My Three Souls

Categories: a woman's strength · Battling depression · Creative Writing · Existentialism · Midlife Crossroads · Photography · Religion and Faith · Through Frog Eyes · women of substance · zenLeave a comment

Yesterday I introduced you to my three lifetime travel companions Courage, Curiosity, and Faith. When asked how to characterize them as travelers, this is the description I gave: Courage is a no-nonsense tall Asian woman in black leather pants, a pirate shirt with long flowing sleeves, bright red nail polish, high-heeled boots, sitting on a Harley. The mobile phone is attached snugly to the handles, the helmet is on securely, and the Giorgio Armani perfume is where the water bottle should be. My seat is right behind her and all I have to do is hang on for dear life….

“Stop, Look, Go” – Gratitude

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Stop, Look, Go is the golden. rule for crossing the street, playing tennis, running, photography, and as I learned today, gratitude. The US-based Austrian monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast has written wonderful books on finding inner peace and happiness by addressing individual topics in depth. Available in both German and English, Brother David’s language is clear, simple, digestible, and carries a profound insight that leaves you wondering why you have not been doing this before. Have a look at his TED Talk on gratitude and happiness (1993): Brother David reminds us that we often make the mistake of being grateful only…

“Not now…” is an answer

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“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…

Celebrate, not Define!

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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…

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…

Conversations with Buddha: 84,000 ways to suffer

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As I sat at my desk this morning, hands wrapped around a deliciously strong cup of coffee, I stared in horror at the calendar. Friday. What?! I blinked on Monday morning and suddenly it is Friday already? Geez. Is it the ageing process that suddenly makes time pass faster? Let me rewind a bit and go back to last Sunday because it meant a lot to me. As I sat at my desk this morning, hands wrapped around a deliciously strong cup of coffee, I stared in horror at the calendar. Friday. What?! I blinked on Monday morning and suddenly…

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…