View allAll Photos Tagged COMPASSIONATE
Deeply compassionate, strong, a little mischievous, and a little melancholy; a family man to his core.
"How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."
- Barry Lopez
__________________________________________________
If you can, please make a contribution towards the disaster relief
efforts in New Orleans by donating to the American Red Cross.
ALSO - To bid on a signed (by myself and Jolene) 10x8 photographic print of my image entitled "Clash Of The Titans" for the Flickr Katrina Relief Auction, click HERE. All proceeds go to the above charity. My talented friend seanhfoto has started the bidding. Now, show him what you can do now.
__________________________________________________
[+]
As a way of returning the extraordinary generosity and support you
have all shown me in this great community, whenever I upload a new
pic or series of shots this year, I'll provide a link to another flickr
photog whose work, personality, or spirit I feel you should discover.
Visit and introduce yourself. Make a friend. Share the love.
Open your eyes to aarthyr today.
Support now on Ideas at ideas.lego.com/projects/50bd7d8a-1383-438a-9b38-9d700837b1d2
The USS Constitution, compassionately known as “Old Ironsides,” is a ship constructed in 1794 as the beginnings of the new U.S. Navy. Far from simply being a great American icon, she represented a new path of shipbuilding. She was one of six frigates designed to be more heavily armed and armored than other ships of her size, while still being fast enough to evade enemy men-o-wars.
Her design proved effective and after winning the first victory against the British Navy in the War of 1812, the USS Constitution was kept from the scrapyard. Now, she is the oldest ship still afloat—even sailing under her own sails and performing salutes for special occasions.
Here is your chance to have this world-famous ship sail its way across your desk or perform salutes from your shelf! This model is solidly designed from stem to stern and is highly detailed, allowing you to reenact all of your favorite battles.
Features:
A Full Compliment! The model is roughly to nanofigure scale and comes with several figures representing officers and crewmen.
Head Below! Two separately removable deck sections allow access to the gundeck. That deck is complete for display or play with, stairs, ladders, cannons, carronades, powder kegs, and even bilge pumps.
Stowing Away? A section of the hull may be removed to access the cargo hold belowdecks.
Raise Anchors! Spin the Capstan to raise the anchors. The pulleys are hidden out of sight so as not to distract from play or display.
We’re Going to Need a Bigger Bottle: At nearly 2400 pieces, this model measures 74.1cm (2.4ft) long and 65.3cm (2.1ft) tall without the display base.
So unfurl the mains and set sail with this Eagle of the Sea!
Florence, Baptistery, South door
Caritas, the virtue of charity holding a (compassionate) heart & a cornucopia [1330]
Andrea Pisano
Florence, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
original photo by courtesy of Steven Zucker, smarthistory
Be loving, compassionate and gentle toward those who needs you...
Sé amoroso, compasivo y amable con aquellos que lo necesitan....
The M.22 (micro, .22) Trojan, compassionately referred to inhouse as a "glorified staple gun" (seriously though, it's literally a staple gun Earl) is a compact .22LR PDW developed by APR in early 2020. It was designed by Earl Harvey, a member of the New York APR division, and a former employee of USFA. huh.
It was designed to fill the gaps in the... dissapointment that was the ZiP .22. It features a heavier bolt to reduce fire rate and jamming occurences, as well as a more conveniently placed charging handle. It goes for around $500USD at commercial firearms stores.
Weeding my garden today, I was discouraged by my low energy and my inability to do as much work as I planned. I chose to be compassionate to myself and take a rest.
Sadly, my beloved Diana crossed over the bridge tonight. It was a peaceful passing, assisted by a compassionate vet who came to our house. Diana will be cremated. As irrational as it may sound... she loved the sun and warmth so much that I just couldn't bear the thought of her being cold in the ground.
I always adored her dainty, velvety-soft paws. She was never much for cuddling or lap sitting, but she enjoyed having her paws held and stroked. So as she napped and drowsed her last day away, we held on to each other. I was so very fortunate to have the time to say goodbye to my special lady.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and support through this painful time! I need to take a little time away to recover from her loss, but should be back in awhile.
Finnegan and Dewey are with me to provide comfort and their delightful brand of mischief.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Psalm 103:8-14 NLT
Poet, philosopher, legendary wrestler, and extraordinarily compassionate man - it is no wonder that Pahlavan Mahmud became Khiva’s patron saint. Mahmud was known for his empathetic generosity, he worked to help the poor and the oppressed with his actions and donations. He died in the 1320s, but the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum was built as a memorial in the 1700s, centuries after his death to celebrate his great life and actions after he was patronized. More than a simple Mausoleum, the site is an architectural gem, where turquoise shining tiles decorate the walls of the largest dome of Khiva.
The Persian-style building, with its turquoise dome and stunning courtyard, is a sight to behold. These stunning features make the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum one of the most beautiful sites you can visit in Khiva.
compassionate dreams........
