I had read your book “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept”. I know is a love story, Pillar and her boyfriend will stay together defeating all that was against their love. The thing I don’t understand is what is the meaning of the title .In the book I noticed quotes from the Bible, exactly a psalm, about river Babylon, and the sorrow of the defeated people. Is it a connection to Pillars sadness while she thought she will never be with her lover? Thank you so much, hoping for a reply, if you have some time.
Your interpretation is correct. I was inspired by this psalm from David: “By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.”
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Hi Savita,
Do you blog? your explanation was great. If u blog, do send the link at harrkar@gmail.com
Our Soul, in this World, is .. always weeping and moaning for .. our Lost Home..
LOVE,
Thelma.
when the jewish nation were forced to leave zion- and they were far away from there holly land – this was one of the songs of longings with agony to there place- and the love between the heroes in this book is the similarity of this such strong feeling.
The waters & rivers -
a wonderful place to shed our tears*
Thank you, Savita Vega. Really nice comment, wonderful interpretation,just loved it.Take care
Zion was to the Jews, Home. Even more than a place of habitual habitation, almost a sort of Mecca – a place to which the soul is drawn, and for which it pines in separation.
A love, I think, can be like that – a home to which we aspire to return. Personally, I do believe in reincarnation, so as naturally follows, I believe that it is possible for two people to share a history, although they have never before met. All of their lives they may search for one another, without consciously realizing what it is that they are seeking, until they find it. What they are seeking is to return “home” – to that place of belonging, in the arms of the Beloved. Though they have loved before, in a past life, they may go through many relationships in this life, both good and bad, before their paths finally cross again. All this while, though they may know many joys and much richness of pleasure, they sense deep down that there is some place else that they are meant to be – some other love that will far surpass the others – and, so, all this while, they are like the exiles who wept for Zion. By the rivers of their life, they sit down and weep, their whole soul within them yearning to return home again.
And when they do finally find one another…? Well, I’ll leave the rest of the story up to speculation. Each story, after all, is very different from the other. And not all have a happy ending; to suggest that they do would be ridiculous. Even great loves can lead us to experience enormous tragedies. And yet to be courageous enough not to “settle” for anything less – this is the key to happiness. Even if it takes us our whole lives to return home, even if the journey is perilous and painfully long, we should not give up and simply settle by the wayside. We must think of the exiles, the captives returning to their homeland, the Promised Land, who traveled for decades in wait of arrival. The could have easily given up the journey, just set up a permanent camp by a river somewhere, and called the place “home.” But they would have known in their hearts that this was a lie. The would never have been satisfied until they reached their genuine destination.
We must be brave in love, as in all other matters in life. Sometimes this bravery is a matter of waiting and watching and knowing with our whole hearts that our there somewhere is a place called “home.” It may not be visible yet over the horizon, be we rest assured that the moment our feet touch that soil, we will know where we are. We will be, at last, in the Promised Land of our heart’s long yearning.
I am so happy now.Thank you so much.
Sometimes I feel I must read more about religion, I have things about which I am not sure. But your books really do help.So many things I know only from there. I really loved the novel, and I loved the end with the line when is mentioned that God always give a second chance.
A happy promising future, in the end of the interesting love novel.
Must say that again, I am always amazed by the way you know understand a womans mind, here Pillar.
And also I will always respect you very much for your courage to mention the term “The feminine side of God”.
Thank you a lot, is really a bright day today for me, in a metaphorical sense ,and even in reality. All my best wishes,
Very much love, Alexandra