"Jesus did not give up His whole life so I can give half of mine."

Happy Resurrection Day of our Savior, Jesus Christ, everyone!

Who needs a boyfriend on Valentine's Day when you have the sweetest stepdad ever?

Ever since my stepdad, Rich, and my mom have been married, he has always given all the girls in the house roses on Valentine's Day: red for my mom and pink for my baby sister and me.

Me being away at college has not changed a thing. I received roses in the mail last year and an especially gorgeous, colorful bouquet of roses today.

• Me: Got the flowers today; thanks so much!
• Rich: Glad you like them. I look forward to sending them to you each year.
• Me: Hahaha, even when I'm married?
• Rich: As long as I'm alive.
• Me: -cries-

Is it weird to say that I want to marry a man like my stepdad? Too late.

Rich is honestly the most dedicated, thoughtful, faithful, accepting, nonjudgmental, fun, loving, honest, kind, PATIENT man of God I've ever known. No shame.

♥ Melizza.

P.S.: Disregard the demonic look on my face. And the floating head among the roses. I'm happy, really.

EDIT*

I do love getting Valentine's from other people, too. Aaron and Stephen cut out a paper heart and wrote: "Roses are red, violets are blue. Latinas are awesome and so are you!". So great.

Surrender.

The thought of surrendering to anything/anyone is seen as a sign of weakness, but I beg to differ.


I think in many cases, surrender is a sign of STRENGTH. This is not true when people surrender out of fear- this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the people who surrender, that know themselves SO well and have their heads well on their shoulders, because they see the bigger picture.


Before I go on, let me declare one thing: Art is in everything. Art is everything. When I say this, I go beyond the general idea of art that involves stages, scripts, violins, paintbrushes and cameras. I am also talking about doctors, teachers, lawyers, paramedics and anyone else in a career.


To me, surrender is a sign of SELFLESSNESS, or the desire to be so. As an artist, you HAVE to surrender. If you are selfish with your time, you can make decent, good art, but you cannot make REAL, TRUE, GREAT art. You cannot truly progress and grow. I know this from personal experience. The artists I look up to give up whole days and days to their art. Even a few hours isn't enough. The artists I look up to aren't perfect, they DO mess up, but they take extra hours and days out of their time to make improvements and alterations. They stand in front of a sheet or sit in a library with their noses in books for hours upon hours to try and learn, become better. They surrender to become better.


To go even further, I think surrendering to someOne, the One and Only God, takes even more strength and eternal perspective. This is the ultimate, great surrender. There is no single thing a person can do that takes more courage, strength and selflessness, nor is there no one thing/person that can provide greater happiness than when you surrender to Him. When you surrender to Him and truly surrender to Him, you love with His Love. Unconditionally. You put your family first. You serve your family. You seek the weary, the poor, the broken-hearted and tend to their needs. You think less about yourself and more about Him. You think less about yourself and more about His children, His work.


In a world that screams that people should stand upon a mountain proclaiming their individuality and greatness, with all else and all others beneath them, the world is ever in need of more people that are willing to lie low (figuratively-speaking and spiritually) and under those at their lowest to tend to them, LOVE them, lift them, encourage them, unify with them. It's easy to be high and mighty; it's harder to lower yourself. A lot of times, what is easy also tends to be the cheapest. Don't go for easy. Don't go for cheap. Humility is the greatest strength. Loving is the greatest thing we can do in that strength. Loving like He did is going the extra mile- like Jesus Christ always does for us.


Status: currently trying to embrace all this in my own life.

♥ Melizza.

Random news + Love plans:

• Jonathan Canlas is teaching a photography class at my school. NBD. 
• On that note, I would take it if I was a Photo BFA student. I can next semester! SO blessed to be at my school.
• My school's photo studio is SO sick. Our equipment is ridiculous. I can't wait to get my hands on it all and experiment Saturday!
• I am now officially certified to handle food at restaurants. My new Utah Food Handler's Permit says so.
• Everyone in Utah: COME EAT AT TOKYO SWEETS AT THE PROVO TOWNE CENTER. It's delicious. And new!
• I just realized that I LOVE history. Not the general history classes like "History of France" and "American History", but SPECIFIC history classes. I have taken History of Dance and History of Modern Civilizations through Literature in the past here in college and adored them both. I am currently taking History of Music and History of Jazz and I adore those even more. It's unreal. I have goosebumps the whole time. No joke. History minor, anyone?

My Love plans?

I am going to see about getting a group of people to do some outreach here in Provo. Back home with Mickey (a few years back), I would sometimes participate in what they called "Love Bags"- packing sandwiches, notes, water and such together to hand out to the homeless back home in downtown Ft. Lauderdale where there is a BIG homeless population. Well, I know there are quite a lot of homeless here in Provo, too. And they need love. REAL love.


I remember one time in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Mickey and I spoke to a man named Cliff for two solid hours. I wish we had more time to speak with him. I wish I knew where he was right now. I know there are thousands upon thousands of people like Cliff: without food, without a home, without a family, without hope. I want to help introduce love and Christ into the lives of people like Cliff.

"Jesus said to feed the poor, not donate.” I read that here on Keegan's blog a while back and it really struck and remained with me.


We have been commanded to unite with our fellow brethren; how can we possibly do that by writing out checks to charity efforts? I mean, it's still an awesome thing to do, of course, but with God and His work, we must go the extra mile. We must LOVE His children personally, individually, as He loves us.


"Because I have been given much, I too must give."


All for His glory, all for His children.


less of me, more of Him.


♥ Melizza.

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

—	Marjorie Pay Hinckley