Christmas greetings

May Christmas bring you all the love, peace, joy, happiness, and all the blessings of the season!
Christ is born!

The beginning of love

"Let those we love be perfectly themselves..." I love this quote from Thomas Merton. If we truly love somebody, then we love them because they are themselves and not because we think we can change them to be what we want them to be.

Thomas Merton is a Trappist monk who is a writer, a poet, a mystic, and a social activist. He is best known for his best selling, autobiographical work - "The Seven Storey Mountain." It is said that many trooped to the monasteries after reading his autobiography.

The photo I used here is a curled fern frond that I converted into a mirror image in Photoshop.

When man is with God

There are many ways of praying and I like how Karl Rahner describes what praying is.

Karl Rahner is a German Jesuit priest who has written so many books. His theological views are considered as very influential.

The photo is a sunrise scene of the Cordillera mountains here in the Philippines.

Three things to be truly happy

I love this quote from Tom Bodett. It's so simple yet so powerful! These three things are something we can easily do.

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The photo is a bottle brush flower, a Callistemon species. The shrub kind is endemic to Australia. I got this photo though while I was in Malaysia and it is from a tree, not a shrub.

where there is love

This quote from Mahatma Gandhi is so simple yet so profound. He is able to express the essence of life in just a few words.

The photo is a macro shot of a water drop on the petals of a red rose. Drops always remind me of life.

love is life

How simple yet so true is this quote from Leo Buscaglia.

So I coupled this quote with this photo of a simple yet so beautiful flower of the desert rose or Adenium obesum.

remedy for love

Henry David Thoreau hit a bulls-eye when he said these words. There is really no remedy for love, if you want a remedy that is, "but to love more."

The photo is a pink mum drenched with raindrops.

open your heart

Heart and mind are really connected. As Charles John Quarto said in this quote, "If you open your heart, love opens your mind."

The photo is a dark pink rose that I bought from a florist.

embrace your blessings

Steve Maraboli sure knows  how to remind us to be true to ourselves. "Live your truth, express your love, share your enthusiasm,...embrace your blessings...." These are all so empowering and inspiring! Hopefully we take them to heart.

The photo is a lone coconut tree reaching up to the skies.

God loves and saves

What Dillon Burroughs says in this quote may be hard to believe but it really is true. "Our salvation depends completely upon our Savior."

The photo is a beach scene from my hometown.

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.

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.

Love was born at Christmas

I love this lyrical quote from Christina Rossetti. She sounds like she is singing.

The photo is an angel carved out of wood, that decorates the door of a church here in the Philippines.

love, strength and courage

Lao Tzu is indeed a philosopher par excellence! Imagine coming with a quote that is so deep, moving, and inspiring!

The photo is the flower of an ornamental banana plant. Deep inside, the banana plant holds many life secrets.

the heart of Christmas

I love this wish from Ada V. Hendricks. It's so full of positive energy and the true spirit of Christmas!

The photo is a flower I found in a friends house. Unfortunately, I do not know its name.

Unity of love

Unity of love is what makes us strong as a people, as a nation, or as a family. I love this quote from Hans Urs von Balthazar because it emphasizes unity of love.

The photo is a floral decoration at a hotel where we stayed. The flowers are actually made of cloth, but they look so real that I could not resist taking a shot.

love and faithfulness

When I read this verse from Psalm 138, I was right away reminded of this photo of Gerbera daisies. They look like they are bowing.
We must indeed give thanks for the love and faithfulness of God.

Put on love

If we want perfect unity, we must "put on love..." as this verse from Colossians says. Love is really the thread that binds all of us together.

The photo is a spray of Dendrobium orchid. If we observe, most orchids are usually in a spray or a group. Somehow, being together gives them an added dimension and beauty.

Realm of love

So love truly changes  how we view things. Maybe this is how the saying about "rose-colored glasses" came about. Soren Kierkegaard just stated it in a more eloquent way.

The photo is a pink rose that is not fully opened.

Love, Prayer and Forgiveness

All I can say about this quote from an unknown author is - "how true!" Love, prayer and forgiveness can always do wonders in any situation.

I like this photo that I took of the purple leaves of a tree. I don't really know the name of the tree. I was just attracted to the color and formation of the leaves.