Category: Work

Inspiration, Life, love, Music, Short Stories, Work

Gratitude

There is a beautiful song, called “Gratitude,” that simply and faithfully describes that one has nothing to offer to God “except for a heart singing halleluiah.” So simple an act, yet sometimes our life is filled with work and activities that we miss out on thanking God for faithfully guiding us through it all. Missing out is rather harmful to us, research shows that the more grateful one is the healthier, resilient, and happy we are. “A merry heart doeth good like medicine…” indeed!

A few weeks ago, it felt like work and activities were piling up all through the week. On Sunday, I purposed to finish drafting a sermon and get a head start on work. It was around 8:30 in the evening, and I had drafted the sermon and had enough bible verses and quotes, so I switch computers and started to work for only an hour or two. I left the office and felt the New England cold air, turned on the car and waited for it to warm so that the frozen windshield could melt. It was cold but I felt so happy, the window looked pretty with ice crystals and light shining through from the light post.
There is great joy when we think and believe in the goodness of God. As I was writing earlier, I felt so encouraged to do, and keep going, and continue doing. The bible truly gives life, strength, and even time. I had prayed that morning for strength for the week ahead, and God gave strength and peace. I thanked God for helping me, for making a way light and enjoyable.

That week I worked 53 hours, including a long Wednesday with departure of 12:15 am …twas cold. On Friday the entire set plotted smoothly with a completion time of 2:15 pm. I was so thankful, what at first seemed hard to complete on time, was done, the week had run smoothly. There was a lot of work to do but it wasn’t burdensome. I left the office and went to pick up groceries from the store, prepared something to eat at home, and continued studying for the sermon. Upon my parents’ arrival, my dad mentioned that if I wanted, I could give the sermon in English. I told him that I had already prepared it in Spanish and that it would be ok to deliver it in Spanish. The last time I had ”preached” in Spanish was 13 years ago, so I was concerned about the outcome, and my sister shared the concern with my parents. After fellowship with them I continued studying and again went to sleep around midnight. The following morning as I stood up, the popular line “it is time” ran in my head. “Father, it is time for you to speak.” I had been asking people to please pray for me, especially because I had to deliver the message in Spanish. Near the end, I was so moved that tears ran down my face. I had to catch my breath, I could see people also wiping their eyes, my mom especially. The Holy Spirit touched my heart so deeply, that I sensed such need to receive, and give a double fold of the joy that Christ gave me.

What a blessing to share the love of God, the mission of Jesus Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit with believers. The message, based on 2 Timothy 2:4, has been ringing in my ears since March 2022, and I have grown to love and desire to dedicate my life as such, that nothing will separate me from the father and that all my decisions are made to please Him. “El Soldado del Futuro” or The Soldier of the Future is indeed the Jesus Christ in us and through us. The passion to serve can only come from above.
As we pulled out of the Hispanic church in Brockton, MA that Sabbath afternoon, I turned to my sister and said, now unto “The Lord’s Prayer,” we both laughed.

Two weeks before that Sunday, one of the sisters from our church asked me to sing at a wedding. Me? I said in my mind, at a wedding!?
Oh sure, I said – do you have a specific song that you would like me to sing? The Lord’s Prayer, she said… Oh! …That’s a beautiful song that I’ve dreamed about one day singing but I don’t really have the voice for it, I told her. She was kind with her feedback, and went on to say, but if you think of any other song just let me know. Well, the day arrived, and I had barely practiced the song, at 3:45 pm I was getting ready when I get a call. Melody, where are you? Hello, I’m getting ready will be heading out soon, are you already at church? Yes, we are waiting for you because you are first in the program after the pastor prays. Yes, I said, is the program starting at 4:30? I asked. No, it’s at 4 o’clock and it’s very short so we can’t start without you, she said.
Oh! Well, let me get out quickly. Arriving at 4:07, the sister told me that I almost gave her a heart attack, thankfully she didn’t get one. I walked up to the front and waited for my turn. The wedding began, oh I wanted to be at peace and enjoy it, but it was hard. The pastor introduced me, I stood and waited for the track to play. I really couldn’t believe that I was about to butcher such a beautiful song. I finished singing and sat down. The nephew of the bride, who walked her down the isle, was crying while I was singing “The Lord’s Prayer. It was so warm to see him react to it, deep feelings of joy warmed my heart. God is good, this is all I can say, and I really believe, that God tunes people’s ears to hear of his true beauty, it just can’t be our voices.

Gratitude coats the heart with pure joy, elevates our spirits like birds freely flying in the sky, molds and builds our characters to cherish the love of God. You too can experience freedom and joy, test and see that the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever…. I am so grateful for what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in my life. All that we live through has a lesson, whether it is suffering or joy, God uses it all to show us the way, the truth, and the life. Thank you for being the most wonderful Father, best friend, and savior of all time, in the name of Jesus thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

“So come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord“
…
“And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah“

Life, Short Stories, Work

Endless Time Promise

Sometimes it seems easy to think that we are running out of time, when in reality when we accept Christ we have everlasting time.

