Easter Eyes

“I wish each of us Easter eyes, 
able to perceive in death, life; 
in guilt, forgiveness; 
in separation unity; 
in wounds glory; 
in the human, God; 
in God, the human; 
and in the I, the You.”


~ Klaus Hemmerle :)

Reflected

“It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”


~ John Joseph Powell :)

Second Chances

You might not agree with me. 
I know. 
We know. 
But we made a decision to stay, 
love, guard and allow for second chances :)

Forgiveness

“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. 

It is about letting go of another person’s throat.

Forgiveness does not create a relationship. 

Unless people speak the truth about what they have done 

and change their mind and behavior, 

a relationship of trust is not possible. 

When we forgive someone 

we certainly release them from judgment, 

but without true change, 

no real relationship can be established.

Forgiveness in no way requires 

that we trust the one we forgive. 

But should they finally confess and repent, 

we will discover a miracle in our own heart 

that allows us to reach out 

and begin to build between us a bridge of reconciliation.

Forgiveness does not excuse anything.

We may have to declare our forgiveness 

a hundred times the first day 

and the second day, 

but the third day will be less 

and each day after, 

until one day we will realize 

that we have forgiven completely. 

And then one day 

we will pray for the person's wholeness.”  

~ Paul Young :)

Real Love

“I heard once that real love does not ask 
what is in it for me; 
it just gives unconditionally. 
It just tries to take 
the weight out of somebody else’s pack, 
lessen his load, 
and if it gets reciprocated, 
that is great, 
but that is not what you did it for.” 


~ Donald Miller :)

If

"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

~ Rudyard Kipling :) 

Act of Photography

“We bring to the act of photography 
all the pictures we have seen, 
the books we have read, 
the music we have heard, 
the people we have loved.” 


~ Ansel Adams :)

Gentleman

“There is something about being 

in the presence of a gentleman 

that just has me on my toes 

and stroking my collar bones. 

From their strength and masculinity 

to their compassionate polite mannerisms. 

Their sharp suits and shape ups, 

their bearded smiles. 

Their intellectual conversations 

mixed with wit and banter. 

Their elegance and finesse, 

the scent of their cologne. 

Their drive and ambition, 

their work rate and hustle. 

How they treat their superiors and inferiors. 

How they treat other brothers, 

other people within their community, 

how they treat their family. 

Their way of protecting you, 

holding and consoling you 

and most importantly, 

their dedication towards their spirituality. 

You will know when you are in the presence of a gentleman, 

because you will find yourself 

encouraging the urge to become a better woman." 

~ Author Unknown :)

Brave

"It is not always enough to be brave, 
I realized years later. 
We have to be brave 
and contribute something positive, too. 
Brave on its own is just a party trick." 

~ B.J. Novak :)

Succeeded

"To laugh often and much; 
to win the respect of intelligent people 
and the affection of children; 
to earn the appreciation of honest critics 
and endure the betrayal of false friends; 
to appreciate beauty; 
to find the best in others; 
to leave the world a bit better, 
whether by a healthy child, 
a garden patch 
or a redeemed social condition; 
to know that even one life has breathed easier 
because we have lived. 
This is to have succeeded." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson :)

Enough

"And with or without 
anyone’s acknowledgment or affection, 
we are enough." 


~ Danielle Koepke :)

Big Moments

Birthdays always leave me in a pensive mood

Don't ask me why. 

But I've always been an introspective kind of gal. 

Big moments or milestones only serve one true purpose, 

in my opinion. 

To tell us "X" amount of time has passed 

and leave us to take stock of what that means 

and why we are here :)

Always

"Always retain the ability to walk away, 
without sentimentality, 
from a situation that felt unmanageable. 
That was a basic rule of survival. 
Do not lift a finger for a lost cause." 

~ Stieg Larsson :)

Teach Us

"It is the questions we can’t answer 
that teach us the most. 
They teach us how to think. 
If we give a man an answer, 
all he gains is a little fact. 
But give him a question 
and he will look for his own answers." 


~ Patrick Rothfuss :)

Alone

"We need to be alone 
for certain periods of time 
or we violate our own rhythm." 

