The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
Here’s a special poem for Valentine’s Day to warm the heart wherever you may be. Happy Valentine’s Day! 🌹❤️🥰
THE NAME I LOVE
by Christine Lailani
I may not have it all, But there’s one thing I’m grateful for. At first I find it hard to trust, And just difficult to believe. It is irresistibly sweet And reminds me whose I really am. It’s the way You made me feel, Which will always hold true. And that it will never end in vain For I am truly and only Yours. There’s just no other way to put it nicely. So when I responded to the call, It was revealed for me to see. The name that I truly love Was heaven sent through an angel. An encounter that made me eager To love You like I always should.
❤️❤️❤️
“To Make You Feel My Love”
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
Here’s something short but sweet to start February, which is the month when everybody is smitten. 😉 You are deeply loved and cherished, my dear – with or without a special someone. ❤️
When Loving Becomes Extraordinaire
by Christine Lailani
You’re the only one who captured my heart in a way that nobody else could.
I hear your thoughts, you hear mine – a language that only we know.
Know that I will love every version of you: your young, your old, your calm, your furious, your happy, and your sad.
Because loving you is like loving an extraordinary person – my love extraordinaire.
🌹
“Can You Feel The Love Tonight”
“We love because God first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
Found this movie by chance, too, over YouTube the day before yesterday. 🙂 And I am not going to make any spoilers (if you haven’t seen it yet), but just wait for the scene that if you can caption it, it’ll go like this:
“Time stopped when our eyes locked, the world suddenly became smaller and only the two of us are in the room…”
Enjoy watching! 🥰
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
Today’s mood led me to search for a good romantic movie on YouTube, and I stumbled upon this Hallmark movie entitled “The Story of Us.”
I highly recommend watching this feel-good movie. Well, aside from the fairytale ending (as expected 😉), I totally love the bookstore + cafe concept.
I’m thinking about integrating it later on at the farm, God willing, since my family and I love to read. Network signals are also intermittent there so book reading will become a necessity to ease boredom. lol We have lots of books at home in Bicol and in our homes here in Manila, which I plan on consolidating if my siblings and their families agree when we’re seniors already. I hope to include it as part of the family legacy. 🙂
Some of my favorites from my personal collection.
If you want a good marriage, invest in it, as they say. But the catch here is that both of you have to invest in it to make it work. 😃
Mini library at your service– the condo version. 😊
Nothing is more enjoyable than having that secluded nook to read where no one can disturb you and you’re surrounded by nature in all her splendor. This is one of the best views there at the farm and my Dad loves this view. This is also the reason why he loves to visit the rice fields when the palay is all lush and green.
I’ll come up with a better and longer video next time. 👍
The rice fields become all bare though after the harvest season. So I was thinking of planting and growing short-lived plants like sunflowers (I already have the seeds) by the end of the Dry Season as a crop alternative. The pollinators will love this, and it will also offer quite a scenic and lovely view to (future) guests.
Ah yes, so many plans, and yet it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail. But the mission remains – make the farm as a retreat place for holistic wellness, and this includes the hospice facility which will be the topic for my next article. 🙏❤️😊
Going back to the movie, I loved the concept of grassroots, going back to the hometown, preserving the history of a place while being open to possibilities in future improvements, soulmate union after being apart for some time, and true love.
Yes, that is the “Story of Us.” Go watch it now if you haven’t watched it yet. And the Bible verse below resonates with the movie’s theme. 🥰
“When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” – Isaiah 60:22
Ater 1 week of hibernating, I can no longer dismiss the “tugging” to come back on WordPress. This will break my yearly tradition of hibernating here for my birthday prayer and fasting, but I believe God has planned this all along.
I also stumbled upon this Youtube video today, and I also felt the “tugging” to share it here. I have a hunch a lot of single people out there need to watch this, especially since December (and February) is usually the month where a lot of single people feel depressed for not having a special someone to spend the holidays with aside from their families.
I hope this video will remind you to appreciate this season of waiting for the right love to come along – God’s best for you. Because if I can give a message to my younger self, it would be this: “don’t be young and reckless.”
This video is about an hour long, you might want to set aside time for this so you can watch it without any distractions. 🙂
While waiting for your special someone, you might want to learn a new dance routine – Bachata. What is Bachata?
“Bachata is a genre of popular song and dance of the Dominican Republic performed with guitars and percussion.” – Merriam Webster
Who knows, you might dance this in the future with your God-given special someone on your wedding day or honeymoon. 😉 I chose “Bailando Bachata” because the beat and melody can also be a perfect addition to your Zumba sessions at home.