A few days ago God reminded me of the simple message He has given us to understand: accept Jesus in your heart, become like Him, and you will love fully and live happy.

Loving God as the text says involves no fear: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment, he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18. Understanding God’s love makes as free from fearing our past, present, and future. It also helps us to cope with the reality that no human being is perfect, that we are all equally sinners in the same battle to conquer love against evil. So sharing God’s love becomes our desire when we fully understand His love and grace for us. And it goes even deeper. God gives us rewards even when we “don’t deserve them.” Nevertheless, this blessing comes with true repentance.

Last month, October 2020, I was about to give up on self-employment and start applying to jobs in the east coast. So I asked God to guide me on this decision; it was Monday. By Friday of the same week I would be applying to job listings on the east coast. I began updating my resume and portfolio, and somehow came across a job listing in the area with an appealing job description. On Tuesday I finished my resume and cover letter, went on a long afternoon hike, and pour out my heart to God. On the same day I also called a client to ask whether she still wanted landscape design for her residence, she said yes but to get back to her in a month. On Wednesday I applied to the Monday job search listing. On Thursday I remember feeling peace, contacted another client, and he also said to get back to him in a month. Friday morning as I was about to start east coast job applications I received an email from my job application requesting an interview. I had the interview on Monday and received a job offer the same afternoon, starting date January 2021. On Wednesday Morning I signed the offer.

What happened? Within days of pouring out my heart to God I had been relieved and “hired”! And the sense of knowing that this was the right thing to do was the blessing I had doubted for. You see, God does not hold grudges against us for not believing in His power to spare us. The devil is the one whispering to us “you don’t deserve anything from God,” or “God won’t bless you now that you have sinned/doubted.” The truth is, God is waiting to bless us. The fact that He can’t interfere with our bad decisions doesn’t mean that He forgets us.

When we truly ask God to guide us, He’s ready to positively impact our lives. The atmosphere of peace surrounds us, like a shield that destroys the cares of this world. God is merciful to forgive and give more than what we can imagine. “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19

If you don’t know or understand how to pour out your heart to God, think of Him as a long lost caring friend who you are catching up with. He knows you since the day you were conceived, He has plans for you, and his endless time promise is for you to live a life of love. May your day be filled with His peace as you seek out to him in prayer.

Landscape Architecture, Life, Short Stories, Work

Surrender All

As the months went by my heart began to feel the desire to have a regular schedule. The schedule that is monitored by human minds, the schedule that one studies for. The schedule that at times comes with a lack of sleep and insufficient nourishment. I found myself disturbed at the idea that I had lost such schedule. But I wondered why?

During the month of May, the numbers of people being laid-off at our office continued to increased due to COVID-19. Prior to me being laid-off along with two awesome co-workers, I worried that the following call would be directed to me. I didn’t want to give it a thought, but I prayed “Father, whenever my time in this place ends, I will be ok, because you are with me.”

So months later, I was annoyed at the idea that I missed having a regular schedule. It came with frustration after having a fantastic summer! I began to get discouraged that self-employment may not be the right decision. I felt guilty taking vacation, I was living in a vacation.

And then it clicked! I really missed working 40+ hours a week. I missed talking to team members and solving problems, I missed being part of a collaborative team. I missed thinking extra hard. God showed me the beauty of consistent work and need to do more than what our brains can handle.

But there was something more, I wanted control of my situation, which is probably what gave me frustration after returning to California from a wonderful vacation with my family. I realized that my frustration was doubting the power of God when it came to trusting my work to Him. I felt embarrassed yet not wanting to admit that it was affecting me spiritually. Why?

Every single job that I had received had been led by Him, so as I was walking back from gardening a thought came to me, who is in control? “You are,” I said. And there was silence. All this time, I had not fully addressed that being laid-off had affected me. I cried. On the day that it happened I shed a few tears and really took it as an opportunity to travel. My circumstances had changed, I shared an schedule with friends, and family. So there was no time to address this issue again with God. I didn’t think I needed it, I was very happy just picking up bags and visiting places and people.

Until reality hit, work with clients wasn’t promising. Studying for my license had being delayed and frustration began to fill my heart. I prayed as I walked, “just give me one more no and I’ll stop trying to be self-employed.” That same day I dialed a client with the idea that her “no” was about to change my path very soon. She didn’t say no.

I went hiking that day with the image of a bird staring at me, saying, “what’s wrong with you?” The same pigeon that looked at me a bit confused when I cried asking God, why He had taken me away from my family back in 2018. I laughed, I just couldn’t believe, I have it easy, really! God had blessed me so much and yet I felt discouraged from not having control of my work? I don’t need control, I don’t need control of my life, it is actually very harmful to want to control your life. God knows how to heal me, He never forced me to come to Him with my issues, but as I write this, I understand the need to surrender all aspects of our lives to Him.