"Oh, people downcast in despair
See the disillusion everywhere
Hoping that their luck will change
It's a little harder every day
People struggle, people fight
For the simple pleasures in their lives"
photo rights reserved by B℮n
Wat Si Phan Ton is known for its beautiful architecture and the use of gold-colored sheet metal to cover the buildings and structures. This gives the temple its distinctive shiny golden appearance, which contributed to its nickname Golden Temple. Buddhist monks live in Wat Si Phan Ton, including the venerable monk Chao Abbot. In Thai temples such as Wat Si Phan Ton, monks perform several roles: Prayer and Meditation, Buddha's Teachings, Community Service, and Almsgiving. Monks may be involved in community service, such as providing spiritual guidance to those in need, attending ceremonial events, and providing moral support. They follow a strict set of precepts and devote their lives to the pursuit of spiritual development, meditation and spreading the Buddha's teachings. Monks spend a significant portion of their time in prayer and meditation. This enables them to achieve inner peace and gain profound insights. Monks can be involved in community service, such as providing spiritual guidance to those in need, attending ceremonial events, and providing moral support. In Buddhism, it is considered virtuous to give food and donations to monks. Monks often enter the community early in the morning to receive alms as a way to promote spiritual connection. Monks lead a simple lifestyle and have minimal material possessions. They wear traditional orange robes and shave their heads as a sign of renunciation of worldly vanity. Wat Si Phan Ton is not only a place of worship, but also a cultural and historical site.
Wat Si Phan Ton is a striking Buddhist temple located in Nan, Thailand, and it is sometimes affectionately referred to as the Golden Temple because of its dazzling golden appearance. The temple is an important spiritual and cultural site in Nan. It is not only a place of worship and meditation, but also a symbol of the region's rich Buddhist tradition and cultural heritage. Photo of Samantha & Casper in front of Wat Si Phan Ton.
Wat Si Phan Ton staat bekend om zijn prachtige architectuur en het gebruik van goudkleurige bladmetaal om de gebouwen en structuren te bedekken. Dit geeft de tempel zijn opvallende glanzende gouden uiterlijk, wat heeft bijgedragen aan zijn bijnaam Golden Temple. Er wonen boeddhistische monniken in Wat Si Phan Ton zo ook de eerbiedwaardige monnik Chao Abt. In Thaise tempels zoals Wat Si Phan Ton, vervullen monniken verschillende rollen: Gebed en Meditatie, de leer van Boeddha, Gemeenschapsdienst en Aalmoezen. Monniken kunnen betrokken zijn bij gemeenschapsdienst, zoals het bieden van spirituele begeleiding aan mensen die dat nodig hebben, het bijwonen van ceremoniële gebeurtenissen en het bieden van morele ondersteuning. Ze volgen een reeks strikte leefregels en besteden hun leven aan het nastreven van spirituele ontwikkeling, meditatie en het verspreiden van de leer van Boeddha. Monniken besteden een aanzienlijk deel van hun tijd aan gebed en meditatie. Dit stelt hen in staat om innerlijke vrede te bereiken en diepgaande inzichten te verwerven. Monniken kunnen betrokken zijn bij gemeenschapsdienst, zoals het bieden van spirituele begeleiding aan mensen die dat nodig hebben, het bijwonen van ceremoniële gebeurtenissen en het bieden van morele ondersteuning. In het Boeddhisme wordt het als deugdzaam beschouwd om voedsel en donaties te schenken aan monniken. Monniken gaan vaak in de vroege ochtend de gemeenschap in om aalmoezen te ontvangen als een manier om spirituele verbondenheid te bevorderen. Monniken leiden een eenvoudige levensstijl en hebben minimale materiële bezittingen. Ze dragen traditionele oranje gewaden en scheren hun hoofd als teken van verzaking van wereldse ijdelheid. Wat Si Phan Ton is niet alleen een plek van aanbidding, maar ook een culturele en historische plek. Foto van Samantha & Casper bij de ingang van Wat Si Phan Ton.
Precita Eyes Muralists, 2001, exterior, Maitri-Compassionate Care, Duboce Triangle, San Francisco, California, USA, mural
Character Creation
The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four.
He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a similar, previous character, the android Human Torch of the same name and powers who was created in 1939 by writer-artist Carl Burgos for Marvel Comics' predecessor company, Timely Comics.
Like the rest of the Fantastic Four, Johnny gained his powers on a spacecraft bombarded by cosmic rays. He can engulf his entire body in flames, fly, absorb fire harmlessly into his own body, and control any nearby fire by sheer force of will. "Flame on!", which the Torch customarily shouts when activating his full-body flame effect, has become his catchphrase.
The youngest of the group, he is brash and impetuous in comparison to his reticent, overprotective and compassionate older sister, Susan Storm, his sensible brother-in-law, Reed Richards, and the grumbling Ben Grimm. In the early 1960s, he starred in a series of solo adventures, published in Strange Tales. The Human Torch is also a friend and frequent ally of the superhero Spider-Man, who is approximately the same age.
In film, the Human Torch has been portrayed by Jay Underwood in the unreleased 1994 film The Fantastic Four; Chris Evans in the 2005 film Fantastic Four, its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024); Michael B. Jordan in the 2015 film Fantastic Four; and Joseph Quinn in the MCU films The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), Avengers: Doomsday (2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).
Publication history
Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, Johnny Storm is a renovation of Carl Burgos's original character, the android Human Torch, created for Timely Comics in 1939. Storm first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 (cover-dated Nov. 1961), establishing him as a member of the titular superhero team.
In his plot summary for this first issue, Lee passed on to Kirby that the recently formed Comics Code Authority had told him that the Human Torch was only permitted to burn objects, never people.
Over the course of the series, Johnny being the little brother of teammate Susan Storm a.k.a. the Invisible Girl was one of several sources of tension within the group.
