The Treasure of Letter Writing

In packing up my bookshelves I came across one of my favorite books entitled: "Letters to Children: C.S. Lewis"(1985). In joyful simplicity, the collection of C.S. Lewis' letters shows a glimpse of his childhood, his dreams, and the imagination which illuminated his beloved world of Narnia. Demonstrating the beauty of sharing these aspects of himself, this book helped solidify my love for letter writing. :) 

I thought it would be nice to share a couple selections to encourage the continuation of letter writing which I believe is still much needed these days! Accompanying Lewis' letters are photos of the most recent Birthday Blessing party as well as a couple photos which remind me of the color and imagination which, as a child, I once read C.S. Lewis' masterpieces by :) 

[p. 31, Lewis]

"Dear Hila, 

Thank you so much for your lovely letter and pictures. I realized at once that the colored one was not a particular scene but a sort of line-up, like what you would have at the very end of a play. I thought the best of your pictures was the one of Mr. Tumnus at the bottom of the letter. As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there ever been anyone in the world who (1.) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said he was the son of the Great Emperor. (3.) Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb. Don't you really know His name in this world? Think it over and let me know your answer! 

Reepicheep in your colored picture has just the right perky, cheeky expression. I love real mice. There are lots in my rooms in College but I have never set a trap. When I sit up late working they poke their heads out from behind the curtains just as if they were saying, "Hi! Time for you to go to bed. We want to come out and play." 

All good wishes , 

yours forever, 

C. S. Lewis." 

[p.60, Lewis]

"Dear Martin, 

It was nice to hear from you, and I know very well what it's like when there's always something to do! The funny thing is that I was far worse about writing letters when I had far fewer to write.

I am sorry for you having been bandaged all those months. Did it itch dreadfully under the bandage when one can't get at it? I know I did when I was bandaged for ages after my wound in the first war. But it's lovely when at last you do get it off, seeing your own skin again is almost like meeting an old friend! 

I suppose your exam is all over by now. I hope you did very well in it and that you will like the new school. Give my love to all the others. We are all well, We're bringing up a ginger kitten at present and it behaves very like your baby sister Deborah. 

Yours, 

C.S. Lewis" 

[p. 113, Lewis]

"Dear Philip, 

To begin with, may I congratulate you on writing a remarkably good letter; I certainly could not have written it at your age. And to go on with, thank you for telling me that you like my books, a thing an author is always pleased to hear. It is a funny thing that all the children who have written to me see who Aslan is, and many grown ups never do! 

Please tell your father and mother how glad I am to hear that they find my serious books of some value. 

With all best wishes to you and to them, 

yours sincerely, 

C.S. Lewis" 

"Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us. That He answers prayers is a corollary—not necessarily the most important one—from that revelation. What He does is learned from what He is." [C.S. Lewis]

Living Pro-life

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [. . .]" Jeremiah 1:5

This little post is dedicated to a dear friend who will be moving to Houston as she prepares to marry the man of her dreams, the one and only Jaime! :) Maria is one of the most incredible people I have ever come across. She has been working endlessly for the pro-life moment since she was 14 yrs old so this is just a little thank you for the amazing heart she has shared with us all these years! :) 

Maria,

Dallas has been so truly blessed to have you as a warrior for life all of these years!! You have taught us all so much about celebrating life and it brings me great joy to know that you will continue to proclaim this celebration in the beautiful expression of your marriage to Jaime!!

It was very moving to see you two praying in the chapel this past weekend. Such intimacy is perhaps one of the most beautiful images of peace as it is a perfect example of putting before God all that is on one’s heart. Seeing you there it became clear why you have been able to bring so many people closer to Christ all of these years.

It is in this peace, in prayer, that we are able to recognize life as a sacred reality which is undoubtedly entrusted to us all and in turn reaches its perfection in love.  JPII said that this “Gospel of life” has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of “every person-believer and non-believer alike- because it marvelously fulfills all the heart’s expectations while infinitely surpassing them.”

Such a proclamation reveals that being created in the image of God, the gospel of God’s love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person, and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel. This is the Gospel at the heart of Jesus' message, lovingly received day after day by the Church, and preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture.