There will be days when we feel discouraged and frustrated, and even embarrassed of what we lack. But remember, He says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

God loves each one of us dearly and He wants the best for you. It is my prayer today, that you may come to Him with your struggles, with your lack of faith, and tell Him how frustrated you feel, how sad and how much you miss what you may currently lack. He is greater to take the burden off your shoulders, pick you up, and teach you how to walk with Him again or for the very first time. Amen,

Landscape Architecture, Life, Short Stories, Travel, Work

Pure Michigan I

During the summer of 2016, I received an assistantship to help with research about water conservation. I was happy to stay working at the university. Around that time my advisor had shared with me a contact name of a medical doctor who was also a practicing landscape architect in the state of Michigan. I wrote to her asking if I could shadow her research on therapeutic garden design. She gave me a better offer. On her email, she asked, “would you be interested to help in the design for a hospice therapeutic garden in Marquette, MI?” I went on to respond that it would be a great opportunity and accepted her invitation right away.

Up to the conclusion of the semester in the spring, my dissertation research had been on mental illness. Unfortunately the topic was so broad that I was struggling to narrow it to one mental illness. The year before, a few friends had suffered with seasonal depression so I chose to study the benefits of nature to battle depression. The hospice project was going to be the perfect opportunity to elaborate both research and design methods for patients and caregivers suffering with depression!

On August of 2016, I arrived at the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan. I fell in love with the area. The turquoise water, the cherry farms, the hilly roads, and fantastic views were beautiful and full of life. Dr. Westphal picked me up, and brought me to a French restaurant to eat crepes. Later, she drove me around the city and finally to my new home for the next 19 days. We turned into a long dirt road ‘Blue Water Road’, drove through the cherry farms and tall grasses, and pulling up to park, we arrived at one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever lived in. “We got it for free and have remodeled it,” Dr. Westphal explained. A friend phoned us knowing that we had moved a house before. We decided to take it and brought it here. They had turned it into a two story trailer home. “You’ll be staying here, you’re welcome to join us for dinner tonight,” she handed me the keys to the house and also to a Prius. Dr. Westphal’s house is located in the highest point of Traverse City, very close to where I was staying.

That summer I lived heavenly! It was a very beautiful experience. I had the time of my life with the best schedule. I did a lot of reading, drawing, cooking, cleaning, hiking, and plenty of swimming. I also got to jump off of a cliff for the first time, it only took me 45 min? I witnessed my advisor gracefully jump and show me how to get it done. She said, “this is how you do it” and jumped – straight in she went, into Lake Superior’s fresh water. We drove up from Traverse City to Marquette ‘the project site’ twice. We stayed at her friend’s cabin. A beautiful cabin. My mind was so in tune with the area, my imagination just burst, and joy really filled my heart.

So much happened in those 19 days. I met Norma, a wonderful lady from church, whose husband had built a round house. It literally looked like half of a giant white ball sunk on the ground. It was cute, she became my best friend at church, we even performed together, she played the piano very well but never wanted to do it in public. She also enjoyed poetry, and we exchanged a few of our poems with each other. She said, “Melody, friends come and go, you will have friends for a lifetime, you may have some for a few months, and there will even be the one friend that you get for a day, a few hours, it’s a part of life.” This is the hardest thing for me to grasp, I love having friends, the closest ones who you can talk about anything and laugh even when neither is funny, but just out of the joy we bring to each other. Life is too short to let those friends go, but we have to… let our love go in their hearts.

Back to the trailer – I loved the little house! Every morning my view were trees. In one occasion, there were three pileated woodpeckers eating away, they were so beautiful, magnificent. Every morning, I would go for a walk around the cherry farms and soak in the beauty. I worked researching and designing back to back. I would drive to the tip of the peninsula, swim, read some more, and then stop by the grocery store to make a warm meal. A taste of life, a taste of heaven, a taste of God’s love toward us. That was my experience, living on my own for the first time.

We humans really aren’t in need of much aside from God’s love. Everything lines up when we give him control. We may not live in vacation land, but we do have the choice to be happy, to live and love freely. Unfortunately, the world has a monetary system engraved in our minds. We work to live and vice versa. Shelter and food will one day be equal for all, not in our time but in God’s time. I’m a very passionate person but I have to remember to be patient and to trust in God’s time. We don’t stop working but we work trusting in the best for everyone, and believing this way we work harder, happier, and representing God’s image to others.

Let God’s love flow from you, you will be rejected, but don’t be discouraged, we give love without expecting anything in return. Wherever place has marked your heart – don’t stop dreaming about it. Live it out, share this place with others. Go back – maybe – and make new memories, there or somewhere else. Make love happen in your heart and before the eyes of God. Jesus said, freely you have receive, freely give. Live today as if it where the last day of your life!

