Amor Con Amor Se Paga

Love Is Reciprocated With Love

In matters of love there are many philosophies. 

Some believe it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.  Others prefer to be with someone that loves them more than they love them back, while many more prefer not to bother with this complicated emotion of the heart at all. 

Whatever your viewpoint on love you, can’t deny that when you are loved it feels good.

In our household, birthdays were always the greatest expression of this emotion.  My father and mother would serenade us with song, sometimes accompanied by his guitar.  Over the years, we all learned the lyrics to Las Mañanitas and we incorporated the English version, Happy Birthday, which always ended …with and many more from Channel 4 for some reason?  I think my older sisters are the culprits behind this tag on. 

As new family members have been born or added into the Alanis clan, we’ve continued the tradition of getting together, whenever possible, to celebrate every birthday.  We can’t all make it all the time, but knowing that people care enough to come together in honor of your birthday makes the day extra special.  In my own household this time honored tradition has not yet become quite the staple it was in my childhood, but I have an inkling that is getting ready to change. 

In this video we were celebrating one of my youngest sister’s birthdays – Irma.  There was just something about watching my now gray-haired father singing this same song, listening to the deeper voices around the table, and watching the bewilderment in the eyes of our littlest ones that made me get all choked up.  We never know what tomorrow may bring or how long we’ll be able to continue this tradition, so while you can, enjoy love.  Embrace it; reciprocate it; don’t let stubbornness and pettiness rob you of it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZcbycE77cY