trees on the side

Sky tops the peaks

The heart breaks each time

The silence is deafening

The whispers of nature

Nobody speaks…

 

The fountain of youth

The Fountain of Youth

Is love so eternal

Hate and grow old

Love and be eternal

To hate is to die

To love is to live

To hate you die slowly

To love is to hope

To hate is to choke

To hate is to hang from a rope

To hate is to drown

To hate is to murder..and give up your crown…

 

To love is to live

To live is to love

Live and let love in

Love and let life in

 

Hate is too late

Love’s always on time

Hate comes to kill

LOVE: A choice from your will. – Eva Santiago

 

 

Nov 20 2012

Flor del Decierto

Una flor que nacio en el decierto
Me haces feliz
Eso es muy cierto
Te digo que te amo
Te digo que te quiero
Mi bella flor del decierto

Eres una luz
Una linda fragancia
Resplandeciente sonrisa tienes
Creces mas linda cada dia
Ya pronto terminara tu infancia
Sigue tus sueños niña divina ,
por que todo esta a tu alcance.
-Eva Santiago copyright 2012
I wrote this poem for my youngest daughter who just turned 12 yesterday. I hope you like it!!
Sep 21 2012

READER APPRECIATION DAY!

I want to send a big shout out to my 1500+ blog followers. You are the best audience ever :) So I have to share the latest developments  on my new book, SALSA! The Taste of Life, with you. I just heard from my publisher, TATE PUBLISHING that the book is going into print SOON! That’s right , you heard it!  I will give you more details as I get them. Again, thank you for reading my blog and stay tuned because when Salsa! comes out I will be having contests of all sorts and if you want a free autographed copy then, you’ll just have to play along!

Have a fantastic week-end friends!!

Sep 15 2012

Word Picture # 3

Word Picture #3

Frailty is a funny thing. It talked her into a compromising situation. When she was strong she would proclaim “ I will never do that! “ . In her  might she could scale a wall bare footed and topple several giants with her hand tied behind her back. She seemed invincible.

Now things are different. Battles have scarred her and she feels herself wavering. What was once firm ground now has turned into sinking sand. She said she would never stumble in matters of her heart and she did just that because weakness is peculiar. Her flaws continually beg for her attention. She looks in the mirror and where once stood a warrior, now all she gazes at are the accusatory fingers that point to her and blame her for things that aren’t even her doing. That was her undoing back then and she wonders if it’ll contribute to her demise now.

She heard those voices back then and that’s how she lost her way. They drowned out her own voice and she followed the wrong ones, betraying herself. Now the image in the mirror begs her not to do it again. She is fragile and is succumbing more and more each day to what is comfortable because she has grown tired of the battles.

The conflict is in her soul and she knows there is a way out but she finds herself enjoying the darkness more than she thought possible. Being in the light this whole time has exhausted her. She finds opacity comforting, it’s where she can hide away, not having to worry so much about anything. The darkness beckons her daily; it is where light hasn’t reached yet. Those places longing for light’s exposure is where she treads lately. What she doesn’t realize is that as she visits those places, they are no longer in the dark because by illumination, they become won over territory.

Her darkness sees the light and it comprehends it not. It surrenders to the brilliance and that’s how she overcomes her weakness.

It’s not by might nor power but by my Spirit says the Lord…

-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012

Sep 8 2012

RANDOM ACTS

The other day I was doing some school work with Esther and we discussed what prose is. She said she didn’t understand the word at all so we looked it up.
Prose- A prose work that has poetic characteristics such as vivid imagery and concentrated expression.
She still drew a blank . So I told her my definition; word pictures or observations. She smiled and said she preferred my definition because it made sense.
So I offer you a word picture today!

Random Acts of Kindness
Have you ever walked by a card shop and thought, ‘ Hmmm I’d like to get that card for my sister .’ You stop and think about it;mulling it over in your brain and then you dismiss that thought and move on? What if that card was what your sister needed to get her through her day? We all do it. We have an inkling of a thought to do a spontaneous act of kindness for someone and then poof, quick as a flash we dismiss it and we pass up on the chance to have made someone’s life better.

Next time that happens think about this: What if when God was considering sending us His Son to save us, He just dismissed it and went on about His business? After all, He is a busy God! But He followed through and did what He purposed in His heart to do from the very start!