The tragedy of abortion is that through perpetuating a culture where human life is being overlooked, society is losing sight of this Gospel. "Without the Creator the creature would disappear ... But when God is forgotten the creature itself grows unintelligible"(Gaudium et Spes, 36). It is in this distancing where people lose sight of their irreducible value and worth.  Seen apart from God, human life is reduced to a thing (a string of events) completely void of its sacred character which perpetuates one’s ability to experience one’s self as loved and in return extend such a love.

The world is yearning for people who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel in every situation. It is so evident that you live your life by this Gospel and I think that perhaps that is where you find your greatest courage.

Thank you for your example and continued mission to bring the living Gospel into each of our lives!!

We will be praying for you and Jaime as you prepare to start this new adventure in your lives!!

May peace always be with you,

Teresa :) 

PS. You are not an honorary Mexican, you are a complete and absolute Mexican!! How could we possibly encounter you without experiencing all of the beautiful defining characterstics of our Mexican heritage!! Te quiero mi hermana!!! ;)

The following is a little collection of prayers from my favorite authors and a journal entry that I wrote some time back. I continue to pray these when I go to the clinics and know that I will forever remember your encouragement, Maria, when I go to pray! 

I.                    WITH FAITH

Faith reaches beyond what the eyes can see and assures us that You are present.

Grant, O Lord, that our faith in You may strengthen our ability to recognize the dignity of every human life.

In a day when so many have forgotten these children within the womb, grant that we may grow all the more aware of their dignity and worth.

Little one, I am praying for you. May a ray from Our Lord’s heart reach your mother’s heart so that she may be made fully aware of your tiny presence and experience the beauty of its miracle.

II.                  ETERNAL FATHER

Eternal Father, You have revealed Yourself as the Father of all Life. We praise You for the Fatherly care which You extend to all creation, and especially to us, made in Your image and likeness.

Little one, being made in the image of God, I pray that your mother remembers this image in herself. The power of sin distorts this image in such a way that we often begin to see ourselves as unworthy of being loved. May she see the power of love which is far greater than death and holds the complete ability to reclaim the peace and clarity needed to see ourselves as someone worthy and truly beautiful.

III.                JESUS CHRIST

Heavenly Father, I embrace your grace this day,

So that I might not:

Think or speak to another

Without first looking for

You in the other.

God Incarnate, teach us the meaning of Your love for us, a love that brought You to the cross to give your life so we might live. Rid our world of the sin of abortion, which divides parents from their own children, from one another, from their very selves, and from You, O Lord.

Little one, I am here with you and your mother. I come to you with the reverence that I come to the foot of the cross. May your mother come to know that no cross has been given to us that is too heavy to bear through Christ. 

IV.                HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit, You are the promised Spirit of Truth, constantly revealing the splendor of truth to Your people, and leading us deeper into the Mysteries of our Faith.

Come, O Holy Spirit, and as You immerse us in Your truth, so make us effective witnesses of that truth within our families, among our friends, and to all the world.

Little one, you are already teaching us so much.  Because of you I have the courage of bringing Christ to the public on this day. May the Spirit of Truth surround your most precious body so that your witness in this world helps sanctify and bring light to the many dark corners of our world.

V.                  OUR BLESSED MOTHER

O bright dawn, Mother of the unborn,

All life we entrust to you;

The life of every expectant mother

And the child within her womb:

You held the Lord to your own heart

And drew Him so close in.

So draw us now in all our needs,

Teach us to live our own lives with the same

Burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance.

May they say with you, “Be done unto me according to your word.”

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Little one, you are a treasure which was knit in your mother’s womb and sculpted by your Father’s hands. I pray with you. I pray for your heart and for the heart of your mother. May the gift of motherhood find its pulse in these two hearts which have been united in God’s knowing design. Lord obtain for us the grace to witness the fullness of this gift we are given today- That in choosing life the two hearts may experience perfection in Your love. If the decision is made to not choose life, know that I was here for you today, little one. Know that I will continue to pray for your mother so that healing may occur and that one day she will experience the joy of celebrating life in reconciliation with God. This gift of motherhood will continue to live even if one body were to perish today. May this motherhood, allow your mother to feel Christ so near- like our Mother Mary- where she will conquer all fear and experience herself as completely loved and fully alive because of your beautiful presence. 