Additionally, he starred in a solo feature in Strange Tales #101-134 (Oct. 1962 – July 1965). An eight-issue series, The Human Torch (Sept. 1974 – Nov. 1975), reprinted stories from that solo feature, along with stories featuring the original android Human Torch.
Later years also saw a 12-issue series, Human Torch (June 2003 - June 2004) by writer Karl Kesel and penciler Skottie Young, and the five-issue team-up miniseries Spider-Man / Human Torch (March–July 2005) by writer Dan Slott and penciler Ty Templeton.
The Human Torch was the permanent co-star of Marvel Team-Up, but was dropped after three issues because the creators found this format too restrictive.
He co-starred in two one-shot comics, Spider-Man & the Human Torch in... Bahia De Los Muertos! #1 (May 2009), by writer Tom Beland and artist Juan Doe, and Incredible Hulk & the Human Torch: From the Marvel Vault #1, a previously unpublished story from 1984, intended for Marvel Team-Up by plotter Jack C. Harris, scriptwriter and artist Kesel, and breakdown artist Steve Ditko.
Character Evolution
Although he was in the Fantastic Four, Johnny still had time to have his own adventures, fighting villains such as the Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete, who would later go on to have grudges against both Johnny and the Fantastic Four. (These adventures were chronicled in Strange Tales). The Human Torch also started dating a fellow student named Dorrie Evans. During the time that the Torch was dating Dorrie, Peter Parker ironically met her one night, and impressed her with his quiet, studying manner as opposed to Johnny's hotheadedness and eagerness.
Deciding that it would be funny to see how she reacted around Spider-Man, Peter changed to Spider-Man, only to end up fighting the Beetle, another of the Human Torch's foes, who was planning to capture Dorrie for revenge on the Torch. Eventually the Torch arrived, and together he and Spider-Man defeated the Beetle and saved Dorrie, one of their earliest team-ups.
After an adventure with the Mole Man, the Sue Storm found a newspaper article which had a small section about her and Johnny's father. The two went to visit him in prison, but unknown to them, the Super-Skrull had kidnapped Franklin Storm and shape shifted to replace him. The Super-Skrull then went on a rampage as the Invincible Man, correctly guessing that the Torch and Invisible Woman wouldn't attack someone who they thought was their father, until Mr. Fantastic discovered the deception.
The Super-Skrull agreed to return Johnny and Sue's father, but moments after they saw him, he yelled at them to escape, before a bomb which had been implanted in him exploded. Thankfully, no one was hurt except for Franklin, but he was gone from Johnny and Sue's life once more.
Major Story Arcs
The Frightful Four
By now, Reed and Sue had agreed to marry, but shortly before they could, the Fantastic Four's counterpart, the Frightful Four (consisting mostly of old enemies of the Human Torch) attacked the group. One of Johnny Storm's best moments was during the first battle with the Frightful Four, FF #36. The evil FF had captured the Invisible Girl, the Thing, Mr. Fantastic and Alicia Masters while Torch was absent from the Baxter Building. Wizard brilliantly attached anti-gravity discs to all four and sent them up into the atmosphere to meet certain death. However, Alicia Masters was able to signal Torch with the FF flare signal before being captured. Hence, Johnny was able to come and capture the Wizard and force him to fly a plane and rescue the missing three FF members and Alicia.
If not for the Human Torch saving the day, his three partners and Alicia Masters most certainly would have suffocated high in the atmosphere! The next battle with the evil FF came in issue #38, "Defeated by the Frightful Four". As part of the Frightful Four's plans, they managed to trap the Fantastic Four on a deserted island with an atomic bomb. This took place following Medusa's capture of the Invisible Girl. Although Sue was able to protect the group with a force field, the radiation still somehow affected them and took away the Fantastic Four's powers.
The team was then attacked by Doctor Doom, who wanted revenge for having been tricked into thinking that he had defeated the team the last time they clashed. The team managed to regain their powers with a special gun of Reed's, but the Thing left the quartet after being forced to have his powers back. Following him the Thing, both he and the Human Torch were brainwashed by the Frightful Four into joining the group. After a lengthy fight between the Frightful Four and Fantastic Four, Johnny and the Thing were cured, but a member of the Frightful Four, Medusa, managed to escape.
Inhumans
Johnny would encounter Medusa shortly after Reed and Sue's wedding, when she was being chased by a mysterious man named Gorgon. Medusa revealed to the Torch that she and Gorgon were both from a mysterious race, who had superpowers. Before she could reveal any more, Gorgon managed to capture her. Johnny shortly ran into another member of the race, (which Reed dubbed the Inhumans), Crystal, whom he fell in love with at first sight. Johnny managed to convince Crystal and the rest of the Inhumans that humans were not their enemies, but shortly afterwards, Black Bolt (the King of the Inhumans) brother Maximus trapped all of the Inhumans inside a "negative energy" dome, which the Fantastic Four only just managed to escape.
Following this, the Fantastic Four had their first encounter with Galactus and the Silver Surfer. (It should be noted before moving on to Galactus that some FF fans were disappointed that Stan Lee did not allow Johnny Storm and Crystal to marry and to bring Crystal on to the FF team as a permanent member. Crystal did go on to do a superb job as a temporary replacement for Sue during Sue's maternity leave.