~ Lee Krasner :)

Wonderful

That bold line of text in my inbox 
makes my heart beat faster every time. 
There is absolutely nothing 
as wonderful as receiving new mail 
from a dear old friend :)

Every Now and Then

Short messages on Facebook and Twitter 
let us feel that we are connected on a daily basis, 
but every now and then 
I still send or receive a proper letter via e-mail :)

Messages and Missives

If the longer e-mail messages 
were the bricks that built our relationship, 
these shorter missives are the cement, 
the binding material 
that proves the structure we have built between us 
has tangible presence in our offline lives :)

Treasure

I treasure these e-mail letters 
as I would paintings created specially for me :)

Meaning

Every e-mail 
is a beautifully typed dissertation 
on the meaning of life and love :)

Comic Word Painting

Re-reading my e-mail history with my friends, 
I see us graduating from tentative politeness and inquiries 
about each other's health 
to genuine concern, comic word paintings 
and uninhibited explosions of laughter, sadness or anger :)

Excellent Memoir in Instalments

Whether newsy or funny 
or stream-of-consciousness recollections 
of an experience, 
long-form e-mail messages 
are a special form of narrative. 
Reading them is the literary equivalent 
of watching reality TV 
or like reading an excellent memoir in instalments :)

Coherent Narrative

Chat applications are good 
to quickly share snapshots of the day 
or jokes or motivational quotes 
but lack the emotional intimacy of the long e-mail. 

When a long e-mail arrives in the inbox, 
it indicates that someone was not only thinking of you 
but thought you were worth the time and effort 
it took to craft their words into coherent narrative :)

An Art

There is an art to long-form correspondence 
which is worth preserving 
even in this era of WhatsApp chat messages 
and Facebook Messenger :)

Eventually

Eventually we did speak on the phone, 
paying international dialling rates, 
but we communicated mostly in long-form e-mails :)

Overlap

We lived in different time zones 
but we stay up late enough 
that our waking hours overlap :)

Building Blocks

The building blocks of all these friendships 
have been long-form e-mail messages :)

Exactly Once

But we have met exactly once 
in the history of our friendship, 
which has been conducted mostly via e-mail 
and now Facebook, Twitter as well as WhatsApp :)

Personal and Social

The choice is indeed intensely personal 
but the impact is extensively social :)

Possible

It is possible 
to forge a deep, lasting connection 
with a complete stranger online :)

Walk Away

"Walking is the best exercise...! 

'Walk Away' from arguments 
that lead us to nowhere but anger. 

'Walk Away' from people 
who deliberately put us down. 

'Walk Away' from any thought 
that reduces our worth. 

'Walk Away' from failures and fears 
that stiffle our dreams. 

The more you 'Walk Away' from things 
that poison our soul, 
the happier our life would be. 

Gift Yourself A Walk Towards Happiness...."



~ Author Unknown :)

Brains

"Things seem to move on fast

The brain cannot store all

Sometimes it is good to write them down 

Do you ever bother?

Young brains very spongy

Older brains often too congested

Hahaha...good morning 
Ohaiyoooo

Life is kind 

I hope for kindness all around 

This is my thoughts on a Monday morning "

~ Mummy Tong :)

Love Deeply

"Love deeply."


~ Lailah Gifty Akita :)

Soul Connection

“A soul connection
is a resonance between two people 
who respond to the essential beauty 
of each other’s individual natures, 
behind their facades, 
and who connect on a deeper level. 

This kind of mutual recognition provides 
the catalyst for a potential alchemy. 
It is a sacred alliance 
whose purpose is to help both partners 
discover and realize their deepest potentials. 

While a heart connection lets us 
appreciate those we love just as they are, 
a soul connection opens up a further dimension
– seeing and loving them for who they could be, 
and for who we could become under their influence.” 


~ John Welwood :)

Prayer

Prayer is a mystery I’ll never grasp, 
but it is a powerful thing indeed :)

Offer

“When we offer peace instead of division, 

when we offer faith instead of fear, 

when we offer someone a place at your table 

instead of keeping them out 

because they are different 

or messy or wrong somehow, 

we represent the heart of Christ.”

~ Shauna Niequist :)

Listening

“The reason listening to 
somebody’s story 
is so difficult is because 
it reminds us 
life is about more than just ours.” 


~ Donald Miller :)

Secrets

“Nothing makes us 
as lonely as 
our secrets.” 


~ Paul Tournier :)

Beauty and Depth

“The more I let people be who they are, 
instead of cramming them into 
what I need them from them, 
the more surprised I am 
by their beauty and depth.” 


~ Shauna Niequist :)

Enough

"If I could prove one point with my life, 
it would be that God is love 
and that His love is enough. 

And it all has to do 
with the weight of that word ‘enough.’ 

It’s enough because the love of God 
is the conduit carrying me 
from who I am to who I’m becoming. 

It’s enough because it actively works 
until it reaches completion. 

It’s enough because it’s the only thing 
that can strip me of the things 
that stifle my growth and joy.” 



~ Lauren Britt :)