Good Friday

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Have you ever had to take your child to the ER for the first time for him to get stitches in his head because he fell down and cracked it open? Remember the pain you felt as your child screamed and squirmed while the doctor told to you to hold the child still. The little child in your arms looked at you pleading for you to release him but you did as the doctor told you to because you knew it was for his own good. Yet those eyes begging at you and even though your heart was aching for you knew the great stress and pain you were putting that little child through, you held on as tight as you could while the doctor stuck the needle in the child’s head. Tears rolled down your eyes, too. But you had to be strong and you knew that in the end it would be good for your child. You did it out of love. Because you loved your child so much that is why you did it. Afterwards, the child is grateful that you were there in with him during this difficult situation and that it was you who were holding him instead of a stranger. It hurt, didn’t it? But in the end all was well.

Have you ever taken a loved one for a chemotherapy session? You accompany him and try to be there for him during the whole process. You suffer along with him because you love him so much that you would even be willing to trade places with him. Nonetheless you try to show strength and make him smile and laugh to lessen the suffering. You do all you can because you know that it will be beneficial to the loved one. You do it out of love. You can be sure that the loved one appreciates your being there each step of the way throughout the battle; win or lose. It hurts, doesn’t it? But in the end it is worth is.

Have you ever had to deal with a friend who has lost his memory due to a disease? You go and visit the friend despite his not knowing who you are. You go because you know who he is and how much the friendship means to you. You go visit him in the resting home because you love him and love does not end just because he has lost his memory. It hurts, doesn’t it? But in the end, you can sleep well because you have done the right thing; honored the friendship.

There are several situations in which we do what we do, despite the pain and inflictions, as an act of love. That is exactly what God did for us. He gave up His only son who was crucified and died for us so that we could be rid of sin and have eternal life. What a wondrous thing to do. Pure love; so much love that cannot compare to any kind of love that we have felt. But it hurt Him too. God also suffered as He watched His son being judged, whipped, humiliated, nailed to a cross, supplicating for His help and finally dying. Imagine the pain He felt as a parent giving up His only son, to be sacrificed to save the world; to save you and me. So much love, so much care, so much selflessness. John 3.17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Therefore, Good Friday is a good day to reflect on how much He loves us. Yes, you are loved. God loves all His children. He just doesn’t run after them. He wants His children to look for Him and have a relationship with Him. Give it a try; it is a sure win deal. Sometimes there is pain, but in the end it is worth it.

March 25, 2016 Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion

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You Have Lung Cancer

“You have lung cancer. I need more lab tests to see which drug I can give you during your chemotherapy. But we´ll get through this…bla bla bla bla.”

The doctor just rambles on while your brain has stopped at the YOU HAVE LUNG CANCER part of his speech.

No warnings.

No smile.

No beating around the bush.

Right smack out in your face.

It is the same as hearing you are going to die. Fear races up to your brain and an alarm goes off. `I am going to die.´ And that rings so loud in your head that you lose all senses. A big great hole opens up under your feet. (In fact, hiding in a hole is not such a bad idea at this point.)

Realizing that you are still in the doctor´s office, you feel like getting up and running really far away. Far away from this thing he just said that you had. Perhaps out run it and leave it behind as if through speed you can separate your body from it.

Suddenly you are awakened by the words: "do you have any questions?"

Do I have any questions? Do I have any questions? The real question is: do you have the answers to my questions?

At this point, tons of questions are popping up in your mind and the answers too.

A barrel of negative answers fill your head.

Will I see my grandchildren get married? No!

Will the treatment cure this cancer? Who knows?

Will I be able to live without depending on others? No!

Will I be able to stand all this information bombarding my brain? No!

Of course, you are not alone; sitting beside you is a loved one who is biting one´s lips not to burst into tears trying to get as much information as possible to make sure the treatment will be well administered.

“Ok, so as soon as your insurance liberates the treatment, which will probably begin next year because it is almost Christmas time, we will start the treatment.”

What?

Wait until next year?

What if I get worse? 

What if I die before the New Year bells ring? So many unanswered questions.

“Well, since there are no further questions, I will see you in January. Happy holidays!”

Yeah, right. No further questions coming out of my mouth, but so many of them popping up in my head.

“Happy Holidays to you too doctor. And maybe I will see you next year.”

With that being said, everyone walks out the office as if heading to a wake.

December 15, 2015 Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion
(I do not have lung cancer; just putting myself in some one's shoes)

 

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When you are 18…

  Nowadays teens give so much importance to turning 18 although they already do stuff that they must be 18 to do. But what does turning 18 mean?

  You still live at your parents’ house because it is much cheaper than living on your own. Even if you are off to the university somewhere away from home, you have to report to your parents because they are the ones who support you financially. They give you food, a rooftop over your head, washed and ironed clothes- what else does a person want?You still need to tell your parents where and with whom you are going to go out with because you live with them so you abide to their rules. Besides, the city is a dangerous place, it doesn´t hurt to.

