Tag: Religion and Spirituality

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 136

· 4 Comments ·

FORCED to FIND MY FAMILY…

I was certain I would never know the love of a mother for myself. God has a wonderful way of completing us when we least expect it and with the most unlikely people. I have been friends with Margaret for 20 years. We met back in Atlanta at a time when I would not allow myself to peek into my damaged,trauma filled past. Margaret came into my life back then with arms opened.

She would look at me with such warmth,enough to begin the process of melting the glacier that was taking over my heart in those days. She knew what I needed emotionally and freely gave it;for the first time in my early 20’s I experienced a mother’s unconditional love and I craved for more.Much like a new-born in dire need at feeding time.

My heart broke when a few years after meeting her our lives changed,sending both of us in different directions temporarily. Like everything else in my life,I embraced the new changes ,still clinging to Margaret even from afar.

A few years ago I reconnected with her and I felt great to have been able to become re-acquainted with another member of my family. Ever since then I have chosen to call her Mamacita because she  embodies  everything I have ever imagined about having my mother.

Have you been ostracized by your own blood relatives as I have been? We all have choices to make. We can stay bitter in our isolation or the alternative is to open our hearts to the people who God sends into our lives to give us the family we need. I chose to forgive and stay open to what God has for me. People get blessed with good looks,good genes,talents wealth and strong family ties. I was not one of the fortunate who comes from a loving family;this set
me on a course that forced me to search out and find a family of my own. And I have,through my friends.

Fear will hold some of us bound ,keeping us from opening our hearts to those who offer to love us.We all come into this world in dire need of love;yet few of us are brave enough to admit our need to ourselves and to others.

Mamacita,thank you for offering me your cup! It was you who offered a drink from your over flowing vessel;to this dusty,weary,thirsty traveler. Cheers to you and I will forever be thankful that you did! Had you not offered, I would not have had the courage to ask you for a drink!
Te amo…tu hija

-Eva Santiago copyright 2012

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 132

· 6 Comments ·

I lost my mother when I was 2 months old and I have missed her for 42 years. There are times when I just wish she was around/ For instance when I’m having a bad menstrual cycle I say,” These are the times when a grown woman needs her mother.” Seriously though, I still ache for her and I’m posting this poem I wrote to honor her on Mother’s Day. This is an excerpt from my new book, Salsa! The Taste of Life, which is in the publishing process now. ” Feliz dia de las madres !” to all of my Spanish-speaking readers and “Happy Mother’s Day!! ” To all the moms who read me!

 

You Are With Me

I thought for sure
I’d never get to know you,
all my fears concerning you-
have long since vanished.
As I change my point of view.

 

I see you in the eyes of my Elena.
I hear you in Esther’s girlish giggles.
I sense you in Joseph’s thoughtfulness.
Your love reaches out to touch me,
through Raquel’s gentleness.

 

That I never had you,
is losing its importance.
For you’ve been here beside me all along.

 

When Esther hugs me,
I feel your tenderness.
Through Joseph’s eyes,
you reveal yourself to me.

 

In my girl’s beauty and poise,
I learn of your loving kindness.
When they twirl effortlessly,
I sense your free-spirited ways.

 

Raquel, well you know, she bears your name;
She helped me feel you once more
When you came to help me have her
You gave birth to me again.

Eva Santiago © 2012

 

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 98

· Leave a comment ·

John 8:1-11

But Yeshua  (Jesus) went to the Mount of Olives at daybreak,He appeared again in the Temple Court where all the people gathered around Him and He sat down to teach them. The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim (Pharisees) brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. They said to Him.” Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now, in our Torah, Moshe ( Moses) commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” They said this to trap Him so that they might have ground for bringing charges against Him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with  His finger. When they kept questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them,” The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He bent down and wrote on the dust again. On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first until He was left alone, with the woman still there. Standing up, Yeshua said to her,” Where are they now? Has no one condemned you?” She said, ” No one, sir.” Yeshua said,” Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin anymore.”

-The Complete Jewish Bible– David H. Stern

I love this Bible story because Jesus showed us true compassion so that we may do the same with others. Enjoy your  week end!!

 

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 97

· 6 Comments ·

PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS!

