Dear Reader, I wrote this post back in 2009 when I had another blog. I wanted to share it since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day…Remember how special you truly are!!
Life is messy. Nature reflects the messiness of life. We spend our whole time here making sense of the chaos; ordering our lives so as to try to put a handle on the mess. Life never works out as neat and tidy Algebraic equation In math, it all works out without fail. Follow a prescribed method and WAPA! Problem solved , move on!
Well, life hardly mirrors mathematics. It does have prescribed patterns and formulas. For instance, there are physical laws such as gravity as well as spiritual laws of reaping and sowing. These and a multitude of others are set in place so we may have order in the midst of chaos.
We are taught as children to follow and obey all that is set before us then, PRESTO! We will be successful and have a great life. The more we live though, we all come to the same conclusion; life is messy. The Golden Rule says to treat others as you would like to be treated. The problem is it works sometimes and at other times people can be down right cruel. Then there is the pursue love at all costs and yet again, when we do, we are left feeling stranded at times…life is messy. So, you love someone and you keep loving that person no matter what and they never love you back; another unsolved equation.
Love is never a science; knowledge of facts or principles gained by systematic study. The laws of science dictate cause and effect. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, that’s how science works. Love is messy because there are no guarantees; if I love, that does not guarantee that my actively loving someone will cause that person to love me back equally and with the same measure of love. The human heart is an ocean with its shallow areas where we can swim and feel all is well within; don’t worry there are no “be ware of sharks” signs posted. Swim safely. Then there are those areas where the light has never reached; similar to those parts of the ocean where no man ,no camera has ever seen. There IS life in those depths awaiting our discovery. We fear the unfamiliar, so we stay in the shallow parts for our safety. Deep calls to deep and when we hear that call to venture out more, where it’s messy and chaotic, where things simply don’t add up, then we back paddle back to our safe zone. It takes trust to venture out to the unknown recesses in our hearts; to let love into areas that remain in the dark. Love is light; a closed up heart is a heart in darkness. Fear keeps us locked up thereby giving us a false security. The wise man said that out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks; we unlock or lock people up with our words; life giving words unlock others and poisonous words that curse keep others locked up as in a cell…solitary confinement. Love requires relationships. Some say, ” I love you but I have a hard time showing you. ” Well, love is easy to spot…it’s messy and all over the place. Picture a little child who was trying to make you breakfast and went on to make a great mess in attempting so. A little dab won’t do you; you have to reach out and take all you can. The more you take then you have more than enough to give to others. So if you take only a little, you’ll only have enough for you and that’s why you say, ” I love you but I can’t show you because I haven’t enough for the two of us.
Love should be celebrated everyday because everyday is a brand new opportunity for love to come into those dark areas in our hearts. People tolerate love because its nature is unpredictable, nerve wracking and annoying, especially when it show up unexpectedly. If we relegate it to a few holidays such as Christmas Valentine’s day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and all the minor holidays that fall in between, then love is confined and it loses intensity. Love’ REAL LOVE baffles the mind and astounds the senses and it should. God is Love; Love is God. God so loves us, with a messy kind of all over the place love;the kind that was powerful enough to gift us His only Son. He puts His heart on the line for us and the best we can do is love one another and in doing so we are loving Him.
Eva Santiago copyright 2009,2014
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with honesty,
He learns truth.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.
Summer is here and school has been out for the past few weeks. The neighborhood kids have nothing better to do so they come over to hang out with my kids. I have a house full of kids several times a week and I smile because when they come here they feel welcome; they feel my home is a place where they can be themselves, where they are accepted. The heart of every home should be one that beats with acceptance; unconditional love. I love you with all of your flaws and faults. Every home should represent a little piece of heaven on earth. I am in no way saying that my family is perfect; we are all far from it. What we do have is a lot of love to go around and that makes my home an environment conducive to learning.
Proverbs16:24 Pleasant words are an overflowing of honey, sweetness to the souls and healing to the bones. It is imperative to use pleasant words when we are called to teach others. I think back when I was in school and the teachers who stand out in my mind are the ones who instructed with kind, encouraging words. They not only made learning more pleasant; it actually helped me to retain information. I have an old Jewish proverb framed on a wall in my home it reads: Let you words be sweet because you will have to eat them. More to come on this subject.
One day during the last school year, my daughter Esther read this story as an English class assignment. I found the following excerpt from The Heyday of The Blood to be relevant to our times. I hope you enjoy the excerpt and I encourage you to find this short story and read it in its entirety.
THE HEYDAY OF THE BLOOD
” I tell ye Joey, I’ve lived a long time and I’ve learned a lot about how folks is made. The trouble with most of ’em is that they’re ‘fraid-cats!”…..
” The only way to manage this business of living is to give a hoop and let her rip. If you’ve just about half lived, you just the same as half die. And if you spend your time half dying, someday you turn in and die all over;without rightly meaning to at all, just a kind of bad habit you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“Some live and some die; but folks that live die happy anyhow…Live while you live and then die and be done with it !”
Another school year ends 
the books are shut,
feet scurry out the door
it’s time c’mon,
let’s go…hurry it up!
Looking at four arrows-
wondering, pondering
did I do enough?
Sitting here long pondering,
will they have the right stuff?
I will never stop wondering
could I have done more?
I have shot my arrows
they all flew into the air;
I know not where they fell
aimed them all with great care.
I know not where they’ll land.
Parts of me I did share,
setting my foot prints in the sand;
trusting them to a greater power
they’ll be lead by an unseen hand.
~~ EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2011
Josephine Wall images
I hope all of my students, including my friends from WRITING ROYALTY have a safe, fun and amazing summer. Kick back, relax and DREAM!!
Eva Santiago 