Dedicated to Joe Alabarces

Okay, now it seems I have a blog for every thought I have. This one is special because its dedicated to a young kid by the name of Joe Alabarces.

Joe was my sister Alicia's first boyfriend. He asked her out when she was 15 on a stage in the middle of the mall, in front of probably hundreds of people. I wasn't there, but I could imagine what it was like. For a boy of 16, he wasn't afraid to let everybody know how he felt about this girl. My sister and Joe were lucky to have found each other. There are benefits of meeting a soulmate at such a young age and of course there are the downfalls. (I don't know if Alicia would say he was her soulmate, but I think he was)

The pros of meeting young:

1. You don't have the history of going through a horrible relationship.

2. You're innocent, you can learn what love is together.

3. Discovering your insecurities together and then conquering them.

4. Tons more I'm sure, but I'm too emotional right now for the rest.

The cons of meeting young:

1. You're not mature enough to recognize your differences and your uniqueness of being individuals in a relationship.

2. Not knowing how to comprise because you're so sure of yourself.

3. Not realizing that what you're going through is something so special.

Alicia and Joe met too young and broke up before they could meet their potential. But that's life...you live and you learn. But they two remained friends over the past 3 to 4 years. Although they weren't together, they loved each other. The fights and reconciliation were learning tools. I think they were too stubborn to realize how good they were together. Alex (my other sister) and I would tease Alicia that one day she would marry Joe. However, God had other plans and I think Alicia knew that deep in her heart somewhere. She would say, "no, I love Joe, but he and I are too different." I think it would have worked eventually, but I can't get stuck in the "would haves."

When Joe found out he had brain cancer, he wrote a quote in his "About Me" section on his Myspace page. It said, "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." I think that Joe probably lived his life according to this quote before he found out. Joe was a unique person that brought so much joy to all of our lives. I didn't get to know him like my sister did, but he sure was cool. He was easy to talk to and you never knew if he was being serious. Everybody that ever met him probably liked him. It was easy to click with him. Accepting him for who he was, was a cake walk.

I have battled depression for who knows how long and this little quote has impacted me so much. Thanks to Joe, I think I may approach life a little differently. I'm always so worried about how unsuccessful my life has been and that my life has been uneventful and uninspiring. My mother always tries to reassure me that it is and that I've done so many amazing things so far. I've always know that people's lives affect others so much, but I never think that my life will ever amount to much nor will it affect anybody else. But Joe's quote has made me re-evaluate what's important. This is my life, I should live it how I see fit. And I love to learn, so I should definitely continue to learn something new everyday or every minute. So I will, I'll make an effort to remember something of what I've learned everyday. Joe may have died young, at 22, but his wisdom will not.

Fly with the Angels Joe, we'll love you forever.