Dolly de los Reyes

It is easy to shout our praise and thanksgiving to God when we are at the peak of our success. Not a single effort is exerted for our joy comes directly from our jubilant heart. It might be foolish for many a man to still be thankful despite one's trials. "Why should I when my soul suffers from wretchedness and emptiness?" one might ask. The lamentation goes on. Jesus himself tells us of this wonderful passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus ( New International Version (©2011) . He did not say "most," nor did he say "some" circumstances. The word " all" here encompasses the tragedies and the victories, the weeping and the merriment. It speaks of the parched desert and of the abundance of rain. It thrives in all the seasons of our life. There is not a single exception. There wouldn't be questions as to why we should be gratified during moments of happiness. T...

I Forgive You Dear Wayne, My life has been swept into a storm the moment you said, “It’s enough.” I thought I was okay then. I thought it was just nothing . I thought I could live without ever calling your name or without ever waiting for your calls day in and day out. It was just, let’s say, nothing really well-thought of. And then it happened. What great pain! I was so mad, devastated, hated being with you, cursed the moment you fell in love with me, and considered my life a waste. It was all because of you! And then it came to pass. I decided to just leave you at peace. But I was wrong; I was still hurting when I said I have forgiven you. I was never at peace. I was never complete. Shortly after, Jesus came into the picture, told me it’s enough, and that my crying has to stop. I saw Him smiling at me, with outstretched hand He embraced me, and with a big heart He gave me His peace. Love then slowly came back, and I have started to live again. I have forgiven you, for all the pain...

Call it ironic. Yes. It is a scratch-in-the-head-what-happened-to-you-scenario. Experience the joy of letting go. Does this sound rather proverbial or a little out-of-this-world statement? Well, it must be for most of us humanoids. Seriously, what does joy have to do with letting go? Nah. That is just too idealistic, you might say. I respect you for that. But here’s the truth we can’t escape. People live their lives differently, and we each have our own share of turbulence and awakenings. We move, we breathe, and we eat, drink, and work. We all are busy bees in this ever giant hive. As we live and grow, emotions grow as well. As boarders of this planet, we all have to live with whatever means we can. So we live, laugh, and love. And so as the inevitable stalking our every move. Catastrophe creeps in the unknown alcoves of our fate; after having surfaced, it crawls its way towards the center of one’s soul. That’s when choices have to be made. They call it black-and-white; men call i...