Tag Archives: Mother Theresa

Mother’s Day

Margaret_

Photo taken at Winkelspruit in October 2013, and spiced up last night as a Mother’s Day present for today.

“Margaret Rose Harvard, You carried me for months and then brought me kicking into this world, tenderly held my screaming face and wiped the little sweet tears. Fed my hungry and drooling mouth, and provided that first bright red toy. Fetched me from school, took me home to a healthy meal and warm cosy bed.

We had little to begin but worked our way up. You enriched my relationships with others and kept me on the straight and narrow at times, but allowed me to learn much needed hard lessons to grow. You led by example and so many things suffered by you were later encountered by me, your loving son; I was thus armed and ready to face them. My beautiful mother had shown me how: she had suffered for me.

When death for you was a certainty, you gave the final lesson of thousands whilst on this earth. You never ever gave up but did rest at times. You confounded your critics and disarmed them completely.

You looked death in the eyes with strength and challenged it. Then, knowing for sure that the time had come, you embraced death with great confidence and surety. If any person has ever departed this world in such an elegant and composed manner, then it is you. The single tear you shed before your final breath was surely the frustration that you had not done just that little bit more to help the many people you had always so unselfishly served; for you truly lived your life fully in the last few years and given so much of yourself.

You used your abilities so well that it was often to your detriment. That tear no doubt also carried the worry that your loved ones would not cope fully without you being there. However, you certainly ensured in the last months that your son at least was in safe hands.

To say you are one in a million is an injustice; you are truly unique and a guiding beacon of hope and unconditional love to all living beings. I have taken your last advice, and I speak to you more now than before. That quiet place at the bottom of the garden, as you said it would be, is serene and a wonderful place for us to catch-up and laugh about the days gone by. This will always be ours and will never weaken or diminish.

You have taught and prepared your son so well, and he will keep on passing your love and wisdom around. You were and always are right! Happy Mother’s day, your loving son always” ~ Andy

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“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” ~ Carl Sandburg

Tanya

Baby Emma is 14 months old and has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Her mom (Tanya – https://www.facebook.com/tanya.vermeulendevries) was a dear work colleague of mine until she resigned a week ago to spend time with Emma at home (after Emma was discharged from hospital). The brain surgery was not entirely successful as a small portion of the malignant tumour could not be removed.

A fund has been set-up to help Emma who needs to undergo chemotherapy to stop the growth. Only at age 3 will she be able to have radiation treatment. It’s a long road and any help would be appreciated.

You can access details of the fund via Tanya’s Facebook page above and, if so inclined, make a kind donation or offer words of encouragement and prayers.

There is another option, for a limited time period (8 May 2014 until 21:00 on 22 May 2014), where you can buy a beautiful quality canvas print (printed, mounted and ready to be hung on your wall) of one or more of my photos (SA residents only in major centres – see further info below).

View my photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/68179746@N03/with/14136316631

All my printing is done by Print Wild – go checkout their prices below via this link:

www.printwild.co.za

Don’t be fooled by the word “budget” ~ I have an A1 hanging in my TV lounge and it is damn good!

Capture

The prices above are only for the printing – you still need to pay for the photo. The cost of photo no matter what size print you choose is a paltry R 200.00.

How much of the R 200.00 goes to Emma during the period stated above?

ALL OF IT PLUS MORE!

A further 5% of the total cost i.e. A0 print = R 1048.00 + the cost of photo (R 200.00) = R 1248.00 (5% = R 62.40).

Emma gets R 262.40 altogether.   

The steps to follow:

  1. Visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/68179746@N03/with/14136316631 and choose a photo
  2. Write down the photo’s name i.e. KILMUN SUNRISE
  3. Email me at awharvard@gmail.com and state your intention to buy
  4. I will need the name of the photo and size required (A0, A1 or A2), as well as the delivery address / contact name / cell phone number
  5. You will receive a return email (where Tanya is copied) giving you my banking details
  6. Only once I receive your funds in my account will the order be placed with Print Wild who will deliver free of charge to your nominated address (only if your city / town appears on the list viewable here http://www.printwild.co.za/start-your-order.php – click on delivery city / select city and ensure you are there)
  7. Additional delivery charges will apply if you are not on the list above

If you are not in one of the listed delivery areas in South Africa or reside overseas and were wishing to purchase a print, please rather deposit funds (Pounds, Euros and Dollars graciously accepted) into Emma’s fund which can be accessed via Tanya’s Facebook page shown above.

“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.” ~ Fred Rogers

 

The Buddhist Retreat Centre & Pathways in Life

In or around 2005 I first encountered the teachings of Buddha and attended regular teachings for the next two years.

I left that particular path or tradition and it was during May 2007, over a certain weekend, that I “somehow” found myself  “involved” at another tradition: Buddhist Retreat Centre (BRC) in Ixopo, South Africa.

On the Saturday evening of that weekend, sitting alone next to a glowing fireplace, I read a short biography of Mother Theresa and it really touched my heart.

The photos below were taken that weekend using a Canon Ixus.

A few years later I sat in silence a few metres from Mother Teresa’s tomb in Kolkata, India and visited her home for the sick and dying.

There are no “some-hows” – only pathways; cause and effect (Karma) in action.

None of the happenings above were “random”. They all came about through paths I had taken and numerous causes that had arisen.

Buddha gave advice on the The Noble Eight-fold Path listed below:

1. Right view
2. Right intention
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration

There seem to be lots of paths in and around the BRC now that I study the photos nearly six years later

Below there are approximately Eight Paths and some other views of interest.

BRC Ixopo 047 (Large) BRC Ixopo 001 (Large) BRC Ixopo 002 (Large) BRC Ixopo 019 (Large) BRC Ixopo 021 (Large) BRC Ixopo 009 (Large) BRC Ixopo 006 (Large) BRC Ixopo 013 (Large) BRC Ixopo 015 (Large) (Medium) BRC Ixopo 022 (Large) BRC Ixopo 023 (Large) BRC Ixopo 024 (Large) BRC Ixopo 025 (Large) BRC Ixopo 033 (Large) BRC Ixopo 034 (Large) BRC Ixopo 037 (Large) BRC Ixopo 038 (Large) BRC Ixopo 040 (Large) BRC Ixopo 041 (Large) BRC Ixopo 044 (Large) BRC Ixopo 048 (Large) BRC Ixopo 049 (Large) BRC Ixopo 056 (Large) (Medium) BRC Ixopo 051 (Large)