Unfortunately, due to health reasons, Crystal was forced to leave Johnny and go back to live with the Inhumans. She and Johnny never did get back together and she ended up marrying Quicksilver. It would seem likely that the reason that Stan Lee did not make Crystal a permanent member of the team is because he did not wish to change the name of the group from Fantastic Four to Fantastic Five.)
To battle Galactus, Johnny was selected specifically by the Watcher to retrieve a great weapon he had in a safe place. Johnny was able to retrieve the weapon, known as the Ultimate Nullifier, and they threatened Galactus with it, who left the planet alone.
Galactus
While in a in a singles bar Johnny met Frankie Ray and later met up to go on a date. On their first date, Frankie learned that Johnny was the Human Torch when he had to save a man's life. Frankie was repressed of her memory about the accident that gave her super-powers, until one day it came to light. Reed helped her learn the truth of her past. Frankie and Johnny soon became a couple and Frankie even became a member in-training.
When Galactus needed to consume the Earth to survive, Frankie volunteered to become his next herald to explore space and have adventures as long as he spared the Earth. Galactus accepted, endowing Frankie with the Power Cosmic and called herself Nova. Johnny lost his second love that day.
Secret Wars
During the Secret Wars, when the Beyonder transported a group of heroes and villains to Battleworld, the Thing decided to leave the Fantastic Four and live among monsters at Monster Island. Johnny and Alicia Masters would soon start a relationship during the Thing’s absence.
Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters are about to get married, but the Mad Thinker and Wizard plan to take advantage of the event. The Thing and the Puppet Master have different plans and manage to stop the two evil geniuses. Reed and Sue decide to take some time away from the Fantastic Four and leave the Thing in charge. And his first duty is to find replacements for the two. Thing finds Crystal and Ms. Marvel as the replacements. Johnny is torn between his first love Crystal and his now wife Alicia.
Skrull Homeworld
Just when Reed and Sue return to the team, it is revealed that Alicia is really a Skrull named Lyja. The Fantastic Four take off to the Skrull Homeworld to save the real Alicia Masters from their clutches. Upon finding this out Johnny would have nothing to do with Lyja, despite the fact that she was branded traitor for helping the Fantastic Four save the real Alicia. Lyja then disappears.
Lyja eventually returns and teams-up with Devos, the Devastator, and Paibok, the Power Skrull and are out for Johnny’s blood. During the battle Johnny accidentally goes Super-Nova and starts the Empire University on fire.
Johnny then becomes a wanted man by people who he once called friends and ally. After being hunted by Silver Sable’s Wild Pack, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Secret Defenders. Johnny eventually has his day in court, but the Huntara, Paibok, Klaw and Devos chose this opportunity to strike. Unfortunately Johnny has some super-powered allies to lend a hand. Lyja returns, but now both Johnny and his Ben are fighting for her affections. Not wanting to cause problems between the two she again disappears.
Infinity War
Johnny's double of himself and some of Earth’s other heroes at the beginning of the Infinity War attacked Johnny, creating mixed emotions from having to battle his friends. Creating doppelgangers of Earth’s heroes, the evil Magus planned to remake the universe in his image. Johnny joined all of Earth’s heroes in battle with their evil counterparts before the final defeat of the Magus.
Infinity Crusade
The Magus’ opposite, the Goddess, started the next major event that would be known as the Infinity Crusade. Preying on the religious beliefs of others to manipulate them into joining her cause, Sue was coerced into allying with the Goddess. This cause Johnny to question his faith since he believed he and his sister were equally strong in their beliefs.
Onslaught
The next major threat was a being known as Onslaught, a psionic creature created out of the minds of Professor X and Magneto. It took all of Earth’s heroes to combat this threat. In the end the all non-mutant heroes sacrificed themselves to defeat him and it seemed that the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and many other heroes were gone forever.
Counter Earth
Franklin used his abilities to create a pocket universe for all the heroes to remain living on. On this Counter Earth, Johnny and the other Four lived out their lives anew, not knowing the events of the past. With the help of Roma, this Earth was brought back to Johnny’s original dimension and all the heroes returned to life, although confused over the previous events.
After the death of Galactus, the evil embodiment of destruction known as Abraxas was unleashed on the universe. Abraxas planned to destroy all life in the multiverse. A plan was developed to find the Ultimate Nullifier since Johnny was the only one aware of it’s location, although subconsciously. The other members of the team traveled to other universes to gain pieces of the Nullifiers location from alternate Johnny’s. In the meantime, Johnny and an alternate reality Frankie Raye began the search for it. Once they found the Nullifier, Nova revealed she was really the Herald of Abraxas and took the Nullifier to give to her master. Franklin and Valeria were able to revive Galactus, who was able to easily defeat Abraxas.
Civil War
During the Superhuman Civil War, Johnny is severely beaten in a night club by people outraged by the events in Stamford and super heroes in general. When he awoke, the team had split in many separate ways. Johnny joined Sue on Captain America’s anti-registration Secret Avengers team. At the end of the war, the team reunited. Reed and Sue took a short leave for a honeymoon to rekindle, leaving the Black Panther and Storm in their place.
Team Turmoil
Over time, the stability of the Fantastic Four began to diminish. Johnny began to start searching for a career as an actor. Johnny actually won a major role in a summer blockbuster but soon realized he wasn’t up to the task. Johnny began working in television instead before finally becoming a New York City firefighter. He returned to be the Chief Financial Officer of the Fantastic Four and even averted disaster with his leadership abilities.
