Ripples

Categories: a woman's strength · Berlin Through Frog Eyes · Culture Vulture · Existentialism · Family · Lent · Nostalgia · Photography · Religion and Faith · Social Condition · Through Frog Eyes · Urban ExplorationLeave a comment

The above is a relatively old photograph which I just re-edited two nights ago, in a fit of insomnia. I rather enjoy going through some of my photo archives from time to time just to see how much my technique and approach has changed. In any case, this was a swan in search of a mate, and was doing everything he could to show off. As far as I could tell he was not being very successful that day, but that is beside the point. It is Maundy Thursday and I have a bout of homesickness for Manila. The Philippines…

Resurrection, Redemption, and a Year

Categories: a woman's strength · Adventures in my own home · Battling depression · Existentialism · Family · Lent · prayer and photographyLeave a comment

I suppose I could have written a blog about April Fool’s Day or the disgusting Easter weather we have in Berlin today (rain and snow), or go all theologian and do an analysis of Easter in the modern world. Instead, today I will celebrate one year of living in Berlin. Last year I packed my bags, left my cat behind in Manila with a heavy heart, and literally headed out west to start a new life. It will always be a decision to have jumped from the frying pan into the fire, and the last 12 months have been anything…

Prayer and Contemplation on a Rainy Day

Categories: a woman's strength · Battling depression · Existentialism · Lent · Living with cats · Midlife Crossroads · Nostalgia · prayer and photography · Surviving lossLeave a comment

As I write this, everyone else in the house is fast asleep, well, perhaps with the exception of one cat. Otherwise, even the ducks and herons are silent this morning. The rain and gloomy clouds might have something to do with it, a perfectly dreary day. But there is something unbelievably comforting about having a cat beside me as I look out the window onto to the Havel river. It is flowing. It was just two weeks ago that we struggled with frozen rivers and streets here in Berlin, with no spring in sight. Everything on the river seemed to…

New Perspectives of The Old

Categories: Adventures in my own home · Battling depression · Berlin Through Frog Eyes · Culture Vulture · Existentialism · Lent · Nostalgia · Photography · Surviving loss · Through Frog EyesLeave a comment

I was raised Catholic and my spirituality will always be founded and grounded in and on Catholicism. This does not limit me by any means to seeking spiritual wisdom in other faiths and learn from them, and often it brings about a change in perspective that ushers in an entirely new way of experiencing the same old thing. In some bizarre manner, photography has the same effect on me. Many years ago while on a much needed spiritual retreat with the Jesuits up in the mountains of Kodaikanal, India, my mentor taught me how to incorporate photography into my prayer…

House-arrest and Winter Blues

Categories: Battling depression · Existentialism · Lent · Living with catsLeave a comment

The stubborn Berliner winter that simply refuses to pack its bags and move away finally caught up with me. I thought I had managed to sail through January and February unscathed by indulging in extra doses of Vitamin C and adhering to the onion principle of clothing. But last week the first telltale sneezes escaped, and by Thursday night I was running a fever when I got home from work. The next day I was engaged in a very intimate relationship with the tissues, the bathroom and the blanket, and felt absolutely dreadful. But Tuesday I dragged my sorry self…

Living The Truth of The Serenity Prayer

Categories: Battling depression · Existentialism · Lent · Midlife Crossroads · Nostalgia · Photography · Surviving lossLeave a comment

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  The courage to change the things I can,  And the wisdom to know the difference.  Someone once said to me “when you hit bottom, there is no place else to go except back up.” At the time I dismissed that phrase as just another one of inspiration quotes from the internet. Almost two months after being therapy I have never felt as broken and my soul as bare and vulnerable as now. The weekly sessions have led me to discover the naked truth of these words and understand…

The Will of God

Categories: Lent · Religion and Faith · Through Frog Eyes2 Comments

The will of God will never take you, Where the grace of God cannot keep you. Where the arms of God cannot support you, Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs, Where the power of God cannot endow you. The will of God will never take you, Where the spirit of God cannot work through you, Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you, Where the army of God cannot protect you, Where the hands of God cannot mold you. The will of God will never take you, Where the love of God cannot enfold you, Where the…