Bachata – Couple
You can dance the Bachata as a pair or as a group. I am currently practicing a few Bachata steps though I am no longer new to dancing because I’ve been dancing since grade school. You may read more of my dancing experience here: “When Grace And Aura Captivate You.”
Bachata – Group
The poet in me also loves the English translation of the lyrics of “Bailando Bachata,” but methinks it’s too sensual for my blog. Though I find it similar to “The Song of Solomon” in the Bible. ❤️
Enjoy dancing (while waiting and praying), my loves! 💃🎶🕺
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.” – Song of Solomon 8:6
E-book, PDF, paperback edition – for as long as it is something I can read, I’ll read it. 😉
I was dared by my cousin Nadja and friend Nina for this 10 books challenge which I really had a hard time doing as I LOVE BOOKS aside from the fact that I have a bachelor’s degree in literature and making me choose among the 100+ books I have read is far too tasking. But I was more than glad to join the ride, thus challenge accepted. 🙂
Here it is:
“Friends, you need to list down 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and don’t think too hard. They don’t have to be “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. The idea is to instill the nostalgia of vintage books in the online community. Tag 10 friends including me so I can see your list.”
1. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
2. LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
3. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen
4. JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte
5. A NEW EARTH by Ekhart Tolle
6. THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint – Exupery
7. A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L’Engle
8. THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu
9. THE DEVOTIONAL STUDY BIBLE
10. THE PURPLE BOOK by Steve Murrell & Rice Broocks
P.S.
11. BRIDA by Paulo Coehlo
12. THE WISHSONG OF SHANNARA by Terry Brooks
I made it 12 because I just can’t make it to 10. Sorry, I really am that deviant. What is in your list? 🙂
I got hold of a copy of this movie last year, but for a reason that I know not, I got to watch it just now while rummaging through my “not yet seen” list of movies for the coming long weekend. Maybe God has intended for me to watch it this time. And by the way, it is the only movie that I wasn’t able to watch from my compilation. 🙂
So yes, this article is going to be 3 years late as this movie was released year 2010. This will not be a review (I don’t usually do reviews because I am not good at it) but I just want to share my personal insights about the movie.
I love it.
The plot is well-crafted. Simple, direct and well-carried out. The story is written by none other than one of the famous contemporary American novelists, Nicholas Sparks. The movie is an adaptation of his novel, Dear John. The love story between a military guy and a girl who came from a rich family may sound a bit typical but the story still has its own unique theme as there is no antagonist. Conflicts were mainly derived from the couples’ decisions (John’s decision to enlist in the war in Afghanistan leaving Savannah behind and Savannah’s engagement to Tim) and time.
Savannah’s wanting to be a Special Education practitioner was one of the deciding factors why she married Tim (who was later diagnosed with cancer and died) and be a mom to Tim’s son, Alan, who has autism. John’s dad is also “special” in a way being reclusive and has this particular interest, almost obsessive, in collecting coins especially mules.
Why do I love it?
I like the smooth transition of the scenes in the movie. There are no dragging scenes and the setting constantly changes from one setting to another. The particular scene that I love in the movie would be the part wherein Savannah played the “Little House” song to John. I didn’t know that Amanda Seyfried can really sing and play the guitar so well. Here’s a thing too – she wrote the song, herself. (I hope I can compose songs as good as her – wishful thinking.) *wink* Pretty perfect for a girl, isn’t she? She can act, sing, compose songs, play the guitar and she is adorably good-looking.
Now, I should not be leaving all the compliments to Amanda, should I? 😉 Yes, the reason I chose the movie is because the lead actor is none other than one of my favorite Hollywood actors second to Benjamin Barnes – Channing Tatum.Channing just has this particular charm – sort of an enigma that captivates me every time I see him. Well yes, I can’t deny that he is really gorgeous. I first saw him in the Step Up movie. Quite an awesome dancer! A complete package too. No wonder he and Amanda pair so perfectly well. If I am to rate the movie, I am going to give it 4 stars out of 5.
I also love all the soundtracks in the movie. My next goal is to get hold of the album containing all the movie’s soundtracks. Too early for my birthday’s wishlist, I know, but my wish might be granted earlier than expected. 🙂
In the meantime, here are some soundtracks from the movie that I was able to search over YouTube and would like to share with you. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, I suggest you watch it.
The Journeyman's Moments 