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Ah, Weddings!

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Tall palm trees swayed with the breezes as seagulls cried to each other overhead. Clouds scurried across deep blue skies, playing tag. On the beach, a picturesque scene is unfolding, chairs are placed in rows, with tulle and flowers attached to the backs of them while a pergola is in the process of being enacted. Several yards away, the waves lap gently on the shore. Everything seems to be in place for the wedding later on in the afternoon. Photo credit: Arshad Pooloo On the other side of the beach, angry, raised voices could be heard coming from behind a grove of palms. Several people seemed to be engaged in a heated argument, and a seagull flying overhead heard voices demanding that the wedding ceremony include certain elements while other voices angrily say no. There is nothing like a wedding to get the juices flowing and people riled up. As joyous as they can be, weddings also bring out the worse in people as expectations rise to a crescendo without always being met. Traditions, ex
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Living In The Now

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One of the things I have found myself doing these last few months have been to dress up much more than I used to when there wasn't a pandemic. I'm a West Coast person, casual to the core, but after a year of literally not being able to go anywhere and wearing grubs and ultra-comfy clothes the entire time, dressing up became a link to feeling human. I dusted off my heels and started using them regularly. And I won't lie, it feels good to feel put together.  Before the year 2020, I had been running ragged and didn't know it. It was my normal routine, attending conferences, running to meetings almost every evening while working on work projects, my shops, and other things during the day. I had no idea how exhausted I was until I was forced to stay home. For me, the lockdown was a welcomed break as it gave me a reason to stop and breathe without anyone being able to say otherwise. The pandemic also gave me the reason I needed to say no even as things started opening up late
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'Tis The Season

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Christmas. A season of glad tidings, and joy. A season of peace and goodwill. A time to share love, gifts, and food. A time to gather with family and friends.  At our house, the lights are lit, the decorations are in place, the eggnog chilling in the fridge.  All is calm, all is bright.    Art by Adeline Except for one thing. This is the year 2020. A year like no other we've known before. This is the year we have had to wear masks and socially distance ourselves, and the year when masks became political. This is the year words like "mutant virus spoils Christmas" make headlines and create panic.  It appears that Marvel movies have jumped off the big screen into real life, our lives.  And so, in as much as we will try to make Christmas as Christmassy as possible, it will not be the same. Our lives have been disrupted, changes have had to be made, we have all lived through months of uncertainty, lockdowns, separation from loved ones, and toilet paper hoarding.  But. As with
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Fall And 5 Things To Be Grateful For

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Fall has always been my favorite season. It is sublime, subtle and whispers of cozy evenings by the hearth complete with hot chocolate and whipping cream. There is the crisp, cool tinge in the air that signifies the end of summer while winter is still yet to come. Fall, the twilight of the seasons, a marker that the days are shorter and the year is coming to a close. Fall by Adeline Oh Velarde As we soldier on into the future with time leading us in the march, I would like to turn my thoughts to the small things that make me smile and pause to give thanks. I will always be thankful and grateful for the people in my life, those closest to me, and those who are still with me today, along with the things in life that I sometimes take for granted, like a home. This time, however, I want to focus on the little things, the things we don't always think are important, but will miss when we find ourselves unable to do them or have them. My top 5 things are: 1.  Being outside and watching th
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Christmas on my mind in September.

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It's September and it's 2020. The crazy year that threw us all for a loop. Navigating it was alright, we just had to be flexible to flow with how things needed to go as protocols, and regulations changed. But through it all, I craved the simpler, comforting, and cheerful things more than ever. So, it is not surprising that I, who never think about Christmas until late November, am yearning for candlelit nights and cozy blankets while drinking eggnog and watching cheesy movies. There is something about the comfort of being around things that don't change. I don't generally have traditions I adhere to, but I do like those things that calm the soul, emanate peace while bringing cheer and joy. In this crazy topsy-turvy year, some semblance of normal is very welcomed. So, here I am dreaming of Christmas and the nostalgia it brings. In September.
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Lets Dance With The Chickens

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There is something about children and their love for things "over-the-top".  Their exuberance goes unmatched for all that they really care about and enjoy.  No joy goes hidden, and in the same way, anything disliked will also be vociferously mentioned. They just enjoy being themselves. Somewhere along the way, we adults have lost our exuberance for life and joy. Perhaps, we have been beaten down too many times by the storms of life.  Maybe, it is time to regain that which we have lost. Time to stop worrying about what others might think of us, and how we need to act mature and be mature. What does that mean anyway? Does that mean we need to be somber all the time? Serious to the point of never having our lips turn upwards into a smile? Or does that mean that belly-laughing will get us ejected from the adult table during holidays to the lower echelons of the children's table? Why have we stopped dancing along with the butterflies flitting about in the yard? Why have we sto
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Living My Vida Loca

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My brain is tired.  This happens to me more than I can count and not everyone understands where I am coming from because I am not physically tired, just mentally exhausted. Sometimes, I feel like I'm one of those one-person bands, you know, the person who has every single apparatus strapped to their body and every movement they make plays an instrument attached to them?  It is exhausting.  Yet, things need to get done. Something in me tells me I have to be productive, I have to do my best, try my hardest, and keep going.  Even if it is only to conquer breadmaking.  To get the bathrooms cleaned. To get designs up and listed in the shop.  Get the blog written. And record my next sermon, and/or bible lesson for one of my students. Intertwined with those are other activities involving things we do within the community, and work or ministry-related video calls.  Perhaps, I am sharing too much but this is my life, this is some of what goes on behind the scenes and this is my reality and
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