CAREFUL! Young eyes are watching. We must be so careful with the young souls of our children. I am deeply grieved lately at how kids are losing their innocence at younger ages these days. No matter how hard we try to protect them, and I emphasize protect and NOT overly shelter, there is a difference; they still get exposed to age inappropriate things before their time. My youngest girl asked me the other day to tell her what a certain sexual reference meant. I let her see the shock in my face because I remember her older siblings hadn’t heard of that at her age. So she told me that she had over heard one of her older sister’s friends telling them about her sexual escapaes with her boyfriend. I was very upset.  So I had my daughter call her friend and tell her to please refrain from sharing her stories with her when she comes over; my daughter admitted to me that frankly, she was tired of hearing about it too. Folks, our kids will grow up it’s a fact of life. But when my 11 year old tells me she didn’t want to know about certain things yet, well I had to act.

Our children are being bombarded daily with adult material that is too much for their young brains and tender souls to deal with. I thank God I’m able to home school mine so  I can keep the onslaught at bay, at least for a little longer than the kids that have to face it everyday in regular school. I wonder what the people of a few generations back would think of all of this that kids have to deal with everyday?

365 Snap Shots of Life” Day 89

· 8 Comments ·

The Sacred Hides in the Ordinary

Have you ever ordered something from Ebay and when you received it you were disappointed because the item you purchased was smaller than the picture on the ad showed? That happened to me this morning when I received my Feng Shui wind chime. So I hung it up on the patio and it’s so small, the backyard swallows it up. Then I set out to find the positive in the negative as I normally do. I reminded myself I like small, dainty things and that helped. Then I thought about returning it and it wasn’t worth the hassle. I decided to keep it.

Just now Esther, my second daughter came home from having gone to lunch with her youngest sister. She was so excited because she brought home a butter fly. I looked at it as it sat contentedly on her index finger. Esther thinks it’s injured, I think it likes her. Then I remembered the little wind chime I hung this morning. We have to have eyes that see and ears that hear what isn’t obvious. My small mini wind chime , that tiny butterfly reminds me that the most precious things in life aren’t usually perfect. We have to be awake enough to appreciate those serendipity moments that come to us in our every day lives. Esther’s butterfly felt   enough at ease  with her positive energy to come light on her finger. Is it injured, as my daughter perceives,or  perhaps it didn’t want to die alone.

In this world we live in where perfection is demanded at every step, you have to on purpose make yourself slow down enough to look past the imperfections in things and people so you won’t miss the sacred in the ordinary. After God created everything He said His creation was good, NOT perfect. Maybe He left it open to interpretation and what I get from that is that He made things good-giving them the room to  become BETTER. So next time you deal with a disappointment, challenge yourself to see the sacred in it. It’ll be hard at first but the more you practice that, YOU will become better.

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 88

· 1 Comment ·

The Stage

Have you ever felt like you’re the one everyone depends on for seemingly everything? You’re the one people try out their best  and worst lines on. You’re the one they leap, twirl, tip-toe, prance  and dance on. You’re covered will all sorts of scuff-marks and scratches. There are days you don’t feel special; in fact you have days when you’re so exhausted that you just lay there.

Welcome to that part of life I’ve come to embrace and dubbed “The Stage”.

If you’re a parent you’re acquainted with being the stage for your kids. You’re the one they try their best and worst lines on. You’re the one they try their firsts on; from crawling, to first steps, then jumping, running and eventually dancing. You’re covered with all sorts of scuff-marks and scratches but you keep going nonetheless because out of those, you know dreams are launched. And, as parents we all have days when we feel overlooked, ignored and forgotten. The activity continues though because you know the show must go on.

You know that at the end of the performance you’ll get no credit. The actors will be lauded. The director and his crew will receive pats on their backs. The lights will shine but you’re underneath it all. Still you don’t care because when you’re called to be the stage, you know that without you, they won’t have a place to stand on. Without you dreams won’t come true. Much is said about great performances; little is ever mentioned about the stages they played on. It takes great confidence to be a stage. You must have a firm grasp on yourself; a knowing that you are a vital part of the show’s success.

When the lights go out and the audience goes home, you’ll just lay there, quietly fulfilled, resting for the next performance.

-Eva Santiago 2012

365 Snap Shots of Life Blog Challenge: Day 21

· Leave a comment ·

January 21,2012

Just touring my neighborhood made me aware of how little I know about it. I have walked past McCaw School of Mines dozens of times and the day I photographed it, it took on a whole new perspective for me. Sometimes you just have to not only stop and smell the roses, but look around and take in the WHOLE  scene. Grab your camera, shoot away and then see what you captured, it might surprise you!

 

 

 

 

– Eva Santiago copyright 2012