May you cherish the opportunity to live, praise God from whom all blessings flow!

DACA, Landscape Architecture, Life, Music, Poems, Short Stories, Travel, Work

A Dream Come True

Nineteen years have gone by since I first heard the questions:
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how should they preach, except they be sent?*

At the age of 20, I decided to become a missionary in a third world country, I was willing to go anywhere but because of my immigration status I couldn’t leave the country. At 26, my two friends and I had signed up to go on a mission trip to Florida, everything was ready. Unfortunately, we got a notice telling us that the trip had been cancelled due to lack of participation.

The Mission Preparation

Today at 30, this desire continues and I’ve come to realize that each year is closer to the big dream. Last year, I watched a video of a group of missionaries in Peru and their work there. Maybe I could be one of them soon! But I am still unable to leave the country, so my home in Southern California, is the mission field God has given me.

 It has been six months since my parents and I were re-baptized at a lake. It brought so much joy into our lives. My parents became two of my best friends in adulthood. The day after I told them I was going to get baptized, my dad called and said, I’ve decided to get baptized with you, we both cried. And then an even greater surprise filled our hearts, as my mom walked up to also get baptized on August 17, 2019. So from that day on we share an anniversary / birthday together.

This is part of my pursuit of happiness. I had been wanting to get baptized for the past ten years and to finally do it was a completion and also the beginning of my love for life.

The Big Dream

I dream of an environmental and sustainable school for orphan children. I dream of designing green spaces where they can play and learn in nature. I can see them climbing the trees, and running while holding each others’ hands. I hear their laughter as they run and sit around the fire pit, singing songs and clapping with joy. As the breeze runs through our hair, the pure air nestles each of us to Our Father.

As I write the idea of a dream come true, it makes sense to say that I am dreaming of heaven itself. Not to ruin my earthly expectations but to raise the bar by 100%. We are all orphans in this world – we don’t fully understand the title of being a child of God. And yet we are each called to be dependent missionaries of the kingdom of God – not by choice but through adoption. We were rescued to live for eternity ‘the gift of life’ and dream big. Whether I accomplish to be a part of an orphanage in the future or start a new one, God has greater plans than what I could ever imagine.

The Great Commission

Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”*

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.*

May peace, love, and joy fill your hearts.

Bible verses taken from Romans 10, Matthew 28 and John 15.

Life, Music, Short Stories, Travel, Work

A Refreshing Start

“The hills are alive with the sound of music” were the chords sang through the day and into the night. The girls hummed and danced as one who encounters pure fresh air on mountain tops. The boy run as soon as he heard the chords and danced along with joy and excitement. The dog, also, jumped and ran through the house bursting the smell of Christmas and the beginning of a New Year.

“We are here!” were the words of my sister as I announced my arrival to the Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. It was Christmas Eve and the beginning of 20 days filled with memories of laughter, fellowship, more laughter, delicious food, and love!
The ending of a blessed year with a cherry on top, my parents’ home.

During those twenty days I got to walk the streets of Boston and smile at the “Make Way for Ducklings” statues at the Boston Common. Each working evening I will let my sister know that I was on my way to meet her at her work. I worked remotely with a friend for 7 days and got to roomate with my sister during that time. Every day was so filling, so loving, and at each farewell, a see you later or “nos vemos más tarde” was followed up with a kiss on the cheek to my sister.

We got to play volleyball, we got to prepare our meals, and feed each other like sisters do. We even experience sadness together, as we heard that one of her friends from Argentina had suddenly passed away. We got to take the T and the commuter rail, and the bus. We experience Boston together, or rather, I experienced my sister’s lifestyle for 7 days.

Both of the last weekends that I was there, my sister and I drove to Western Massachusetts, where my parents live. “Do you want to play with me?” Each of my brother’s children would ask. God truly blessed the last sabbath before departure on Sunday. It felt like high 60s outside, so we ran around for hours, until I injured myself while running.

I loved the time with my family, and I cherish it more now that I live 3,000 miles away. You see, not everyone gets to spend New Year’s Day with a 61, 60, 34, 8, 6, and 4 year old team. Not everyone gets to read a book on New Year’s Eve to a 4 year old. Not everyone gets to whisper “Happy New Year!” and go to sleep from tiredness of playing all day. That was our December 31st, and my end of the year was praying by my nephew’s bedside and listening to his peaceful breath. I teared of joy understanding that God has a beautiful plan for each one of us.

On the following day we sang happy birthday to my second niece, as she welcomed her 7th year of life on January 1st.

The hills do fill my heart with the sound of music. And I can hear the echo of us Tapias laughing and filling the house with joy and love.

May you bloom and grow forever!