After another battle with the teams greatest foe Doctor Doom, Reed attempted to take over Latveria. This caused a major misunderstanding, turning the United States government and the team against him. With the resulting death of the Thing, the team split up once again. Johnny took to his old love, automobile repair. He was plagued by hallucinations that Ben was not dead, which in fact he was not and was returned to his normal state.
The team next had to deal with an alien scientist named Zius. He had developed a cloak to hide planets from the world devourer Galactus, but the Invisible Woman’s powers threatened his plans. He demanded she sacrifice herself to save billions of lives. To protect Sue, Reed used a specially designed machine to switch her powers with Johnny. This fooled Zius and he left the planet. This did not fool Galactus who destroyed Zius and claimed Johnny (with Sue’s invisibility powers) as his new herald. Galactus bestowed a portion of his Power Cosmic to Johnny and forced him to see through the cloaks and find him planets to feed on. Johnny was not mentally altered by Galactus and hid many planets from him for as long as he could. As Galactus’ patience dwindled the remainder of the team and Quasar came and rescued him.
Death
A second Annihilation Wave under the command of Annihilus' Anti-Priest, the head of the Cult of Annihilus, fought The Universal Inhumans and later, under "Kid Annihilus'" personal command, they initially breached The Negative Zone portal in The Baxter Building in an attempt to ignite the Second Great Annihilation War. The Human Torch managed to hold them off until the gateway could be completely sealed and was cut down shortly afterward by the vast wave of Arthrian cultists and their child lord, much to the dismay and horror of a powerless Ben Grimm and his godchildren, Franklin and Valeria Richards. It is noteworthy that two different polls of fans could be found across the internet prior to the "death issue". The polls for who fans wanted to die consistently showed Mr. Fantastic to be #1 by a wide margin. However, comic fans got it right regarding who they predicted would be killed. The Human Torch won those polls by a significant margin.
Return
During an attempt by Annihilus to open the portal in the Baxter Building, Johnny manages to escape from his prison cell in the Negative Zone. With help from new friends, the Light Brigade, he defeats Annihilus, taking the Cosmic Rod and control of the Annihilation Wave with it. As the portal opens, Johnny is reunited with Spider-Man, who was attempting to stop the Anti-Priest from opening the portal on the Earth side.
Johnny flies into the sky, creating a flaming number four and unites the other members of the FF atop the remains of the Baxter Building. With the Kree attempting to destroy New York, Johnny immediately joins the fight by unleashing his Annihilation Wave through the portal. Leading from the flagship, Pestilence, Johnny takes the wave into space to battle the Kree armada. Galactus suddenly appears between the two fleets and Johnny mobilizes the wave to attack, however is quickly stood down by Reed who tells the team that he summoned the World Eater.
The Kree retreat and the Mad Celestials appear, combining there bodies to attack Galactus and send him hurtling toward Earth. Johnny and the Future Foundation head back to the surface in an attempt to activate a machine the Council of Reed's built to take down the Celestials. The machine doesn't fully work however, only separating the Celestials. Johnny takes flight and attempts to attack one of them, using his Nova ability, but the Celestial regenerates and knocks Johnny back to the ground.
As Johnny looks on with his family, a future version of his niece and nephew appear and future-Franklin destroys the Celestials, saving Reed from their judgement.
Team Player
With Reed, Sue and their kids thought dead after the events of Secret Wars, and Ben off in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four disbands, and the Baxter Building is sold to Parker Industries. Wanting to the honor tJohnny becomes a member of the Avengers Unity Squad, and dons a new uniform to signify this. Around this same time, he also enters into a romantic relationship with Medusa, Crystal's older sister. When Crystal finds out about this, things become strained between the three, and the relationship eventually ends.
Johnny eventually discovers that as Sue's sole living heir, he is entitled to the profits gained from Reed's patents, which turns out to be well over five billion dollars. With his newfound wealth, he purchases Avengers Mansion for the team. During the contest between the Grandmaster and the Challenger, the Avengers seek to protect the planet from these two destructive forces. Learning that both sides are after several small pyramids of incredible power, Johnny manages to grab one of the artifacts, but seemingly perishes in the process. However, he is later revealed to be alive, but held in stasis.
Johnny later discovers that he is beginning to lose his powers, with his flames gradually becoming weaker. This, coupled with the loss of his family, puts him into a depressive state. However, his spirits are raised when Ben returns and tells him that the others may still be alive, and the two set off to locate them. The two later learn that they are both losing their powers due to being cut off from Reed and Sue, as their abilities all share a common source. Although, they never find their family, their family finds their own way home and moves in with Ben and Alicia, now engaged.
Soul-Mate
Reed was obsessed with trying to accomplish the journey that the Fantastic Four were originally meant to take when they got their powers. They packed up the family spaceship and finally successfully made it to Spyre. With the same cosmic storm energy that mutated the F4, the Spyricans used it on volunteers so that they would have the Unparalleled, a superhero team to defend them.
They also had a tradition of “soul-mates.” Similar to marriage, couples are outfitted with special arm bands that connect them. Reed and Sue got their own, having shown up to the planet as a dedicated couple, but Johnny got linked to Unparalleled member, Sky. Eventually, the diplomacy between the F4 and the Unparalleled broke down and the F4 were allowed to leave peacefully. A reluctant Sky, who had faith in the soul-mate tradition, stood by Johnny and returned with them to Earth.
