I just came back from a trip to Xiamen, China and here are some goodies I got there. Some cards with intricate paper cutting...
a set of bookmarks souvenirs from the island of Gulangyu...
The island is on China's list of National Scenic Spots and also ranks at the top of the list of the ten most-scenic areas in the province. I also bought a hanging bell with lovely Chinese knotting there.
Here is a prayer journal illustration in progress...
and a finished one which is my hope for Shoshi and Shaz, who I just found out have cancer. Say a prayer for their healing, won't you?
the ID and raincoat I used, and a souvenir t-shirt from Tacloban that a friend gave me.
Pope Francis came for a visit to the Philippines (January 15 to January 19) and these past few days have been such a blessing for us! Just to catch a glimpse of him, we Filipinos would walk long distances, brave the crowds, wait for hours, and stand in the pouring rain (they say Filipinos have a rainproof faith!) Everywhere his vehicle passed, the streets were filled with people excitedly waiting and as he would pass by, the crowds would give him a rapturous welcome. When those few seconds were over, we would rejoice in the blessing of his visit and feel that the wait was all worth it. In Him, we saw the light of Christ, a man full of mercy and compassion, our spiritual father, a shepherd who loves his flock.
The joy we felt when we finally saw the Pope made all the challenges worth it. Life is also full of challenges but the joy of seeing Jesus is worth much more. We will forget all our difficulties with one glimpse of Jesus. Oh, I look forward to meeting Jesus face to face!
The theme song for Pope Francis' visit was "We are All God's Children" and he reminded us not to forget our true identity. Here is a video my community, Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon, helped to make (I know a lot of the people dancing in the video)...
Do you see these children on the streets
Have you walked the pavements where they sleep?
Do you feel their hands
When you give them alms?
Did you ever give them bread to eat?
Have you seen their homes washed by the floods?
While a mother tightly holds her child
Do you hear the wind
Of the raging storm?
Can you tell them where it's coming from?
Let us show our love and mercy
With true kindness and humility
For God loves the weak and the needy
Just like you and me
We are all God's children
We are all the same
He is calling us by name to help the poor and lame
And learn what life is really for
It's to know and love and serve the Lord
Stand together and let's do our part
Hear their voices mend their broken hearts
Choose to be brave fight for their rights
Give them back their honor and their pride
Please do not be blind and just leave them behind
To struggle in darkness or give them empty promises
We are all God's children
We are all the same
He is calling us by name to help the poor and lame
Happy New Year this first Wednesday of the year! My regular desk is not a desk these days. More like a dumping ground for gifts that need to be put away and other stuff. So I am showing you my small prayer desk with a work in progress...
When I was in Bangkok recently, I bought a rolling shelf from Ikea and here is the top view, with my colored pencils and pens and some rolls of washi tape...
The year has flown by so quickly and it is now the last day of the year!
I have a different desk for What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday because we're taking a vacation in the beach. I brought my colored pencils with me...
Because I'll be doing my prayer journal illustrations...
This illustration was for December 29. St Teresa of Avila wrote... "The just Simeon didn't see any more than the glorious, little poor child. For by the way the child was clothed and by the few people that were in procession, Simeon could have easily judged the babe to be the son of poor people rather than the Son of our Heavenly Father." And so I wonder, would I have recognized the Messiah? And do I recognize Him today?
As the year ends, I look back and thank God for all the many blessings of this past year. All of you, your visits and words of encouragement are among those blessings! May the coming year bring all the best for you!
Also sharing in Inspire Me Monday and Word Art Wednesday. If you're on Instagram, you may be interested in my other account which is for arts and crafts (username "peggy_aplSEEDS").
And although there is an empty space on my desk, it is only because I have also taken over the floor for my wrapping activities! This new Christmas book I bought has wonderful quotations...
May this blessed season bring you and your loved ones abundant blessings and like the wise men, may you "rejoice with exceeding great joy!" Matthew 2:10
After the calm of last week, my desk looks like a storm passed through because I finally got started with preparing Christmas presents. But peeping thru all the mess, I found a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. This is a study I made for decorations for a Christmas party (I decided on something else though)...
Indeed, great and wonderful are God's works...
...and whatever we go through in life, God is with us. Whatever challenges we face, we can always have our blessed Christmas Hope ...
May you experience the blessings of Advent and Christmas in the midst of the busyness of the season! God bless you!
Advent is a time of preparation, of getting ready. Ready for Jesus' coming; past, present and future. Past, as we celebrate His birth this Christmas; present, as we become aware of how he comes to us everyday or prepare for when we finally meet Him face to face, and future, when he comes again in glory.
My desk is also getting ready! All is clear and it looks like the calm before the storm (by the way, the big storm Hagupit - which is a Tagalog word for a beating - did not pass our way.) I am getting ready to do some gift wrapping and since there was no space on my desk, I just had to tidy up.
For my prayer journal illustration, I have a drawing of Jesus' Mother Mary, my favorite painting subject and a lovely quote from Pope Francis...
"The mystery of this girl from Nazareth, who is in the heart of God, is not estranged from us. She is not there and we over here. No, we are connected. Indeed, God rests his loving gaze on every man and every woman! By name and surname. His gaze of love is on every one of us. The Apostle Paul states that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph 1:4). We too, from all time, were chosen by God to live a holy life, free of sin. It is a plan of love that God renews every time we come to him..."
Like Mary, "let us also recognize our truest destiny, our deepest vocation: to be loved, to be transformed by love, to be transformed by the beauty of God."
Before Christmas, there is Advent, "a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an Anglicized version of the Latin word adventus meaning 'coming'. For Christians, the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Coming." - Wikipedia
There is another perspective of Christ's coming that I also reflect upon, which is how Christ comes to me personally. This Advent, I will do the Examen of Consciousness, a way of praying developed by St. Ignatius Loyola. It is a daily exercise which helps people recognize God's presence in everything. Aside from my journal writing, I also have an advent calendar to fill out with keywords of God's "gifts" for each day...
In the few days I have done it, I have found it to be a wonderful way to find God and prepare for His coming. I will never know at what hour He will come again, or at what hour I will meet Him at the end of my life. I would like to be prepared...
Nothing much on my desk today except an outdated calendar I bought on sale. I bought it because I thought the sturdy pages and spring binding would make it good to alter but I realized it also makes for an interesting read because it's about "Women Who Dare." Its introduction starts,
"'Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations,' wrote Louisa May Alcott. 'I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.' The women featured in this edition of Women Who Dare followed their own aspirations, despite often daunting impediments..."
As for me, my aspiration is to be like the woman in Psalm 1...
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
I am from the beautiful tropical country of the Philippines and I like to think I am sowing seeds around the world as I make my blog - seeds of faith, or hope or maybe, creativity. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband and three great children and I spend my work days designing paper products, gifts and decorative accessories for our family gift shops, Papemelroti.
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