Friday, September 30, 2016

CAUGHT UP!



I was caught up with a lot of things in the last six years: teaching in graduate school, ethnographic research in other countries, homeschooling my children, working on my doctorate, and moving from Manila back to my home city of Davao.  That explains why the last entry in this blog was in October of 2010!

I find it so providential that the revival of this blog and the passion that came with the book is happening around the same time that I wrote the last blog entry entitled "An Invitation to Brave the Journey (Or Why I wrote True Love Weds)."  What's more is that it is not just the blog and the trueloveweds@gmail.com email account that are being brought back to life.  With the creative genius and spirited prodding of two beautiful and passionate ladies (Shey Velasquez and Elsyl Demontaño) , we are giving birth to a mentoring group called Ladies of Purity (LOP) tomorrow, the first of October!


Do you feel like you're caught up in the wishing well called "singleness"?  Join us on October 1, 2016, 6:00pm at Anniepie Cafe (behind Davao Doctors Hospital) for a time of sharing and caring.  See you there!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Why I Wrote True Love Weds

An Invitation to Brave the Journey
(Or Why I Wrote True Love Weds)
By Grace Gaston-Dousel
My ear was red and aching. Nearly two hours of being on the phone in the middle of the night is not exactly my idea of a night cap. But this time, I had to patiently listen to a friend bare her heart. In between sniffs she shared how she felt so low, so bad, so destitute. She has finally realized she needed to shape up. But she didn’t know where to begin or where to draw the strength to make the first step.
It was so easy for me to judge her. She had committed the same mistake twice. In both cases, she was left with a baby to bring forth and raise all by herself. Her parents couldn’t care less because they see her as the black sheep with no redemption. Her siblings scorn her for bringing shame upon shame and trouble upon trouble into their otherwise perfect family. Previously earning well in a call center, she is now without a job due to absences. With a three year old daughter and a three month old baby boy, she found herself knocking at her parents’ house. While she was accommodated, it was not without painful words.
“I know I have to set things right for me and my children. I just had an argument with my boyfriend about my daughter. He obviously does not love her because she is my child from a previous relationship. I can’t blame him. But I also can’t live without him. I love him. I’d do anything to get him to come back.” I couldn’t bring myself to sympathize with her a hundred percent. I wanted to say, “Your stupidity is what got you into this mess. You always hook up with the wrong men.” Instead the words that came out were verses from Isaiah 33:6: He will be the stability in your times; a rich store of wisdom, knowledge and peace; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. After a few more insights, I ended our long phone call with a prayer.
People ask me why I wrote True Love Weds. I must admit that at the beginning I simply wanted to share with my readers how True Love Waits (the movement and the curriculum that I co-wrote) helped me wait, find and wed my true love. Five years after True Love Weds was first launched, I found myself giving a different answer.
I wrote True Love Weds (with its new chapter and discussion guide) because I long for more young adults to experience the wonderful life that results from a love life submitted to the lordship of Christ. My heart breaks at the sight of single mothers like my friend. My arms ache for children born out of unwanted pregnancies and more so for nameless babies whose lives were snuffed by an abortionist’s needle. I am bothered by the growing number of men and women who walk around searching aimlessly for true love yet search for it in one sexual encounter after another. I am frightened at the thought that in the supposedly conservative Asian society, about four to five cases of HIV are being noted daily due to sexual promiscuity. I am shaken at the increasing tolerance of marriage-less unions and rampant divorce. I am alarmed at the thought that families are being broken every minute due to the absence of God’s presence.
True Love Weds is not just my story. It is a proof that there is still true love that weds, that marriage is not passé, that a happy family life is not utopia. It is a real take on what it means to pursue the path of purity and enjoy its prize. It is my challenge to anyone who wishes to find true love to wait and honor God in every step. It is my honest confession of how much work marriage takes and the wondrous joys it brings. It is an invitation to brave a difficult journey that leads to a magnificent destination.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

New Look: True Love Weds


What can you say about True Love Weds' new look?


Friday, September 10, 2010

TRUE LOVE WEDS AGAIN!

See you at the launch of TRUE LOVE WEDS!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Off to a Good Start!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I am expecting a great year from my great God. To start it off, I would like to announce that True Love Weds: When the Waiting is Over is going on a re-print this year! I have recently met with my editor, Joy Solina, and we have commenced the project.

There is so much you can look forward as we (re)launch True Love Weds:
--a new chapter, capturing the first 5 years of my marriage and family life
--a discussion guide for each chapter
--a new look and layout
--a year-long book tour.

To know more, please don't hesitate to leave a comment on this blog or email trueloveweds@gmail.com.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Going for a re-print

Next year will mark the fifth year that True Love Weds has been in print, and the seventh year of my marriage to Mang.

My publisher is thinking of doing a reprint and a re-launch. The reprinted version will probably have an additional chapter and a discussion guide for each chapter.

Watch for it.

Ano pang hinihintay ko? Sulat na!


Sunday, January 04, 2009

A Year of Silence!

Wow!  I didn't realize that it's been more than a year since I last wrote something on this space.  The entry of the new year is a good time to start blogging afresh.  Hope there are still people out there willing to check out what True Love Weds is all about.  

Happy New Year everyone!