Johnny underestimated how much the arm bands connected Sky to him. For instance, during Knull's invasion, when Johnny was bonded to a symbiote, the symbiote was able to reach through the arm band and bond with Sky as well.
Too Hot
After Johnny’s one night stand with Victorious, he hid under the bed while she took a video call from Dr. Doom. He proposed a marriage of political convenience that she accepted. With few friends, Doom requested Reed be his best man, earning the entire team an invitation to the wedding. During the proceedings, Victorious felt compelled to share that she had been intimate with Johnny, publicly embarrassing Doom, who lashed out at Johnny.
After calling in multiple drones to fight the F4, Doom bombarded Johnny with cosmic rays. This caused his powers to turn extreme, leaving him unable to turn off his fiery form. He was too hot for his family to even get close to him. Reed referred to him more as a Human Star than a Human Torch, powered completely by cosmic rays and no longer required oxygen to create flames. He was forced to move into the deep sub basement of the Baxter Building. He even burns too hot for Reed’s best containment suit, limiting his time outside of the basement.
Thanks to his arm band, Sky also had her animal powers enhanced, turning her feral. She lashed out at Johnny until finally giving up on her people’s soul-mate tradition. Johnny removed the band from her arm, and Sky used Reed’s Forever Gate to return to her home planet.
Reckoning War
The Fantastic Four jump into action when the Badoon destroy The Moon and invade Earth with brand new weaponry. The weaponry reminds Reed of Watcher tech, so he leads his team to find Uatu for answers. They find Nick Fury instead, who had been investigating for the Watcher a group calling themselves The Reckoning. They were supplying upgraded tech to war-like alien races. Uatu knew about them and downloaded his knowledge to a data sphere before the Moon was destroyed. Reed helped himself to the sphere, downloading all The Watcher knowledge to his vulnerable human mind. He saw that The Reckoning was the first race The Watcher’s tried to help, which went so bad they took a vow only to watch from then on. Now, The Reckoning were back.
Reed used his new hyper intelligence to orchestrate a new battle plan. He determines that they are most needed in Shi’ar space defending the M’kraan crystal, but Johnny, angry Reed refused to cure him with his new intelligence, flew off into space to assemble his own army to take on The Reckoning. His recruits included The Starjammers, The Guardians of the Galaxy, The new Kree/Skrull Alliance, and The Unparalleled.
He leads his new cavalry to the home planet of the Watchers. He instructs his team to take on the body of Galactus that had been transformed into an Asgardian Destroyer by Galactus' former heralds to buy his family time to defeat Wrath of the Reckoning without killing anyone. Johnny proves to be almost hot enough to defeat him, but Reed still prepares to use the Ultimate Nullifier, which would also kill him.
Thankfully, Reed was not killed by the Ultimate Nullifier, as it was designed to be used by a Watcher, which he had been turning into. Instead, it burned out the Watcher transformation. Uatu, who had absorbed all of the Watcher knowledge and power for himself, used the power to set everything right. He restored Galactus but with a hunger for knowledge, pulled the barrier down on the edge of space, increasing the universe by 90%, and returned the heroes to their homes.
Johnny was briefly upset that Reed had forgotten how to fix his mutation without the Watcher knowledge. Instead of returning to Earth, he accepted an invitation to Spyre, where The Overseer combined his research with Reed's and found a cure to cosmic mutations. Johnny was happy to be the first test subject, making sure it was safe for the rest of the Monster Mob.
Powers & Abilities
The cosmic radiation that changed Johnny into the Human Torch gave him a vast array of fire and plasma based powers. Members of the Fantastic Four's bodies are constantly absorbing Cosmic Radiation from the atmosphere, growing stronger.
Pyrogenesis: The Human Torch possessed the mental ability to control ambient heat energy and the physical ability to transform his entire body, or portions of his body into a fiery, plasma-like state of will.
Heat Absorption: Johnny’s body is covered by flaming plasma that protects him from flames and heat. He can easily absorb fire and explosions.
Heat Detection: Johnny can detect heat and energy out of living being and machines. Also scale his perceptions up to the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Energy Output: The plasma field around Johnny’s body produces intense flame which can be raised and lowered in temperature. The heat can easily dissipate most projectiles.
Blast Power: The Human Torch can create streams or balls of flame and use them as projectiles. Special attacks include the Nova Flame, a multi-directional attack capable of over 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit and the Nova Heat, an offensive beam of heat rivaling the heat of a normal star. Even without using his Nova Blast, Human Torch has been able to reach temperatures hot enough to hurt the likes of Hulk, Namor, the Thing and Silver Surfer, among others.
Fire Control: With his flames, Johnny can create shapes and objects out of flame. He can also control any fire within his range of vision no matter how it formed. Johnny can also control which parts of his body he has in flame in order to touch someone or something that he doesn’t want to burn.
Wind Manipulation: Can alter air currents by changing temperatures.
Flight: As the density of his body changes, Johnny’s body becomes lighter than air, giving him the capabilities of flight. He is also extremely maneuverable. The faster he goes, the shorter his limit becomes. At normal speed (about fifty air miles per hour) he should be able to fly for a half-hour, a distance of twenty-five miles.
Super Speed: The Human Torch can easily break the sound barrier while in flight.
