this too shall pass

I saw Jersey Boys the other day. I really enjoyed it- the music (mo-town <3), the story, even the silly/awkward dancing. But after watching the musical, I couldn't seem to shake off a strange feeling pitted deep in my stomach.

After digesting it all, I realized that the show's themes of changing seasons, people falling away, and an inevitable loneliness really struck a chord with me and where my life's at right now.

The thing about New York (and I bring this up a lot) is that it's this place where everything is transitory. People are changing, situations are always evolving. There is no state of permanence or stability.

And it doesn't help that I work in a marketing agency- an industry that is in a constant state of flux. Employees are coming in and out like the place is a revolving door. People who have stayed at my company for longer than two years (our "veterans") are few and far between. Every time, I start developing a real sense of camaraderie with one of my co-workers, they always end up leaving. It's gotten to a point that when a co-worker leaves somewhere in the middle of the day or comes in a bit late, I ask him/her (with alarm in my eyes, I'm sure), "You're not interviewing are you?!" Yes, I've become a needy, paranoid co-worker.

And things are definitely changing at church. As the new TLC (our small groups) season starts, I can't help but remember last year with the warmest regard. Back then, we seemed so young and optimistic about the year to come: the things that we'll do together, the ways that God will work. And this year already feels different (for obvious reasons)... And my heart and my outlook on life in general feel tougher- that life isn't butterflies and rainbows, that people (including myself) don't have the best intentions all the time. And I will miss our old group, each of them individually and our dynamic as a whole.

But you know what's the saddest/weirdest thing about all this?
Even when we feel shaky about things and people fall away from our lives, it all passes and we recover and/or things "normalize" again. It's a life phenomenon.

I remember when I was leaving my old LA office and even breaking up with a past boyfriend, I realized that the saddest part of leaving people behind, is not necessarily leaving them behind, but its the fact that we'll eventually be okay without them. The human heart is so forgetful, so fickle. Just like how Frankie Valli was able to go on without the rest of the Four Seasons, its in my capacity to let go of things- that makes me the saddest.



Tonight you're mine completely
You give your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?

Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment's pleasure?
Can I believe the magic of your sighs?
Will you still love me tomorrow?

these two...

:*)

makes me think back to the old days:

the pieta

Michelangelo's Pieta is what originally spurred my desire to visit Rome. When I walked into St. Peter's Basilica, I got goosebumps. And when I saw the Pieta, I almost couldn't breathe. I snapped multiple shots of it. I think it's the most beautiful, heartbreaking, yet serene masterpieces of all time.


So according to my research, this was the only signed piece by Michelangelo. The story behind it is that when the sculpture was first exhibited, Michelangelo actually overheard the people attributing the Pieta to different Renaissance artists. Enraged by this, Michelangelo carved, "“MICHAEL. ANGELUS. BONAROTUS. FLORENT. FACIEBAT” (Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence Created This). Later, he admitted that he regretted that he caved to his emotions… and never signed his art again.

With this magnificent statue Michelangelo has given us a highly spiritual and Christian view of human suffering. Artists before and after Michelangelo always depicted the Virgin with the dead Christ in her arms as grief stricken, almost on the verge of desperation. Michelangelo, on the other hand, created a highly supernatural feeling.

As she holds Jesus' lifeless body on her lap, the Virgin's face emanates sweetness, serenity and a majestic acceptance of this immense sorrow, combined with her faith in the Redeemer. It seems almost as if Jesus is about to reawaken from a tranquil sleep and that after so much suffering and thorns, the rose of resurrection is about to bloom. As we contemplate the Pieta which conveys peace and tranquility, we can feel that the great sufferings of life and its pain can be mitigated.

Here, many Christians recall the price of their redemption and pray in silence. The words may be those of the "Salve Regina" or "Sub tuum presidium" or another prayer. After Peter's Tomb, the Pieta Chapel is the most frequently visited and silent place in the entire basilica.

It is said that Michelangelo had been criticized for having portrayed the Virgin Mary as too young since she actually must have been around 45-50 years old when Jesus died. He answered that he did so deliberately because the effects of time could not mar the virginal features of this, the most blessed of women. He also said that he was thinking of his own mother's face, he was only five when she died: the mother's face is a symbol of eternal youth.