Observations on Love

A friend of mine asked an interesting question on facebook, "How do I show someone how much I love him?"  My first response was, "You can't."  

Love is something that cannot be said.  Like the song says, it is more than words.  In order to tell someone I love him or her I must first show him or her that I love.  Don't get me wrong- I love to hear and be reminded that someone loves me.  At the same time actions can negate those words far more thoroughly than the inverse.  I believe that lots of people love me, regardless of whether or not they are actually aware of it.  I have a friend who volunteers a lot at my work (I work at a Catholic Church) and this week he referred to me as "dear"*.  

My nephew interviewed me a few months ago, asking me what it was like working at a Church.  I told him that it was a lot like being the hands of God here on earth but that being God's hands also meant that I got my fingers caught in doors a lot.  That is still love.  

I also know that small acts of love for complete strangers may me cry.  Some friends of mine carry around bottles of water and canned instant soup with the pop tops to give to homeless people on the side of the road.  My parish has been collecting food continuously for our small Farmer community.  And yet, it will never be enough.  

There are so many people out there that want to be loved and spend way too much time, money, and energy in order to feel love or something that masquerades as love, but really, if they tried loving another person, they would feel so much better.  Love isn't about receiving- love is about giving.  God is love.  And until you have God as your center, everything else will be consistently befuddling.  "Our hearts are restless until we rest in You."  

And yet, He still loves us.  He doesn't have to tell us- we just know.  So, the short answer to my friend's question is, "Treat them as God sees them... and God will do the rest."  

*In case you are wondering what my reaction to this was, I almost fell out of my chair laughing.  

Jokes by the Captain

Question:
What do you get when you mix Star Wars and Florida?

Answer:
Darth Gator

A reminder

Tonight is the last night of the year and I'm staying in.  It seemed fitting as I am exhausted and I have been running a lot lately. And yet I have much to be grateful for.

I have many people who love me and enjoy spending time with me.  I have a huge loving family that cares enough to tell me how they feel.  I have a cat that likes to get my attention by whacking my hang.  I have some truly amazing friends.  I have someone who likes to keep my hands warm.

Now patience has never been by favorite virtue but I would have to say, for tonight, that would be enough.

For now.

Let's see what 2014 has in store.

May God bless you and may He grant you many happy returns to this wonderful day.

Jokes by Captain

Question: Who in the Lord of the Rings Universe has lost all his legos?

Answer: Legolas

Please note: TGL figured this one out before he spilled the beans.

You are Amazing

You are amazing.
You are so beautiful.
God made you just the way you are on purpose and with purpose, planning, and commitment.
He has forgiven you before you have fallen and He has loved you throughout all the ages.
In all of creation He made special plans for you.
You are loved for who you are, all that you are, and everything you will never be.
You are completley, insanely, and irrevocably His. 
He claims you as His own and He is Yours.

The First Post of Advent

As most of you are aware, I give a lot of thought into my blog posts.  And by "thought" I mean "thoughts" and by "thoughts" I mean about half a million of them.  In that line of thought, I actually had some foresight about what I wanted my first blog of the 2013 Advent Season would be.  I was going to make it holy, and moving, and absolutely perfect.  Seriously, it would bring tears to your eyes.  Wilfred Owen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and James Barrie would look down from heaven and smile with a bittersweet smile and they would all be touched.  Really.  Don't believe me?  Well, I guess we'll leave know now that you DON'T believe me.  Foolish unbelievers.  

Anyways, my point was, this was supposed to be about Advent- and maybe it still will be.

I thought about titling this post, "Cooking Adventures with the Gabbie Lady" but that would be forgetting the importance of the Liturgical New Year.  Instead, I decided to be honest.  Today is the day that most of my friends are meeting my new beau.  I know, it's an old fashioned word, but I aspire to be old fashioned in my language, if not my thoughts.  By which I am still referring to my intro paragraph.  *mental image of fleeing thoughts running away from a gigantic thought monster that is picking up the smaller thoughts and mangling them in his giant claws as he raises them to his mouth before laughing maniacally and-* ANYWAYS, where was I?

Ah, yes.  I was terrified.  While I was slicing and dicing tomatoes and avocados for a "Sasha and Me Salad" (directions to be included at a later time) I was imagining all the ways that they wouldn't like him, or he wouldn't like them.  And I'll admit my first reaction wasn't to ask for God's intercession (although it would take an act of God to make that group behave) but to promise everyone all the ways I would get even in the days to come if they scared this one into the seminary as well.  

I was very focused on my worries, instead of on my salad.  Don't worry, I didn't cut myself.  I tossed in Parmesan, a small tad of garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  I tasted it.  It still needed something.  Why not some lemon juice?  That would keep the avocado from browning and it would give my salad a nice kick.  Then I tasted it again.  Still not right.  So I added more of all the addins including the lemon juice.  Tasted it again.  Grrrr.... not right.  I am not accustomed to messing up on a recipe that I INVENTED.  I tossed in some more lemon juice and looked down as I drained the last of the bottle and realized that this was not a normal bottle of lemon juice.  This was a bottle of honey and lemon used to put in hot water to cure sore throats.  And thus, I was very annoyed.  

That's when I decided that my focus was not in the right place.  In fact, I was pretty sure I was approaching the whole situation wrong.  And that is why I am writing about Advent.  This is a time of reflection, of forgiveness, of spiritual growth and of patience.  All of these should be most reflected upon oneself, at least in my case.  

And so I say rather sheepishly, Lord, thank you for allowing me to ruin my salad with honey to remind me that You are my rock and that everything else will fade into obscurity.  My salad wouldn't last a week no matter what but I'm sure the story will live on, if I were brave enough to tell it tonight.  Relationships are important but no relationship is more important than the one I have with You.  All will be well as long as I'm with You.  So thank You, for reminding me of what's most important, in this first week of Advent.

-The Gabbie Lady