Durability: The Human Torch is surprisingly, and extremely durable. He was able to shake off punches from Gladiator, Namor, and Annihilus.
Immunity to Fire & Heat: The Human Torch is unaffected by heat and flames, including his own, even when part of him is aflame and the rest of him is not. His flesh cannot be scalded or burned by any heat source whose level is below that of his maximum output.
Cold Resistance: Human Torch have a degree of resistance to cold temperatures.
Weaknesses
The Human Torch requires oxygen to use his flame powers. Without it, he would not be able to flame on or would be soon extinguished.
The Human Torch burns through energy rather quickly depending on his energy expenditure. Special attacks such as the Nova Flame could easily deplete his energy reserves.
It takes incredible focus to control his heat powers and must be a constant thought. Johnny has learned well over the years to control this power.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Johnny Storm
Publisher: Marvel
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961)
Created by: Stan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
The Human Torch has been seen:
Chowing down with the FF at the Greasy Freeze in BP 2020 Day 216!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/50185600671/
Fighting Doctor Doom in BP 2021 Day 46!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/50947974421/
The rest of the Fantastic Four can be seen here:
Mr. Fantastic, BP 2022 Day 280!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/52411514451/
Invisible Woman, BP 2022 Day 287!
www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/52426425322/
The Thing, BP 2022 Day 308!
New #YVR mayor seeks to solve city problems investing in police, which NEVER solves social or 💰 issues
Vancouver must instead compassionately invest in people, housing, #BasicIncome & #MentalHealth
Existing over-investment in Vancouver policing merely criminalizes more citizens ...leaving no positive effects on social ills nor crime levels.
Drug dealing exists openly; my daughter & I were offered all drug types as we walked the #DTES
________ ________ ________ ________
"The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, and the historic heart of the city.
The DTES has many assets, especially for its low-income residents... the Downtown Eastside has struggled with many complex challenges including drug use, crime, homelessness, housing issues, unemployment, and loss of businesses in the community." (City of Vancouver)
"Around the beginning of the 20th century, the DTES was the political, cultural and retail centre of Vancouver. Over several decades, the city centre gradually shifted westwards and the DTES became a poor,[1] although relatively stable, neighbourhood. In the 1980s, the area began a rapid decline due to several factors including an influx of hard drugs, policies that pushed sex work and drug-related activity out of nearby areas, and the cessation of federal funding for social housing. By 1997, an epidemic of HIV infection and drug overdoses in the DTES led to the declaration of a public health emergency. As of 2018, critical issues include opioid overdoses, especially those involving the drug fentanyl; decrepit and squalid housing; a shortage of low-cost rental housing; and mental illness, which often co-occurs with addiction."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside
Founded in 1978, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre is one of the few safe spaces within the Downtown Eastside exclusively for self-identified women and their children. High levels of violence, homelessness, addictions and poverty characterize the Downtown Eastside community. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, injustice and injury." dewc.ca/about
Yesterday I was marking students animations and I was getting so frustrated with some of them, (the ones that obviously hadn’t put any effort in at all) that I just had to have a break. Now coincidentally as I made a cup of tea, to break up the monotony, there was a weird change in the weather. Very bright sunshine was coming in from the west and heavy clouds were blowing over. So I thought F**K it I’m off out with my camera! And I rushed down to Knock ford Nook (2 miles from my house) and took this shot. I hope you like it. By the way if any students read this, or any of my line managers for that matter, the break helped me be more empathic and compassionate to the very difficult situations you find your self in. But more attendance and more effort will make you a better animator! (o:
New #YVR mayor seeks to solve city problems investing in police, which NEVER solves social or 💰 issues
Vancouver must instead compassionately invest in people, housing, #BasicIncome & #MentalHealth
Existing over-investment in Vancouver policing merely criminalizes more citizens ...leaving no positive effects on social ills nor crime levels.
Drug dealing exists openly; my daughter & I were offered all drug types as we walked the #DTES
________ ________ ________ ________
"The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, and the historic heart of the city.
The DTES has many assets, especially for its low-income residents... the Downtown Eastside has struggled with many complex challenges including drug use, crime, homelessness, housing issues, unemployment, and loss of businesses in the community." (City of Vancouver)
"Around the beginning of the 20th century, the DTES was the political, cultural and retail centre of Vancouver. Over several decades, the city centre gradually shifted westwards and the DTES became a poor,[1] although relatively stable, neighbourhood. In the 1980s, the area began a rapid decline due to several factors including an influx of hard drugs, policies that pushed sex work and drug-related activity out of nearby areas, and the cessation of federal funding for social housing. By 1997, an epidemic of HIV infection and drug overdoses in the DTES led to the declaration of a public health emergency. As of 2018, critical issues include opioid overdoses, especially those involving the drug fentanyl; decrepit and squalid housing; a shortage of low-cost rental housing; and mental illness, which often co-occurs with addiction."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside
Founded in 1978, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre is one of the few safe spaces within the Downtown Eastside exclusively for self-identified women and their children. High levels of violence, homelessness, addictions and poverty characterize the Downtown Eastside community. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, injustice and injury." dewc.ca/about
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), often called the "compassionate recorder", used her photographic skills to draw America's attention to the poor and forgotten during the dark days of the "Great Depression". Her stirring images of migrant farmers and the unemployed, while working for the Farm Security Administration, have become universally recognized symbols of the Depression-era. Later photographs documenting the internment of Japanese Americans and her travels throughout the world extended her body of work. Lange was an influential photographer and photojournalist who profoundly influenced the development of documentary photography.
