peace, joy and serenity

Ëvery breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity." I just love this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh. It reminds me of the power of stillness and serenity in our life.

This photo is another early morning scene from my favorite island, Boracay. The morning is so still and the colors are muted and golden. The fishermen must be experiencing such a blissful morning.

wonders of the universe

Choosing what we focus on will really create our own surroundings and our own world. So as Rachel Carson said, "The more we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction." For how can we destroy something that is wonderful?

The photo I used here is an abstraction of an original photo. I created this new image in Photoshop by playing around with the distort mode.

beautiful souls

I like how Michel de Montaigne describes what a beautiful soul is. I find it so inspiring and empowering!

The photo is a purple mum that I processed in Photoshop using blends and gradient. If you want a card or large print and other products of this, you may check it out in:lensbaby/works/12102586-beautiful-souls

extraordinary spiritual grace

"Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears...." Wow! If this quote does not give us "hope", I don't know what will. 

The photo is a Hibiscus flower that has started to wither but still appears lovely!

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.

Religion is a candle inside a multicolored lantern

I like the way Mohammed Naguib describes what religion is. This is especially true about traditional lanterns which are lighted by candles. We do see the various colors, but actually, the candle is always there inside. Nowadays however, lanterns are already lighted by light bulbs and not by candles anymore. More so with giant lanterns as shown in the photo below.

This giant lantern is actually lighted by more than a thousand bulbs. This particular lantern won the grand prize in the recently concluded giant lantern festival here in the Philippines.

change begins in you

Gary Zukov said it so well. We can't really hope to change the world unless we begin the change in ourselves. And the best time to begin is NOW!

The photo is a golden Zinnia flower that I found in a resort.

purpose of life

Eleanor Roosevelt is surely inspiring in this quote. I especially like the line "...to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

The photo is a snail I found roaming in the garden, searching for new experience perhaps?

the purpose of light

One of my favorite authors is Paulo Coelho. He has a way of putting things into words that reveal such a deep understanding of mankind. He has written so many books, the most widely read is, The Alchemist, which has been translated into 80 languages.

This quote that I used here is from his book, The Witch of Portobello. I'd like to  interpret it as referring to our talents and gifts which we should share to the world. We are not supposed to hide them because they can serve as light or inspiration to others.

This is very similar to what is said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

The photo is a streetlamp in a resort, partly hidden by a tree.

Sometimes

These lines come from a poem by an unknown author. The first two lines are actually what attracted me to this poem. It's because I love taking photos of flowers with raindrops and so I thought my photo and the poem fit each other.

Here is the whole poem:
      

"Sometimes it takes rain
To make the flowers grow
Sometimes it takes real pain
Before real joy one knows
Sometimes it takes tomorrows
To understand days gone by
Sometimes before the laughter
There comes heavy sigh
Sometimes it takes the midnight hour
To value morning light
Sometimes it takes the longest mile
Before things come in sight
Sometimes you often wonder
Why your heart can get so sore
But its the rocky paths in life
That makes you cherish the smooth roads more!"

                                        - Unknown

Understanding

I wholeheartedly agree with this quote from Norman Vincent Peale. If we understand things then half the battle or half the difficulty is already won because we know more or less how to proceed to the next step.  Understanding also makes us less afraid to go on because we know what we are facing.

The photo is the church beside the Mall of Asia here in the Philippines.

a little rain

I love this quote from an unknown author. The "little rain" that sometimes come, makes me appreciate better the good things that happen in my life.

Actually, I love rain because it creates raindrops that I love to take photographs of.

stand for what you believe in

This quote from an unknown author certainly encourages us to be courageous! As long as we believe in what we stand for, we should not give up!

The photo is a lonely tree on the slope of the Cordillera mountains here in the Philippines. It sure is standing alone bravely!

Friendship gives value to survival

This quote from C.S.Lewis is like a tricky answer to a simple question. It makes you sit up, then you realize it is so true! Friendship does give value to survival! Actually, not just to survival, but also to having an enriched life. 

The photo is a pair of flamingos I found in a bird park in Malaysia.

Be my friend

I like this quote from Albert Camus. It tells me that as friends, we are co-equal. Nobody really leads, nobody follows.

The photo shows two friends walking along the white sand of Boracay, my favorite island here in the Philippines.

If I have not love

Love is really the greatest of all as this verse from 1Corinthians tells us. Actually, the whole verse 13 in 1Corinthians speaks about love and ends saying that among faith, hope and love, love is the greatest.

The photo is a very small flower from a bamboo-like plant in my garden. Sorry, I don't know the name.

Priceless lesson

I find this quote about lessons so true. We really can learn something from everyone we encounter, be they the vendor on the street, your seatmate on the bus or your professor in the classroom. We simply have to learn to pay attention because if we don't, we might miss the lesson.

I found these slippers half buried on the sand of Boracay and I could not resist taking a shot. The owners must have gone for a swim and made sure that their slippers will not be easily washed off by the waves.

Explore new opportunities

Just like the snail in the photo, we have to be explorers. We have to keep on "exploring for new opportunities" as what Yuri Milner said.

I took this photo of an exploring snail near the waterfalls of Hinulugang Taktak here in Antipolo City, Philippines.

A simple smile

Oh yes, a simple smile can really do a lot! For one, a smile is really so contagious. Once we smile at somebody, chances are that somebody will also return that smile. It's the simplest thing we give to somebody to bring some happiness.

I used this photo of my smiley grandson as background for this quote from Mother Teresa. This is a mixed media project and I love how it turned out.

Artist, Amateur

I find this quote so inspiring and motivating. Yes, we all start as amateurs. I still consider myself as an amateur because I feel that I still have so much to learn. Thanks Ralph Waldo Emerson! You are so good for my ego!

The photo is a macro shot of a raindrop on an Alstroemeria flower.