All you need is love

I must admit this year will be pretty busy.
I started school and I work full time as an electrician, in addition, I have some callings in church as well. I guess that would make me enter that group of people that are stressed.
And to be honest sometimes I feel pretty under pressure.
Work keeps me pretty busy during the day... like from 7 am till sometimes 7 pm. Then I study a bit. And some days I have to fulfill the calling I have. All this while getting ready for the wedding.
I guess one of the great things I learned on my mission is to make time effective. A good planning of the time I have is a good start to a better day.
Ok maybe I am not the person that, at night, sits down and plans every moment of his day, but I wake up already knowing what I'm gonna do that day.
One wise man once told me that planning if you don't have a goal is pointless. We must have a goal. And sometimes we must have a muse.
Amazing thing is that since I put to practice this silly principle I started having more effective days.
Not perfect. But much more effective than before.
So I was thinking, my goal is to finish school in a decent amount of years, and I do want to get married to Claudia. So I must work and study. Easy.
Easy to notice that my muse is indeed Claudia, because I have to admitt that since we are together I always got better and better in planning my time.
As I said before I'm not perfect but I do realize I am better at using the time I have than what I was 6 years ago while in high school.
It's a matter of time to get used to this, but once we start we will realize that our time is enough. And we get to sleep too. :)
Life isn't easy but we have been given the tools to make it special.
As for me, Claudia makes my life much better and, not to be cheesy, she is the reason for my happiness. Why? Because all you need is love, as The Beatles would say.
That is another thing we should never miss in our lives.
So here you are few important things to make life better.
Organize the time
A goal
A muse
and most important love. Love has to be so present that even if you don't have a goal, love should be your goal. How to be better for your spouse. For your children. For your family.

musings

i realize, almost certainly, that no one really reads this blog. the great thing is, i don't really care. i don't mean that in the sense that if you are actually reading that i dismiss your time and consideration in venturing here. i just mean that i'm not disappointed if you don't.

i think. a lot. it's just something all humans do all the time, is it not? i probably think too much. sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes that just brings a great deal of stress.

recently i've been thinking a lot about what makes me happy. like for real. none of that fake "i wanna act like i'm happy so people think i'm really happy but i'm not and i just want them to admire me" happiness, but the real deal. something i learned on my mission was simplicity. oftentimes, less is more. and the more and more i think about that, the more and more i come to the conclusion that i want a simple life. no clutter, no unnecessary crap. just what i need. a modest home with whatever makes it comfortable. and i'm training myself to have what i need and what allows me to be genuinely happy and not what i think will make me happy. it's tough sometimes. i am a girl and i like nice things. one of the biggest tests was something that happened about a week ago. gabriele has wanted to buy me another, bigger ring. i love my ring but i was tempted to opt for a significantly larger stone. we had talked about it for a while and just when gabriele was going to buy it i said no. we always talked about how a ring means more than just a stone set in gold, it's a symbol. i knew that ring wouldn't make me love gabriele any more than i do now, and it really wouldn't make me any happier. so i said no, i don't need it. to be honest, i have been happier ever since. it's dumb things like this that often try to get in the way of what's important. the most important thing is love. family. the gospel. the things that go beyond this life. i am so grateful for love, family and the gospel in my life. i'd never change anything that has happened to me. i'm the person i am because of my experiences. and i feel lucky. blessed because i got what is best for me.

buon san valentino

today is valentine's day. i can't say that i've ever really liked this "holiday." i've never been able to spend it with someone, whether or not i was single. that's the case for this year as well. but i guess i spend time nearly every day talking to the person i love, so that's what is most important.

this year gabriele sent me two dozen roses. i must say, i so love them! i've never really received flowers before, so to me, it's quite an event. it's funny, roses are gabriele's favorite, not mine. while daffodils are my favorite, they don't hold well. either way, i can now say that getting flowers makes any day better.

going "against" the commercialism of valentine's, at church we focused on the love of God. i really enjoyed all of the talks and lessons that emphasized a love greater than we can comprehend. and in the end, it's the greatest love. God loves perfectly. He loves us despite our faults. He loves us whether we are rich or poor or kind or rude. the fact that i know that He loves me is in and of itself amazing. but i've gotta keep that knowledge...it's what gets me through the tough times. i'm grateful for God's love and for the love that the Savior has for us. i'm grateful that they understand when others cannot. i'm grateful that they succor when no one else can. no matter the injury, the hurt, the injustice, they are there for us. it's a love that can't compare to any other relationship.

roses are nice. but love is better.