Faith, Hope, and Love
/“ And now these three remain: faith , hope and love But the greatest of these is love”
Sara is one of my best friends. I have known her since the sixth grade. I don’t remember the moment we met. I do know that was new to the school and we were easy friends. We lived down the street from one another and we walked to and from school together. We shared a lot of similar interests and that common interest laid the foundation for a forever friendship. We played soccer and volleyball together. We both enjoyed art.
We attended different colleges in Upstate NY and through it all remained great friends. She received her PhD in Analytical Chemistry from UC Riverside giving me a reason to frequent the West Coast. We stood up in each other’s weddings. When I called to tell her I was pregnant I had a strong sense that she was pregnant, too. In fact, our first pregnancies were due on the same day. Our second pregnancies were weeks apart. Our girl pairs call each other birthday twins. Even her parents and sister’s families are wildly supportive of me and my crew and a tremendous part of our community. Since Antonio passed, they have included us in their yearly summer beach plans. I am so extremely grateful for her love and friendship.
There is no surprise that when I shared with her our Care box initiative, she was all in. She gave liberally and generously. She gushed with incredible feedback about the Care boxes and what it did for her. I thought it was powerful. Seemingly small acts of kindness are mighty. I asked her to share her experience.
Heading to the beach 2018
““All you need is Love” – The Beatles
When Autumn asked me to write a few words for her blog I admit, I was nervous. The nerves manifested into procrastination. So, it took me longer than promised to strum up the courage to write a few words….but here it goes.
I believe that three things matter most in life – faith, hope, and love. I think my father wrote it best in 1996 when he wrote me a wonderfully inspiring letter where he stated that “Faith means believing in God and in yourself, Hope means trusting that positive things will happen, and Love means opening yourself to others, to their aspirations and concerns.”
When life is excruciatingly hard and filled with uncertainty it can be easy to forget or lose sight of your faith, hope, and love, particularly, in times of isolation. It is easy to let fear, anxiety, and stress take control and dominate your life. I must admit that around March/April I was low - struggling with my faith, losing hold of hope, and failing to love deeply. I felt helpless, unable to control everyday situations, and downright scared.
I really did not know where to turn and what might snap me out of my feelings of hopelessness. I was texting with Autumn one day and learned of some care packages she was putting together. I ordered a few to send to family and friends. The response I received back from the recipients was one of gratitude and love.
I found that through this simple act of kindness I was more connected and felt a greater sense of community which lifted the fog of depression I was in. With a simple care package sent to family, friends, and neighbors I was able to reconnect. I was able to feel good about something. The simple gesture of surprising someone with a care package from the heart made all the difference for me. It restored my faith in the power of community, hope for the future, and most importantly my ability to let love back into my life.
I challenge you to try it….drop someone a note unexpectedly or a small care package to let them know you are thinking of them. Who knows, perhaps by sending these small gestures of love to lift others up will help strengthen your faith, hope and love like I experienced! ”
The Salvador Family
Sara- your email came right on time. I thank God for you. I truly appreciate your love and friendship. Love always wins
The last post I wrote was nearly two years ago. I have been grieving, slaying giants, raising champions, and growing in faith.