Photos I've taken that remind me of you! :) 

Maria's amazing service to life!! :) 

Best couple goes to Maria & Jaime!!! hahaha  ;) 

Paintbrushes :)

“In things of beauty, he contemplated the One who is supremely beautiful, and, led by the footprints he found in creatures, he followed the Beloved everywhere” 

[St. Bonaventure]

Having been out of town this summer I have completely neglected my paints! So today I decided to pick up the paintbrush and finally get my fix. Right away, I rediscovered the wear in both my hands and my tools that have occurred over the years. The smoothened, oiled grooves of both the palette and paintbrush. My callused finger tips and writer’s indent (attractive, I know, hahaha). As a painter this is one of those moments of joyful captivation.

To put forth an analogy for this experience I will beckon my romantic muse… One thing that not too many people know about me is that I love holding hands!! Whether it be with children, my grandmother, or someone I really like. So as someone with this disposition, I find “hand holding” with someone you really like to be perhaps one of the richest comparisons. Similar to painting, there’s the anticipation- where every bit of you becomes alive with excitement and hope. And as soon as you allow trust to pulsate through your fingertips one becomes captivated by that moment of relaxation when the two hands meet (haha, I know this sounds like a lame teen movie but bear with me, haha).

It is interesting how initially one only encounters the oddity of the hand you are holding. But little by little the many crevasses of one’s own palm come to the attention of the blind eye. In this searching something else occurs. As if an invisible thread has begun to bind the two hands, one becomes lost in the other. There is no longer searching for beginnings and ends because in the simple expression of unity one discovers feelings of security, rest, completeness. 

Hahaha, I should reassure you now that I have not fallen in love with my palette and paintbrush over a real person but I think that it provides a vivid example of my experience with art. What initially drew me to painting was this inner awakening that the hand holding analogy is meant to convey. However, rather than remaining at the level of excitement I was guided by art to continue seeking that sense of completeness where even my spirituality and faith become more fully alive. What’s neat about it is that it requires both an outward and inward movement of the spirit. The outward is where the senses are animated by a spirit looking for its proper tools of subject, composition, color, and light. Fittingly, the inward is a spirit being illuminated, pieced together, and experienced in a poignant way. This fusion, orientation, clarity- to me is a pure expression of art.

I believe that because art springs from the spirit, art throughout the centuries has allowed us to experience such a full spectrum of the human person (I could happily live in museums for this reason!). The joys, sorrows, and many intricacies of thought and human experience are highlighted through the way we encounter light and form in our cherished art pieces.

One of my favorite memories of sharing art occurred during a mission trip a couple of years ago. I arrived with luggage containing 2 tubs of chalk, 5kilos of paint, paintbrushes, a bible, and two changes of clothes (I am convinced this is all you need for a successful mission trip! Hahaha). After having interacted with the community for about a week we welcomed all of the children from the surrounding area to participate in a weekend camp. We ended up doing so many activities including some very elaborate art projects of a mural and a chalk festival!!

On the last full day of our visit a little girl brought a box to our mission site. She had dragged it from her home and shared with us that it was her most prized possession. All of the kids asked if they could play with it and after some rounds of capture the flag and fort building we decided to paint it. In a moment we had all of the paints out with kids crammed around the box working to cover every inch of it with their vibrant colors and free-flowing streams of creativity.  It was amazing to see that in an area where there were so many difficulties encountered on a daily basis, our little backyard was transformed into a beautiful refuge of peace filled with laughter!! It was an incredible moment of joy as we sang, had a little paint war, and rested to admire and reflect on our newest masterpiece. As simple as the activity was- to me this was a pure expression of art.

I am far from being a renowned artist, and yet my days revolve around these moments of rich colors, lines, and compositions which continue to captivate my mind and heart. Still searching for that mysterious unity which seems to pull me to these moments of contemplation my hands are constantly drawn to that humble reunion with those blank canvases and pages. So even though it had been a while, I think I am ready to start painting again!

I've included a few of the little doodles, pastel splotches, and paintings that I have been able to enjoy creating these past months.

May peace always be with you,

Teresa :) 

Our masterpiece!! hahaha

“Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.” [Bl. JPII]

Beauty

"You must know- 
there is no return from this flow,
this embrace within the mysterious
beauty of Eternity."

I am currently visiting my hometown of Santa Barbara as I begin the transition of moving back to California. With the pressure of work at bay for a couple of days, this has been a tremendous blessing and has become a beautiful retreat which has awakened the memories and sentiments which colored my childhood. 

