One Year and Two Days

Most anyone that reads any of my blogs knows me well enough to know how hard last year was for me. This past sunday (april 27th) marked a year since the day I lost all ability to use anything on the left side of my body. I never imagined not being able to physically jump off my bed in the morning, or jump out of the shower and put a fresh new shirt on my back. But now i know what its like, to not be able to do either. I never thought of what a privelege it is to be able to eat a huge burrito with two hands. Everyday I think of not being able to play guitar, or hug my friends, or hold Chloe so tight in my arms. Everyday I think about how everyone around me came together to comfort me and pray for me and show that they loved me.I think of that sunday when Tim had me waddle up to the front for prayer and like 90% of the church got up out of their seats and layed hands on me. I think of the prayer night at my tiny little house overflowing with all of you guys coming to lift my situation up to our healer(i promise i remember every single one of you). I think of mario, mom, dad, cedes, brandon, nick, who all  stayed different nights with me at the hospital to help me not feel alone, and all the people (way to many to list, but i also remember every single one of you) who came and overflowed my hospital room with your love every day. I laugh when i think of Alex and Seth (whom i only knew a few months prior) bringing me a chinese FEAST because Alex didn't want me eating hospital food. I think of Brian and Rachel bringing the group one night to the hospital and being so overwhelmed by the crowed of my friends i asked them to take me outside in my wheelchair for fresh air. I Think of my brother wanting so bad to drive me to chloe's house all the way in OC just cause he knew i needed her(she went through all of this just the same as i did, and am so thankful the lord brought her to me just in time to  help me through it all. Chloe Mae, I love you). I think of my mom coming  in my room every morning before work and laying on my bed and praying for me with endless tears(she still comes in every morning to pray for me and mario. Yes, i guess i'm spoiled) When i wasn't able to stand and lift both my hands to Jesus in worship, It brought me to a completely different understanding of what an honor it is to praise our savior for everything we most often don't even think about.  I'm not trying to be dramatic, but my life will never be the same. Everyday i pray to God not to ever allow me to forget what He has brought me through this last year. I don't know what's to come. I guess none of us  really know what life is gonna randomly throw at us, but lets never forget to praise God. Here! Right Now! For everything that we don't even notice sometimes. Praise him.

There are so many memories from this last year, so so so many. thank you all for everything you guys did for me. Everyone! I will never forget. I promise.

With the endess Love only Jesus gives,

Giovan Polanco

Accepting Donations.

I haven't been feeling very inspired lately.(explains why i haven't written anything since Feb.) Don't quite know what it is. I know the new job has been keeping me pretty busy. I mean, It's the normal 5 day a week retail job, but i think its just taken me a little bit to adjust.  I love it though. I run the shoe dept. 5 shifts a week at American Rag CIE. It's been cool getting to know a great selection of designer shoes. Wanna buy me a pair of boots? (see picture) They are priced at $485. So now in addition to my D&G suit, I will gladly take donations for a new pair of Fiorentini+Baker italian boots. Anyone? Anyone?! My birthday is coming up! in 7 months ;p

Mountains Tremble. Oceans Roar.

When I read certain text in the bible, like parts where God supernaturally reveals Himself to man, I often wonder why He doesn't speak in the same ways He did in biblical times. In the exodus from egypt, for example, are crazy stories that we can't even imagine happening in this day in age. In my thought process i've come to think that maybe it is that we, yes even those of us that hold to everything the scriptures teach us, don't have the same kind of faith that people did in biblical times. Thinking about things in the world today, it is quite easy to believe that. Isn't it? What if I told you that God still speaks in supernatural ways through supernatural means. Would you believe me because of your faith? Would you believe me because of something you've actually experienced? Or would you not even believe me at all.

It was about 2:00AM one night and Mario and I were driving home tired from a late rehearsal. We were on the 405 northbound going through the part of carson with all the car dealerships on one side and the ikea on the other. I don't know if you guys are familiar with the area. Well, all the car dealerships have their electronic signs up. You know, the ones that are all, "All 2004 models must go" and it flashes a bunch of other offers. Well, usually by 2:00AM these signs are turned off and blank. Not tonight. To our surprise, as mario and I drove by the one sign that was still lit up, the words on the screen brightly read... "Lord, open the door. Only You can open doors. Lord, close the door. Only You can close doors." TRUE STORY! Like I said it was really late and we were both really tired. I turned to look at mario to see if he could see it too. I was trying to make sure i wasn't seeing things or going crazy. Sure enough, he saw it too. It was something that i will never forget. 

I'de like to believe that it was meant for only mario and I to see, but I don't know. Sometimes i'de like to believe that it was an illusion, like it wasn't really there, and God somehow allowed both my brother and I to see it as if it was physically there, but I don't know. The most practical thing would be that some crazy christian employee from that ford dealership decided to stay after hours and play with the electronic sign. Whatever the origin was, either natural or supernatural, the lord used practical means to speak in a supernatural way. No? Yes! Is it not the same way in many things in life? 

Reading through the book of Proverbs you read over and over again about how wisdom is made so available to us. "wisdom cries aloud in the streets, at the entrance of the city gates she speaks" God has made himself so evident to us, so practical and obvious to us and yet we choose not to see him in everything. Why? Because there are other explinations? No! Simply our lack of faith. Because if we truthfully long to know God and everything he is, it wouldn't take a supernatural revelation from God for us to believe (what good would that do anyways? even the Isrealites turned their backs on God after he parted a ridiculously huge body of water so they could escape pharoah) or even a random electronic sign that read some pretty gnarly words to Mario and I one night. No, all it should take is for us to look around at creation and see that He is ALL, and ALL is His, and ALL is from Him. Then it would be impossible to ignore His hand in everything natural, showing us the supernatural. Make sense? Probably not. Goodnight. 

From Riches to Rags?

As many of you know, a few weeks ago I decided to give Starbucks another try. My intentions where to simply get a stable job that I knew I could do well. I ended up getting hired as a shift supervisor at a store that had recently dealt with a lot of drama. The asst. manager had just gotten fired, the store manager was under a financial audit with corporate and people were quiting left and right. I had been there two weeks when I decided it wasn't the place for me.

My brother and one of my best friends recently got hired at this retail store American Rag(hence the title). They let me know that there were a few openings for sales positions at their store. So I applied, and got hired :)I will be making double what I was making at Starbucks and hours won't be as ridiculous(opening shift at starbucks was 4:30am). I'm stoked for this little transition period, and can't wait to start at American Rag.

Also, this might mean i get to move out in the next few months. Everything through prayer. 

Be blessed yall.

Testing.. Testing.. 1.. 2.. 3..

I often think about how much more interesting life is when I get to share it with others. Not only in the sense of actively doing things with people, but also just being able to tell people about even the smallest of things. Things as small as the incredible americano's they serve at Intelligentsia, or even more in depth things like a new job or career.

Starting this page is an attempt for me to share more of my thoughts and activities with those of you I see daily, and those of you I don't get to see too often. If I even get just one person to read each of my blogs than I would consider this an accomplishment, because just by reading that blog, that one person got to know me a little bit more than they did before. Cool? Cool.