Friday, January 31, 2014

Life is simple

Well, all I can say to this quote from Confucius is "amen!" We are really the ones that make life complicated.


The photo is the "cock's comb" flower.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

radiate beauty

Beauty really starts internally. Then if we are beautiful inside, outer beauty naturally follows.


The photo is a two-toned Gerbera daisy.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

standing alone

I find this quote from Ritu Ghatourey so encouraging. Oftentimes we are afraid of standing alone, but this quote should give us courage.


The photo is a lone bud standing tall and unafraid.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

words like rain and dew

Rain and dew always remind me of freshness, of newness. So I can understand the imagery used in this quote from Deuteronomy about the teachings of the Lord "falling like rain" "like showers on new grass".


The photo is a leaf of the bleeding heart plant covered by raindrops.

Monday, January 27, 2014

friends across miles

I like this quote from Richard Bach. I find that it resonates with my experience with my friends. Sometimes we are separated by miles yet when we write each other, we feel like we are just beside each other. So miles and time cannot really separate true friends from each other.


This is composed of two photos I layered in Photoshop.If you like a card or poster of this, please check my RedBubble site.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

when is perfection achieved

Have you ever achieved perfection in any of the things you do? Antoine de Saint-Exupery in this quote has a way of finding out if perfection is achieved.


The photo is a decorative pineapple. This is rather small and with hardly any flesh so it is usually used as part of a floral arrangement rather than for food. It's pattern and beauty is really amazing.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

rejoice in God

This quote from Luke is the Blessed Virgin Mary's song of praise. Pope Francis exhorts us to be like Mary who is an icon of joy.


The photo is a gold mum which looks like it is soaring joyfully.

Friday, January 24, 2014

try to be a rainbow

This quote from Maya Angelou is so full of positive and inspiring thought. I can't help but smile as I imagine myself being a rainbow in someone's cloud.


I divert from my usual photoquote. I made this card by using Photoshop. I did not use any photo here.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

when we love

Isn't this quote from Paulo Coelho so true?  We really "always strive to become better" when we love.


The photo is the flower of Pseudomussaenda flava.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

little details, little things

I find this quote from John Wooden so true. If we miss out on some little details, our work will usually not come out right.


The photo is a centipede I found in our garden. Sometimes they even enter our house and I found one in our family room just like a few minutes a ago.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Trust

Trust is something we have to learn, especially trust in God. Corrie ten Boom said this so nicely in this quote.


The photo is a pair of slippers left by a swimmer on the beach of Boracay.

Monday, January 20, 2014

looking forward

This quote from LL Cool J is so motivating. It makes us keep on moving to achieve greater things and not remain stagnant. We have many goals and we build on each one we achieve.


The photo is a fern frond lighted by the early morning sun.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

patience and good character

In our present world of fast-paced activities, this quote from Heraclitus is a very good reminder for us. There are just certain things that cannot be accomplished instantly and as he noted, "good character" is one of those that need time to develop.


The photo shows flowers of Begonia semperflorens.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

let go of yesterday

The only way we can move forward is to "let go of yesterday" as what Joel Osteen exhorts us to do in this quote. We will surely "get to where God wants us to be."I just love this inspiring words from him.


The photo is simply a new leaf emerging from the plant, red ginger torch lily.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Time

Time is a kind of equalizer indeed. As Horace puts it in this quote, it can "bring to light whatever is hidden" or "conceal what is shining in splendor".


The photo shows two mums, one in full bloom and the other, partially hidden.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

trust in the Lord

Blessed Maria Domenica's maxim which she wrote for the Camillian Sisters is also true for all of us. We really must learn to put our trust in the Lord and just in ourselves.


The photo is a trunk of a coconut left all alone at the beach. This was after the devastating typhoon that hit our place.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

commitment unlocks doors of imagination

I love this quote from James Womack.  "Commitment unlocks doors of imagination...turn our dreams into reality."


The photo is a door opening to a new world outside.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

the glory of friendship

I don't think I can add anything more to this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. There is really a "spiritual inspiration" between friends.
The photo is a group of children who grew up together in our neighborhood.

Monday, January 13, 2014

courage

This quote from Maya Angelou is a good reminder for us about the importance of courage. Is so true that we need courage to be consistent in our practice of various virtues.


The photo is a variety of Dendrobium orchid. I call this a purple heart although it's not its real name.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Imitation

This quote has been expressed in so many ways. I just discovered that it is from Charles Caleb Colton.


The photo is an oriental tiger lily.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

attempt to reach your goal

Mahatma Gandhi is really so wise. It's good to be reminded that it is "the attempt to reach one's goal" that gives glory and not the reaching of the goal.


The photo is an orange-pink variety of the flamingo flower or Anthurium.

Friday, January 10, 2014

stand tall

I find this quote from Emma Michelle so inspiring and empowering. Yes, some people may want to see us fall. We just need to stand tall!


The photo is a Euphorbia milii flower standing tall!



Thursday, January 9, 2014

Imprint in our heart

This quote from Rachel Cohn is so true. People do live imprints in our lives and even if they may be physically apart, they still stay in our heart.


The photo is an early morning beach scene in my favorite island here in the Philippines.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

dreams pass into action

I like how Anais Nin emphasizes the interdependence between dreams and action. We really have to act on our dreams and after we have done that, then we can dream once again.


The photo is a rose with the dreamy effect created in Photoshop.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

natural laws and beauty

JWvonGoethe sure knows his natural laws. How indeed can beauty not be an outcome of natural laws? So I admire people who make us see the beauty that sometimes we fail to notice.


The photo is a variety of daisy. Some call it spider daisy because of its thin petals.

Monday, January 6, 2014

gentleness

I love how Saint Francis de Sales showed that real strength lies in gentleness. Sometimes the I am amazed at how gentle somebody can be even if he appears like hulk.


The photo is a layer of two photos - the background is my favorite grass photo and the other is a photo of a flower arrangement in a resort.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

the law of nature

I like this, "plant seeds of happiness...it will all come back to you in abundance." Isn't that wonderful, whatever we plant will come back to us in abundance - the law of nature! Thanks for this reminder, Steve Maraboli.


The photo is another view one one of my favorite flowers - the Oxalis.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

start where you are

It's always good to be reminded to start where we are. Often times, we forget to do this as we wait for the right time, or the right condition, or the right something. Somebody once remarked that when you decide to start, that is the right time.


The photo is a brood of chicks inside an incubator.

Friday, January 3, 2014

finding God

I first got acquainted with the writing of Thomas Merton through his book The Seven Storey Mountain. Since then, I have admired his works and have kept some of his quotable quotes. This is one of my favorites.


The photo is a centipede I found in my garden. It was exploring among the plants, non-stop as if trying to discover everything.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

a touch of rosy sunset

Do we work with God in our relationship with others? Isn't it beautiful the way GKChesterton expresses this about brightening someone's day and working with God? "...put one touch of  rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman...."


The photo is another sunset from my favorite island here in the Philippines, Boracay.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

welcome the new year

Let us welcome the new year! It's a new book we can write on. We can decide what our story will be. As Rainer Maria Rilke said, the new year is "full of things that never were."


The photo is a set of fireworks viewed from our backyard last New Year's eve.