That's Amore

Hello again... to the few that, occasionally, read my words. It's nice to be back here on this familiar screen with this familiar blinking cursor. I'm here because today is my birthday... I turn 21 with 10 years of experience. ;) As I grow older and, hopefully, wiser, I realize what is most important in life and I gain more knowledge of what love actually is. In my past, I've been lucky enough to experience all kinds of feelings related to love, such as the butterflies, heavy breathing, your stomach curling, not wanting to sleep because of the excitement you feel, the memories of love, the moments of heartbreak, the pain of losing love, etc. Besides romantic kinds of love, I've felt friendship love, family love, pet love, grandparent love, etc. Then there's my love for everything beautiful, creative, pretty, kind, modest, etc. I have to say, I've been pretty lucky in love...  I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world right now because I have a love of writing and that gives me a voice. I am typing up these letters and you guys are actually reading it now. That definitely tops it off and is the icing on my birthday cake. 

Most parents would say that your life completely changes when you become a parent and it'll never be same... the amount of sleep, freedom, time, etc.  With that said, I completely agree!... but, more importantly, when you become a parent, you come across a different kind of love. It's the kind of love that gives you butterflies...your stomach curls...you can't sleep because of the excitement... it's your family, your blood... you can't imagine losing that love for a second... it's beautiful, kind, pretty... a modest type of love. It's all kinds of love wrapped up into one, which is why our children become our lives. They control our time, life, feelings, thoughts, and everything else we have as individuals. Children give us perspective in life... perspective on our ideas and judgements. Your child, their happiness, their safety, and their experiences... those are the things that become your thoughts, smiles, worries, and fears. We will surely, any day, overstep any boundary to make sure our children are safe and untouched. We will break any rule or law to save them from trouble and we will love them unconditionally, no matter what. We are parents but we also belong to our parents, who belong to their parents. It's the circle of life and the cycle of this crazy, unconditional love that forms this world and the people in our lives. I think that's pretty powerful. Powerful enough for me to thank Nala everyday for bringing this kind of "love" into my life and making me a better person. Today, on my 31st birthday, I believe "that's amore. "(#lovemynala)

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

The Glowing Cloud Art Show

A "child" is in all senses "good." Most of us are lucky enough to feel what a child can do for us in our lives. Most of us are so lucky to have more than one child, or numerous children, affect our lives positively.

When Nala came into my life, I was so caught up in learning how to take care of her the right way and nourish her in every way that I hadn't realized what she had actually done for me. As she's been growing (very quickly) in the last 2 1/2 years, I've come to understand what it is to be a "parent." A parent always worries... We grow up being worried about until we become parents and see how it actually feels to be the worrier. The feelings that we come across when our child is sick or gets a splinter comes naturally. We have no way of changing the way we react to certain situations. If you're a parent, then you're probably nodding your head. Personally, I don't think I ever stood up for myself until Nala came into the picture. She makes me a stronger woman and individual. She makes me want to be physically and mentally healthy for her. She, as a child, my child, has brought me, not a reason to live, but a reason to be better in all aspects of life.
The reason for this post today is because of children all over the world tonight... Young children, older children, sick and healthy children, poor and rich children, loved and abandoned children, green and yellow children, black, brown, and white children, and children with Autism... Being a parent and feeling what it feels to see my child fall or get sick, it is impossible for me to comprehend the strength such parents have when dealing with Autism or other special attentive needs their children might have. It is of utmost pleasure to be displaying the artworks of these artists who have worked so hard to provide us with their expressed talents. Pacific Child & Family Associates provides services for those who are affected by Autism and they have brought us The Glowing Cloud Art Show, which will be opening on March 7th, 2015, tomorrow evening, from 5-7PM at Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery. The proceeds will be donated to Autism Speaks for charity. Please join us and show your support to these exceptional artists and their wonderful parents!