Tuesday, January 20, 2009

FrEe at LaSt!

I just had to write something regarding today: The 44 president of the United States, Mr. Barack H. Obama gave his inuguration speech before thousands. Am I an american? No. I am mexican, but like many other "minorities" and republicans who voted for him I cannot help but have this enormous pride.

We've sure come a long way -as people- Like he said, years ago he wouldn't have been served in a restaurant and now he's leading a country; with thousands -millions- smiling in unison, with the sense of peace, the look of "finally!"; the soothness of the culmination of the work of Abe Lincoln, JFK, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and so many others who fought for the right to be treated and respected like any other human.

I pray for him and his family. And I sure support him like I did waaay from the start. Not only because I'm a christian, not only because I'm a democrat, not only because I believe in treating everyone the same, but because I believe in a better world for my daughter, and this is a major step towards achieving that goal.


Now for those who are already hoping for him to fail, looking for an excuse to point fingers; I say the same thing that I said when our president Felipe Calderón took his oath: You can't expect miracles instantly. You can't change a pattern of ignorance, stupidity and incompetence with a wave of a hand. He's only human, and has a big job to do. But he will succeed, and his success is our own.

To the people who doubt, to those who are skeptical, to those who are still living in 1930, astonished that a "colored man" rose that high; I say free yourselves from these ideas. This is the age of touch-screen, blogging, avatars and lasik eye surgery. You cannot move foward and have a 1930's mentality. You might as well wear a t-shirt that reads "ignorant fool". It is only then that we can believe -and live- "Free at last, free at last, thank God allmighty; we are free at last".

Can we do it? Oh, "yes we can"!


This blog is dedicated to all those who fight for what they believe in, for those who take a stand when needed, for those who are colorblind, the way God intended us to be when He said: love one another. To those who believe in a better place for our children and our children's children. You don't have to be an American to realize the importance of what happened yesterday. And if you're concerned with the economy, the job cuts, the crisis; {and you shouldn't, if you read my last blog} remember, when you reach the bottom there's no where to go but up.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

2009 Is ThE YeAr wE LeT gO

Welcome to the year 2009. Last night after attending church I was lost in the thought of pastor Gary's sermon. He preached about some mistakes people often make, and they could be summed up in two basic statements: we a)plan first and pray second, and b) we plan too far ahead, selfishly assuming, boasting even; that we'll still be around. If we are totally honest with ourselves we have to plead guilty to both.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with planning, hey: I'm a control freak in recovery, remember? But it is true that most of our plans involve what our heart desires, not Gods'. We don't say "Lord, do you want me to take this road?", but "Lord I really, really want this; so can I have it, please, please, pretty please?"

Another thing he touched on was the ever popular and ever dreadful procrastination. I'm talking about you, who said "I'll start a diet... ...after the holidays". "I'll go to church... ...some day". "I'll exercise and become more fit... ...soon".

The truth is, we don't know for a fact how many days we have; so why not stop beating around the bush and do it? Like I said, I confess of being guilty of some of these, which is why I was signing the sermon for the deaf and wondering why pastor was speaking right next to me like he was on to something. Which prompted me to blog about it because once it is in writing, you are commited to doing something about it.

It's not losing weight, it's not just going to church and leaving the same way you enetered, it's not just stopping smoking/drinking/swearing/ spending/gambling/overeating, it's not just getting that diploma, it's not struggling with the same issue that's hounded you for years. It's letting go and letting God, already. He's in charge.

People who worry and fret and panic over the crisis are people who do not trust God completely. If you knew your time was up, would you spend your final hours worrying?

New beginings. You still have some hours left. If you fail for a day, do it again. Don't look for excuses to quit. You can try to fool others, and you may succeed, you may even fool yourself at times but at the end of the day, when you're inside the covers and the light goes out, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
Today is the first day of this year. If not now, when?

This blog is dedicated to you. I love you, believe in you and believe you play a BIG part in the world my baby will enherit. Now make yourself proud.

Bienvenidos al año 2009. Ayer saliendo de la iglesia me quedè meditando en la predicaciòn del pastor Gary. Hablò de errores comunes que cometemos y hubo dos cosas que resonaron en mi mente: a) Solemos planear primero y orar despuès, y b) Planeamos con demasiada anticipaciòn, asumiendo, casi jactàndonos de que aùn estaremos por aquì. Si somos totalmente honestos debemos admitir que somos culpables de ambas.

No tiene nada de malo planear (recuerdas que yo soy una "controladora en recuperaciòn"?); pero es cierto que nuestros planes son sobre lo que quiere nuestro corazòn, no el de Dios. No oramos: "Dios, quieres que tome este camino?", sino: "Dios, realmente quiero esto, asì que podrìas concedèrmelo, sì, sì, porfis...?"

Otra cosa que me viene a la mente es el dejar todo para "màs tarde". Hablo de tì, que "ibas a empezar una dieta... ...en cuanto terminen las fiestas", "ibas a ir a la iglesia... ...algùn dìa", "ibas a ejercitarte y ponerte en mejor forma... ...pronto".
`Cuando la realidad es que no sabemos cuànto tiempo nos queda, asì que por què no hacer algo al respecto YA?

Como dije, yo soy culpable de esto tambièn, por lo que interpretaba este sermòn en señas a los sordos y al mismo tiempo me preguntaba "estarà hablàndome a mì?", por lo que me sentì motivada a escribirlo en mi blog, para que tù tambièn te inspires y hagas algo; (y porque una vez que està por escrito te estàs comprometiendo y no hay vuelta de hoja).

No es sòlo perder peso, no es sòlo ir al templo y salir exactamente igual de como entraste, no es sòlo dejar de fumar/beber/decir groserìas/ gastar/ apostar, no es sòlo sacar tu tìtulo, no es enfrentar eso que te ha perseguido por años. Es admitir que tù no tienes el control, es Dios quien lo tiene.

La gente que vive en la preocupaciòn y mortificada por la crisis es la gente que no tiene a Dios en su corazòn, ni fè. Si supieras que te queda poco tiempo, usarìas ese tiempo para preocuparte?

Un nuevo año, un nuevo comienzo. Aùn tienes unas horas. Si fallas vuelve a intentarlo. No busques pretextos para dejarlo. Puedes engañar a otros, puedes engañarte a tì, pero la realidad es que al final del dìa, ya dentro de las cobijas; cuando se apaga la luz, sabes de lo que estoy hablando. Hoy es el primer dìa de este año. Si no ahora, cuando?

Este blog està dedicado a tì. Te quiero, creo en tì y creo tambièn que juegas un GRAN papel en el mundo que mi hija heredarà algùn dìa. Ahora haz algo que te haga sentir orgulloso.