Laughing till I cry with family, friends, and strangers over the smallest things. Reading my grandfather’s books at the seashore where I encounter his presence as I experience his innermost joys, sufferings, and moments of merciful love. Listening to a concert at the old courthouse at sunset. Sketching and praying on the beach while the mist of the ocean breeze slowly sinks into all of my books and clothing. Taking photographs of my parents at the church where they were married and witnessing the defining love which continues to hold my family together. Letting the mountain air fill my lungs. Holding my youngest sister’s hand. Resting. All of the little moments which have composed my days have been beautiful glimpses of the beauty which stirs wonder in my heart and leaves me in awe. 

It is a beauty that is difficult to find fitting words for. Rather than trying to confine it into a box, perhaps the more appropriate response will always be silence. I will therefor leave this post quite short and share with you the following poem and some photos to provide at least an impression of these past days.
May peace always be with you,
Teresa :)

Shores of Silence

The distant shores of silence begin
at the door.  You cannot fly there
like a bird.  You must stop, look deeper,
still deeper, until nothing deflects the soul

No greenery can now satisfy your sight:
the captive eyes will not come home.
And you thought life would hide you from
the other Life that overhangs the depths.

You must know-
there is no return from this flow,
this embrace within the mysterious
beauty of Eternity.

Only endure, endure do not interrupt
the flight of shadows-only endure
clear and simple-more and more.

Meanwhile you always step aside for Someone
from beyond,

who closes the door of your small room.
His coming softens with each step
and with this silence strikes
the target depths.

[Bl.JPII]

The Lasting Impact of Inheriting a Smile :)

"Let the children come to me” 
(Matt 19:14) 

Since the Birthday Blessing post in May 2011,  Birthday Blessing has expanded their ministry of holding birthday parties for deserving children in need to the South Dallas area!!! It was a beautiful experience to photograph the first of their South Dallas parties which allowed me to once again witness the humbling resiliency of a child’s heart.

Unexpectedly, it reminded me of working to open the first medical child abuse center in San Antonio.  It had been so long since I took the time to reflect on those memories and to do so was a great gift for me. The center I worked for was called the Center for Miracles .In addition to providing medical attention to children who had been victims of abuse, the Center for Miracles has a mission of allowing patients to begin a healing process structured on an experience of love with others.  In the earliest stage of designing the center we presented the very simple question of: “What does this center need to carry out this mission?” It was very humbling to find that the answer came from the children themselves.   

I remember working with one of our first patients who was initially very closed off from everyone. Little-by-little however, she began to make eye-contact, provide soft responses, and finally to put her small trusting hand in mine. My time with her convicted me of the belief that we need to strive to become more like children.  Christ told us that "unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3-4). Placing children at the heart of the Kingdom of God, Christ’s words I believe reveal that children need to be models for adults (an idea which is often looked down upon in a society which values power). The fullness of this is that we must model our hearts after the simplicity of children,their innocence and joy, and above all their ability to in their weakness reach out and trust with a loving faith.

This scripture verse when paired with "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matt 19:14) allows us to also see our perpetual responsibility to children. It is impossible to comprehend the future of a culture or political body outside of the image of its new generations: its children. It is to children that we pass down the image of the family which encompasses a manifold heritage of values, duties, and aspirations. Moreover, it is this inheritance that allows us to see what our world is becoming.

While there is real evil which continues to permeate a negative image of the family, I wholeheartedly believe that there is an even stronger image of the family which can bring light to even the darkest corners of our world. People who have given their lives to the service of children show us that love, genuine acceptance, material goods, education, and spiritual concern constitute the distinctive and essential characteristic of the image of the family which moves mountains in the human heart.

The trusting hand of every child that comes into this world is an image which should scare us in the sense that it moves us into action. It reveals the complete self-sacrifice that we need to make to the most vulnerable of our society. In the heart of this we find great courage because of the reality that God has already made us capable of loving and will continue to make us worthy of encountering this personal relationship with His most beloved children.

For two years at the Center for Miracles, and again at the Birthday Blessing party this past weekend, I witnessed a triumphant image of the human person. Through love, heaviness was lifted from their hearts and one would see the experience of healing in their smile. This might be why I am so in love with the smile!!  It points us to an intimate union of the face and the heart. The smile is perhaps one of the greatest gifts which we can pass to generations. It takes a celebration of love to bring a sincere healing and smile to the face of children.