Love Like Jesus

We can't escape the past but we can deal with it the best way we know how. And that, for me, is to remind myself of God's love for us. It starts with forgiveness and then realizing the bigger picture: that you're merely a vessel used by God to love other people here in this life. It's God living in and through you that allows you the measure or scope to love someone sacrificially like Jesus first loved us. Despite any heartbreak, fear, failure or disappointment, he allows us the choice to love people like Jesus did, to love people right where they're at; flaws and all. To accept them, embrace them warmly, like Jesus did. There's healing in all of this: This realizing of the bigger picture. It makes everything else seem so arbitrary and unbecoming of our attention and time. It draws our attention to our Creator, our precious Father, the one who will always fulfill every last facet of our heart's true desires.

Sing, Grasshopper, Sing

As I write, the forthcoming dusk has painted a pastel-like portrait of a sunset. And Mother Nature herself wraps me in a blanket grabbing hold of my imagination.

The grasshoppers hiss and sing, telling of what the night will bring. 

And there were seven different levels. Each tribe of grasshoppers singing to a different melody. 

Then the loudest of hisses all but silenced at once. 

I remember them sounding like woodpeckers; and once gone, the fainter of the grasshopper hisses crescendo'd into the dominant voice of the evening nearing.  

Music sounds. 

Blades and belts go round. 

The peace disturbed, but the stillness still heard. 

For the grasshoppers still sing, telling of what the night will bring. 

I hear them undoubtedly: Each tribe to a different melody. 

And, so too, the melody you sing will be the life you bring. 

So sing, grasshopper, sing. 

My Kind of "Heaven on Earth"

I am a girl that marvels at the sunrise each morning. In the moments before the sun breaches the horizon giving way to the most vibrant of colors- I wait in anticipation for the painting of a new sunrise God will reveal to me. And it's in those moments of the sun breaking way to a new day that I find myself whispering to God every little thing I am thankful for. I tilt my face to the heavens and allow the light to emulate and envelop all of me; wrapping me in its warm embrace. I realize, again and again, I have found God. And each day it brings me back to this place. It's my moment in time when I anxiously await for the Creator of this Universe to reveal himself to me. And so he does. For no two day breaks are ever the same. On the days I search for hope- a silver lining in the distant clouds appears and I am reminded of God's promises to me. Then appear the more fiercely vibrant shades of red. of passion. of love... resembling His infinite love for me. But before I know it the intensity of color dissipates as the sun reveals itself completely- rising into the new day's sky. And before I know it God bids me farewell until next time. For he has many other souls to touch, many other oceans to cross and countries to pass through, many mountaintops and valleys to bring the light of day to. But I am thankful: For those fleeting moments, as God begins to paint the night sky into a beautiful picturesque of morning, are the moments I witness God in all his majestic beauty. And those are the moments that I feel as though Heaven on Earth truly exists.

The Male Perspective on Valentine's Day: and then My Two Sense.

On a recent flight out of town for work, I began flipping through the pages of the airline’s magazine: meandering through the articles, passing the time. Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, so I deemed it fitting to have come across a plethora of articles in regards to this adopted Holiday. When I came across the title, “Valentine’s Day: The Male Perspective,” my browsing came to a halt and I began to read the pages of this article; Curious to know how men really feel about Valentine’s Day. In this particular article, a few men from various cities throughout the United States were interviewed. When asked what Valentine’s Day means to them in a sentence or two, I found it a bit difficult to express the emotions that I began to feel upon reading some of their responses: annoyed, flabbergasted, indifferent to what they had to say, non-empathetic. Have a read for yourself: 

Charlie, from San Pedro, California: 

“[To me, Valentine’s Day] is an alien, mass-societal ritual which nonetheless must be adhered to at all costs. And the sinister cabal run by Hallmark, Hershey’s, the National Restaurant Association...has won this round, but tomorrow is another day.”

Thom from Portland, Oregon:

“Here’s yet another mundane ‘celebration’ wholly removed from any genuine cultural underpinnings.” But then Thom confesses the following: “I am so glad I knocked off this obligation online so I don’t have to be one of those lemmings picking through flower bins.” 

Really, Thom? I feel sympathy towards the woman who is with a man that completely disregards Valentine’s Day as ‘mundane’ because of its alleged lack of ‘genuine-ness.’ And then proceeds to admit that the gesture of love he will show to his beloved on this day required a few button clicks on some floral internet website. Time may be precious, yes. But a real man, a chivalrous, humble man would be the man out there on the roadside searching through bins of flowers for the perfect combination, taking heed to what he knows his beloved likes. Pink roses, instead of red. Or maybe orchids light up her day? Maybe its daisies? That’s up to you to figure out, up to you to want to figure that out. It’s a small gesture, really. But moving along now...

Instead of being boisterous, proud or annoyed with what society has made this day to be, let us all revisit a bit of history and take a moment to get back to the basics. 

Craig, from Taos, N.M. got it right when he himself stated that he agreed with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s stance on this day:

“Emerson denounced Valentine’s Day gift shopping as ‘barbarous’ and ‘a cold and lifeless substitute for a personal offering from the heart.’” 

