When Love Abounds

blogspot, oh how i have missed you. a few thoughts to share from my previous hectic week...

last week, i was sitting in my spanish class, which use to be much more hastle
than enjoyable experience, but has grown on me throughout the semester. the repetition of the spanish language in my head evoked thoughts of a time i was in chihuahua, mexico on a mission trip in highschool. during that gratifying week, i stayed at an orphanage with my team where we helped out where we could but spent a majority of the time simply loving the children. two teens from the community came regularly to the orphanage and offered love to the children as well, playing soccer with them, etc. my friend and i had the chance to get to know the boys a little and practice our spanish with them (very beneficial for us). several months ago i found one of the boys on facebook and inquired about the other. javier (in light blue) informed me that guillermo (in white) had passed away last year when he was tragically struck by lightening at his home. my heart was absolutely broken, for javier and the pain of losing his best friend, for guillermo's family, and for the tragic way in which a young promising life was cut drastically short. so hearing spanish that day compelled me to think of the friend from long ago, that i barely knew but thought very highly of, and saw great promise in. i also thought how precious life really is...and i know that is an overly used statement but there is truth in it.


so i was inspired to contemplate the weekend past, and look for any small things i could appreciate or find pleasure in, when i stumbed upon an action from a friend that really stood out in my mind. i had the opportunity last friday to hang out with someone i hadn't seen in over a year. to say the least, i was overly delighted for this opportunity since he is an incredible person. when i met him in highschool, i quickly found out that he played the guitar and even knew "by heart" ;) my favorite song of the moment (dashboard confessional - hands down). and back then we sang it together several times. since that first fond memory, i have been compelled to ask him to play the song for me every time i have seen him since. so last friday was no exception. and while he hadn't played it in years and his voice is "manlier" now for the all too high pitched emo song, he complied to my incessant desire, looked up the tabs, and played the song for me. while this might seem trivial in the scheme of all things grand, it really stood out. i appreciated this tiny gesture so much even if he didn't realize it and hope that i too can be a friend like that to others. to do small things that make others smile.

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." -Mother Teresa