When I finished my book, Salsa! The Taste of Life, my new book soon to be released; I wondered just who I could dedicate it to. My first book, As Clear as Claire Gets, A Conversation with the Past, I dedicated to one of my nephews. His graduation from high school was around the time of my book release so I thought, ‘ What a fine present for a young man who has everything!’ Now, I tried to talk myself out of it at first. I reasoned I didn’t really know him and I came up with other excuses and then I decided to go with my gut instinct and do what I had purposed in my heart from the start. I’m so glad I did because I’ll never forget the look on that young man’s face when I presented him with a copy of my book at his graduation. It was priceless!

Last night something wonderful happened. My daughter Raxy’s bestfriend came over for a sleep over. I had dedicated Salsa! to her and when I told her, last month, on her birthday, that the dedication was my present, that little girl was ecstatic about having her name in my book. Yesterday,when her mom dropped her off, she stopped in for a bit and I showed her my proof copy of Salsa! . When she saw her daughter’s name in the dedication section of the book, she was overcome with emotion and we hugged. I tell you, I live for moments like these.

Don’t wait for a special moment. Do a random act of kindness for someone and see how it lights up their world. The old adage is true: It is better to give than to receive. When you have an inkling to do something for someone, do so. Those in the unseen realm see what you do here in this life and they are pleased.

-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012

 

Aug 16 2012

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 229

HOLA!! Here comes yet another edited poem that didn’t make it into my new book, SALSA! THE TASTE of LIFE which will be out in a little while. I wrote this when I was going through a rough spot of feeling as if life were passing me by. I sat down and this poem just came gushing out of my pen and unto the pages of my journal. I felt so good after I finished it because I took it as God comforting me and letting me know He never forgets me. I hope this soothes you as it did me  :) HUGS!!!!

Your Tears

The wind howls outside,

“Won’t you let me come in?”

It beckons: “Follow me!

Girl! Get up and at ‘em!

Your life IS passing you by.”

 

 

The wind howls outside my window;

Knock, knock, a knocking on my resistance.

Whispers ever so cunningly,

“Surely there is somewhere way better.

Won’t you find out?”

 

 

The wind, it blows in my ear;

a strange lover seducing me with sweet songs:

“You are too good for this, Mujer.

You deserve BETTER.

What are you doing just giving your life away,

for the sake of others?

No one does THAT anymore!”

 

 

The wind scolds me;

I feel it, a whip stinging my raw emotions—

¡Estupida! When are you going to learn:

In this life, nice never pays!

GO! Find your way.

GO! Get your life back.

You should’ve never thrown it away, ¡Tonta!

 

 

“Be still, mi alma!”

 

 

Silence…

 

 

Uno, dos, tres…

 

 

Here comes the gentle breeze,

the one who doesn’t knock me around,

rocks me gently to and fro.

Sweet, sweet lullaby in the night;

I fall deep in a restful slumber,

only to wake up to your gentle caresses.

The lover of my soul whispering to me,

“You are my girl, the one I lose sleep over.

The one I weep for as I pick up your tears

and collect them in this flask,

and with which I bathe my face.

 

 

Your tears are the fragrance I wear.

Never stop shedding them;

I gave them as my gift, so your heart can be healed.

In my world, nothing is wasted,

Not even one single tear.”

 

One day I will show you

what your tears have done.

For now I will tell you,

every single tear you’ve shed,

since the day your heart broke

for the very first time.

I stored your tears in a safe place;

as a rich man hordes gold.

 

 

Your tears have set the captives free,

watered thirsty travelers.

Your tears have nourished dying souls,

and watered many gardens.

Your tears have brought conviction,

turning stony hearts into repentant souls.

Your tears have set one thousand to flight,

and dispelled irksome fears.

Your tears have turned the dry arid desert

into a beautiful oasis where many come,

from near and far, to rest,

before continuing their journey.

 

 

And your tears now fill a vast ocean

that teems with life,

because when you gave away yours,

it was so I could give you something better.

 

 

From a child they forbade you to cry,

because your tears make people feel-

something people don’t want to do anymore.

I designed you to feel…that’s why you weep,

because hard hearts are dry hearts,

who are all bitter and brittle.

“My daughter, my child,

I gave you a lamenting heart:

A fountain, a reservoir full of living water.

when you weep, my river of living waters flows,

through you…my vessel of honor.”

-EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2012