  Drinking. Now there is something you can. I realize that some teens already do this at a much younger age, but the difference is that now you can do it without getting into trouble. You just need to remember that if the people you are hanging around with are not 18 yet and they cause or get into trouble, charges will be pressed against you; after all, you are the one who is 18.

  Driving. There is something else you can do; get your driver´s license. But until you do so, no driving for you. Some teens are lucky and they get a car for their 18^th birthday, while others have to wait until the family or he himself can afford to buy one.

  Sex. You can start your sexual life as soon as you feel you are ready for. If I may put my two cents in, share this desire with your parents so that they can get the right kind of protection for you and perhaps allow you to do it at home instead of in cheap places, which by the way you can go to because you are 18.

  Going to jail. Yes, this is something that 18-year-olds forget about. You can go to jail for things that you do or for things that the minors in your group do. If you break the law, you need to suffer the consequences. Here in Brazil, a minor goes to a correctional home when he is under 18. But as soon as he turns 18, it is the slammer.

  Choosing a career. Hold on now. Having to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life can cause some suffering. You are only 18. How are you supposed to know which career you want to work in? There are professionals that can help you by putting you through some tests. So you can resort to those. You can also always choose a major and give it a try. if it doesn´t work for you can always try something else later on.

  In the end you should be happy at any age. For each year there are discoveries and limitations, things that you can do and things that you are not allowed doing. Whatever it may be, make the most of the time that you have. Celebrate. Spend time with the ones you love. Stay off the social networks. Just enjoy yourself no matter what it is that you are doing.

  When you are 18, life is sweet.   

                                                       

March 14, 2016 (Based on my observations here in Brazil)Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion

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2016: Medieval Times?

When I woke up this morning, I checked the calendar and it read March 9, 2016. I blinked and shook my head and read it once again: March 9, 2016. Amazed, I wondered how it could be 2016 if some people still acted as if they were living in one of my past lives where whenever a person disagreed with you, you would simply take your sward and off with their heads it would be? Medieval Times aka The Dark Ages.

Perhaps I need to make myself a bit clearer. Despite the technological advancement and discoveries in science and medicine, there are people who refuse to accept that not everyone needs to agree with you. People are allowed to vote for whoever they want to, read whatever they want to, think whatever they want to, in short, do whatever they want to as long as they respect the next person.

However, that is not what you see in today’s world, especially on social networks or in the media. There are some people who call the others stupid if they have a certain opinion, but, of course, they are not as nice as I am being and tend to use really harsh words to tell the other person that they are wrong. Wrong according to whom? Wrong according to you who is disrespecting the other’s opinion by calling him/her stupid for believing what they believe in?

I realize that I am beating around the bush here and if you have caught my message I do not want to specify, but, nonetheless, I am speaking about politics, abortion, being a woman, being a child, being a human being in this day and age.

People are cutting other people out of their lives simply because they do not agree on some topics. I guess that it is human nature. Who says that you need to agree on the same things? The whole world is a mess. It does not only happen here in my country, but also in other countries.

I always say that one should live and let live. Disagreement is necessary to help people evolve. The important word is RESPECT. Listen to what others have to say, reflect and talk about what is going on with respect.

March 9, 2016Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion

 

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Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

Nowadays a lot of things my grandmother used to say has been making a lot of sense. What I did not understand back then in the 70´s, but now in 2016, or better at 49 almost 50, it is all starting to make sense.

For instance she used to say things like “A small lie will betray itself in the long run”, “Once you have told a lie, you will need a good memory”, “A lie never lives to be old”; and of course she would always remind me of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. (It is a good fable if you haven´t read it. I know for a fact that there are videos available on-line which tell the tale).

Perhaps you disagree with me on the fact that there are some situations in which telling a white lie is much better.  For example, some one sends you a text message and you say that you didn´t get it. Eventually the person got it but didn´t bother to read it or answer it. Therefore, saying you didn´t get it is much easier than just saying that you didn´t feel like answering it.

Another example is when someone invites you out and you say that you can´t make it because you already have something else scheduled,  but in reality you just don´t want to go. In the long run, the person will just get tired of asking you out. Wouldn´t it just save time and all the energy if you had told the truth right off the bat?

The truth can hurt. But finding out that someone lied to you can cause even more hurt. For instance, you had made plans to meet a friend at a pub and he never shows up, nor does he send a message stating that he couldn´t make it. Then when you meet up with him again he says one of his relatives passed away. You feel horrible because you were mad at him because he left you standing and then you find out he had lost a loved one. However, a couple of years go by and you see a picture of him and the deceased relative on a social media page, and the relative is alive and kicking.  Do you confront him? Nah, you just start losing the trust you had in the person. Then you hear that children´s saying in your head “Liar, liar pants on fire.”

There are some lies that you catch quite quickly and then there are others that take years for you to find out. It does not matter, the truth always prevails. This is something that I have learned throughout the years.

As Abraham Lincoln once said : “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

                Telling the truth is hard and may hurt, but at least you will sleep better and do not need to worry in case your memory goes bad.

Written: March 3, 2016 Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion

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