Simply live

When life is young, joy is simple – mind, innocent;

when life grows up, joy is inhibited; mind, sophisticated;

and when life grows old, wisdom is gained:

life is more beautiful when

simply lived.

And the long wait is over

You had waited long enough and – now – see. 

Had you not stretched your waiting, you would not have seen the one you are seeing today. 

One thing that must keep you from waiting on is fear of night. 

Just be; but do wait, for waiting does pay and repay the ‘wait-er.’ 

It may only be delayed but it will surely come – even before the night comes.

Ode to Tonette

Beautiful, indeed, it is that we discover each other in this journey called life. And the discovery that has taken place between us is divinely ordained. It is a connection between our two souls. It is the Spirit that is alive between us -- the Spirit of God -- that connects us to each other. We are both inspired with each other because we are of the same spirit. We will still be friends even in the beyond.

Man is an island

I am a man and I am an island -- but an island which builds bridges to reach out to other islands, isles and islets in the ocean of the world. I am connected, I re-connect. Interconnections take place. I am loved -- thus, I love. I am a man and an island interconnected to other islands of the globe becoming as one big whole continent.

A crucified Christ tree?

A crucified Christ tree? Two long, stretched branches of a Talisay [tuh-lee-sigh] tree and its body (right upper trunk) look like a Crucified Christ! Amazingly, the nut tree with two trunks grows, takes root and stands within the compound of a Catholic church in a particular city in the Philippines.

Does it say something? A wood from a tree was used wherein to crucify a Man; and the wood, in the process, suffered. This time, it's the other way around: the tree is one crucified to a Man -- or, mankind!

A century-old acacia tree, older than the city itself, was cut down and uprooted to build a Pagoda Bell Tower in its place. A tree crucifixion? And humanity, in this part of the world, suffers because another oxygen-producing shed tree which cools down global warming, is lost.

The leaf

A soft, delicate and pale-green bud pops up from a bough and grows into a thick, wide and darkened leaf. 

Its tender stalk makes a sturdy branch in age. And from there sprouts seven other outgrowths – one after the other. 

The leaf outlives storms and droughts, but not its hues. It turns yellow, gold and orange. Its grip fails; it falls to the ground. 

The sun smiles at it. The moist is lost; its weight, light. It browns and it burns. 

The white smoke rises and kisses the leaves still green and clinging. It goes up to the blue and turns into a cloud. 

It rains down drizzles; the leaves wash off dust from its faces. Drops drip; roots sip all. 

It roams in the veins of the trunk and branches; and it exits through the pores of the foliage as pure air.  

It ascends the heavens; and the Big Nose finally breathes it in.

Know fear!

Why are you afraid of fear when fear itself is afraid of you and everything under and above the sun: it is powerless; only, we give it power when we let ourselves be afraid. Then, fear itself magnifies. We may be afraid at times: or, most times, if we are honest; be afraid – yes! – but let fear see it not.

TV networks and rainbows

I was walking one sunrise in the latter part of the year that passed and I was thinking about the No. 7.

In the street, a man on a T-shirt was coming to the way of my feet: on his front was a print that seemed to jump out into my spirit. 

A print of a logo of a TV network! 

A step or two and my eyes landed on an ad of a new year calendar by a printing shop. 

And my heart throbbed like it knew what it was all about. 

Days before the end of the old year, I saw the grandest rainbow I had seen in my life ever -- wide and vivid, it arched from the sea to a big city. 

And on the tenth day of the year just birthed, on the same spot as before, two rainbows appeared: one bigger yet pale; the other, slender yet thick. 

And side by side with each other, they curved mightily together!

A plant breaks through concrete

A plant breaks through concrete! Why so when a plant is soft and concrete is hard? Ah, one thing we, humans, take for granted — a plant is a Divine creation. So is the rest of its clan, Nature! Thus, man cannot outdo the Divine: either human works must blend with Nature or humans must leave it untouched.

Rise above mediocrity

Rise above mediocrity. See things from a higher point of view or from within you. Be different yet simple -- as a green, wide-winged butterfly in the photograph that rises above past self, the forever-crawling-caterpillar notion of life.