“Not now…” is an answer

Categories: a woman's strength · Battling depression · Existentialism · Midlife Crossroads · Photography · prayer and photography · Religion and Faith · Through Frog EyesLeave a comment

“God is our refuge and strength,    an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam    and the mountains quake with their surging“Psalm 46: 1-3 Sometimes it is difficult to maintain the faith, especially when I feel as though my prayers are not being answered. But then I remember everything my spiritual mentors have taught me over the years, and realise that every single one of my prayers have indeed been answered, I just didn’t understand the answer because it wasn’t what I expected – or hoped for, or refuse to…

Abide With Me

Categories: angels in our midst · Battling depression · Existentialism · Photography · prayer and photography · Through Frog EyesLeave a comment

Click HERE for the German version of this prayer song Abide with me, fast falls the eventideThe darkness deepens Lord, with me abideWhen other helpers fail and comforts fleeHelp of the helpless, oh, abide with me Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little dayEarth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass awayChange and decay in all around I seeO Thou who changest not, abide with me I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to blessIlls have no weight, and tears no bitternessWhere is death’s sting?Where, grave, thy victory?I triumph still, if Thou abide with me Hold Thou Thy cross…

The Heat is On

Categories: a woman's strength · Adventures in my own home · Berlin Through Frog Eyes · Existentialism · Photography · Through Frog EyesLeave a comment

Having lived 12 years in India, you would think I wouldn’t gripe about the heat here in Berlin or anywhere else for that matter. Here’s the thing though, with the long Autumn that turns into a bitter Winter and then a prolonged and moody Spring, one tends to forget what real heat is all about. Heck, sometimes I forget what sunshine feels like. Summer has arrived, and is doing so with a vengeance, making up for all the rainy days, hail and gloomy periods and volatile temperatures. What they say about Berlin is true: you can experience all four seasons…

Celebrate, not Define!

Categories: a woman's strength · Battling depression · Berlin Through Frog Eyes · Culture Vulture · Existentialism · Midlife Crossroads · Nostalgia · Photography · Publication · Religion and Faith · Surviving loss · Through Frog Eyes · women of substanceLeave a comment

celebrate instead of define. One phrase stood out this morning during mass: We tend to waste far too much valuable time defining our roles, relationships, personalities, failures, achievements, goals instead of celebrating them. I stared at the Dominican priest as if he suddenly sprouted three purple dragon heads. Those three words hit me right where it needed to, as I have been in an emotional slump these past few days, battling some unwanted demons of my past. He was absolutely right – I have spent the last five decades listening to roles being defined for me, my life being defined…

Ripe For Change

Categories: a woman's strength · Battling depression · Existentialism · Midlife Crossroads · Nostalgia · Photography · Social Condition · Through Frog Eyes · women of substanceLeave a comment

If anyone is ripe for change that would be me. Not that my life has been boring in the last 50++ years, but I could definitely use a holiday and a change of pace. My soul needs re-charging, the kind that doesn’t come from sleeping or shutting the world out. In spite of the fact that I cut back on work (for health reasons), the extended weekends seem to be designated to catching up on everything else I neglected to do during the week. Bills and all sorts of obligations pile up on my desk, and this is the time…

The Seven Gifts of The Holy Spirit

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Spirit of life Fill our emptiness with your fullnessSpirit of power Stir our hearts afreshSpirit of love Touch us, and through us, our neighbourSpirit of Creativity Enable and empower the gifts you have givenSpirit of Eternity Draw us ever deeper into your Kingdom(source: Faith and Worship) Pentecost is a Christian holiday that few understand, even fewer can explain, and difficult, if not impossible, to accept for non-believers. Although I am a woman of great faith and draw my inner strength from it, I have always struggled with Pentecost. This is where I envied my parents’ faith and their devotion to…

The Zen of Mud Wallowing

Categories: a woman's strength · Adventures in my own home · After-work quickies (Berlin photography) · Animal Tales · Battling depression · Existentialism · Photography · Social Condition · Through Frog Eyes · Traveler's Tales · zenLeave a comment

There is a saying I grew up with: el hombre propone y Dios dispone (man proposes, the Lord decides) and this seems to be a recurring theme in my life as of late. The weeks following Easter offer several long weekends to either travel or be visited. Since I don’t work on Fridays, this means an extra long weekend for me to write, catch up on some much needed sleep, or on the rare occasion, be hostess to out-of-town visitors. There used to be a time in my life when entertainment at home with lavish five-course dinners was a regular…