That’s just it: this day shouldn’t be about purchasing materialistic things or spending money you don’t have on trying to show your affection through a lavish dinner, or expensive bouquet of flowers or a piece of jewelry. That’s where we, as a society, have gotten it wrong. And inherently the reason why men continue to express their negative feelings and thoughts in regards to this day. Who wants to feel pressured or obligated to do such? I haven’t the slightest clue.

After all, the expressing of love and affection cannot be forced, it must come solely from the heart. 

If we rewind the hands of time and re-visit this romantic legend, we find the story of St. Valentine, a Roman priest. Mind you, this is a legend, but this is the story of how Valentine’s Day all began. In a time when Emperor Claudius II forbid men and women to marry, St. Valentine was secretly holding marriage ceremonies and uniting men and women in beautiful matrimony. Claudius II deemed men better fit for serving in the military and such; women were only a deterrence to men and what he felt their responsibilities in life should be. St. Valentine disagreed; for he continued to secretly perform ceremonies for men who had found their beloved and wanted nothing more than to be united with her through marriage. When word got back to the Emperor, St. Valentine was punished, beaten- and in the end- beheaded. Killed. Saint Valentine died, gave up his one and only life, in the the name of love. 

In a world where divorce rates are more than they ever have been throughout history, hearing the story of Saint Valentine is humbling to say the least. What would we give up for true love? What would we give up for our beloved? I don’t suppose that taking one day from the year to show unconditional love and affection to our beloved, to our family, to our friends, to our neighbors, is all that far-fetched. Do you? 

So, to the men out there reading this- I shall humbly speak on behalf of most women. Stop stressing, stop being bitter, get off your high horse and realize what this day really IS all about. Don’t spend another dime this Valentine’s day on fancy jewelry or boxes of chocolates wrapped in velvet bows. You are under NO obligation to do so. Instead, allow this Valentine’s Day to be one remembered for what it was intended. Obligation-free, true, genuine expressions of love. Instead of giving in to what society has made this Holiday to be, create a new meaning. Hand-write a letter to your beloved, reminding her of the time you fell in love, reminding her of your un-ending love and appreciation for her. Or set aside time to look her in the eyes, hold her hand and tell her all these things in which you know she deserves to be told but hardly ever hears. Do something that will surprise her. Make her laugh until she cries. Think outside the box, go the extra distance: you can do it, if only for a day. And those that refuse to let love slip from their reach- will do it.

Cheers to St. Valentine for reminding us of the power of love and the distance we should go in order to fulfill such love. 

To my family, my loved ones, dear friends and neighbors alike, cherish this historical legend and holiday to come... make it your own, but make it special and true and genuine. For this, this beautiful thing we call love, is what many search an entire lifetime to find. 

~Rachel Yeager

Flaws n' All.

I feel compelled to write the following. Again, just some food for thought.

If I may blatantly state: Ladies... men will always be men and they will never change "just because you would like them to."

I do not say that to sound rude or overconfident perhaps in the stance that I am taking. But, can we be real?

And men, I know it is probably frustrating, perhaps annoying, to constantly feel as though women are trying to mold you, shape you into the man she thinks you "ought to be." In retrospect, that alone undoubtedly causes men to withdraw.

Ladies, it's true. Stop wasting your precious, God-given time on trying to make a man into the man you think he ought to be. It's natural that us girls wish to nurture others. But there's a fine line between wanting to nourish a man and meet his needs versus creating unrealistic expectations for that 'special someone' to live up to.

Instead of trying to change the one you're with, why not just love him/her for who they are? Flaws and all.

And if it does not work, that's when you move on. You don't spend another moment waiting around fighting for that man to live up to your own expectations, because that's a fight you'll lose every time. You move on with confidence in knowing that "he's" out there waiting to find you too.

This is when the best relationships will arise: the long-lasting, forever, happily ever-after kind. When neither partner is expecting of another to live beyond their means. Let us love one another honestly, completely, and feel all there is to feel in our journey of finding the one you love and the one who will love you in return.

Case in point being, to both men and women out there, don't ever settle for less than what you know you humbly deserve.

We all deserve something beautiful. Wait for the one who says, "I love you" and means it... with every last part of their being.

Tinkling of the Ivories, for your viewing pleasure. :)

Written by: Orjan Norbom & Rachel Yeager
Composed by: Rachel Yeager
"It Started with a Hi" Copyright 2009

Football and Food for Thought.

I have recently made the following observation:

Ladies, if you're thinking of him, he's thinking of you. I'd bet on it! And gentlemen, if you're thinking of her, chances are- she's thinking of you too.

So come on people. What are you waiting for? Get out there, take a risk, believe, never settle, be brave, and find your missing puzzle piece. It's time to tell that special someone you really think they're... well, special.

And as for football, wherever I look this evening I am witnessing fanatic Vikings fans. Kind of makes me want to say, "Let's GO Saints!!!" just because.