This is one of the many photographs taken by Lange showing workers and their families heading west to California to escape the Dust Bowl, the lengthy drought which devastated millions of acres of farmland in Midwestern states such as Oklahoma.
Woo-hoo! It's Britain's very own teen-idol heartthrob, Sean Harrison! Multi-talented singer, song writer and actor, Sean is a mega star across the pond, and has also enjoyed crossover success here in the United States. Prosperous with much adoration from legions of fans, and an abundance of success on two different continents, the United Kingdom hasn't seen such success since the Culture Club lol. Sean is debonair, robust, and stands tall and gallant in a dignified manner. His characteristics paint him as caring and compassionate in a “We Are the World” sort of way as proof from his involvement with “The World Hunger Shindig”, which also happens to be his debut appearance in the series. The Shindig also marked his first encounter with the love of his life, and revealed a twisted relationship that occurred between himself and the only human being vulgar enough to singe his lapel, the scandalous, Pizzazz Gabor! Fireflies lit up the night, and stars filled the sky, when Sean met Holograms keyboardist, Kimber Benton, at the ranch of Ms. Sally Brand who interrupted the festivities long enough to introduce Sean to the crowd as the liner act for her charity concert, the World Hunger Shindig. And after a quite moving performance from Jem and the Holograms, there wasn't a dry eye in the house! The very second she released her fingers from the black and white bars on her keyboard, Kimber stepped down from the stage and hustled on over to meet Sean, and the two quickly became smitten of each other. The tall Englishman sparked up a conversation about her lyrics and the possibility of writing a song together, and Kimber couldn't help but blush while elaborating ideas for a hit song. During their intimate discussion, a ball of dust barreled ahead as Eric Raymond and the Misfits came swerving up the dirt road at 80 miles per hour in a fancy Cadillac with the intent of stirring up drama as thick as molasses! Determined to rustle up as much attention as possible, the wild-haired rockers jumped out the car and, believe it or not, greeted Ms. Sally with a mild display of respect! Other than Pizzazz's casual demand to be in the charity concert at the Houston Astrodome, Eric didn't have too much apologizing to do on their part, but he was the promoter of the Shindig, so it was only fair for him to go to bat for his band and convince Ms. Sally to allow them the right to perform. The enterprising ranch owner agreed, but she specified that the Misfits would not be allowed to record for her live album unless another artist or band backed out. She then explained to Eric that they would have to shack up with him in her guesthouse, so Roxy and Stormer took off in that direction to get first dibs on the biggest bedroom available. Fighting back total control from the full moon above, Pizzazz casually crept over to Sean and reminded him of the year they met at a crummy club, in London, but he didn't care to address such negativity, so he dismissed her and politely moved along. The following morning, as Kimber sat alone feeding a bird, Sean slowly approached her and complimented her skill for taming wildlife. He also mentioned—because he didn't know much about horses—that he would love for her to join him on a trail ride. At that point, Pizzazz had formed eyes in the back of her head and the hearing ability of a gnat, and all four organs were in play while she eavesdropped on the two lovebirds from behind a tree. Later that day, Sean, Kimber, Jerrica and the remaining Holograms decided to pull themselves away from music for awhile to enjoy the scenic view and all it had to offer. Seconds later, while basking in the sun, a phone call came in on Sean's cordless phone for him to tie up a few loose strings with business, in Houston, forcing him to cut his time short with his gal and report to said destination. Later that evening, Kimber climbed aboard the hayride with her sisters and pondered her dear sweet man's whereabouts. She would have never guessed in a million years that Ms. Alligator Woman had him clamped in her grip a half hour away at Jim's Western Tavern, and was dead set on impressing him with her performance of “Gimme!, Gimme!, Gimme!” As Pizzazz's cabaret act reached its finale, Sean voiced his desire to return to the ranch and meet up with Kimber, so they departed for home. During the grueling car ride back, the outspoken dominator began lashing her tongue about his new, mellow personality, and mentioned how he used to have guts! As usual, Sean didn't give a hoot as he was more concerned about her reckless driving, and advised her to grow up and slow down. Now bubbling past her breaking point, Pizzazz glared over at the passenger side and called him a wimp! The more passive he was, the more angrier she became, and with one foot on the gas and the other on the break (damn two-footer lol), Pizzazz darted directly into the path of the hayride carrying Jem and the Holograms! Tickled pink by her own risky maneuver, she swerved around the accident and laughed uncontrollably while the hay barrel spun out of control and landed on the side of the road, in the field. With no f**ks to give, she slammed on the gas once more and drove away, leaving the scene of the accident in her rearview mirror. As the Holograms inspected the damage to their carriage, Jerrica turned and asked Kimber if she noticed who was sitting in the passenger side of the car at which moment she admitted that she had, and vowed never to speak to him again! The following night, backstage at the concert, Sean spotted Kimber with her girls and whisked himself over to explain his side of the story, admitting flat out that he should have been with her, but Pizzazz kept him from doing so. All she needed to do was look into his eyes and Kimber forgave her guy. As for Pizzi, she's always had a hard time comprehending that nice girls, such as Kimber, start AND win the race! Their time spent together during the Shindig was kismet, and the connection was undeniably strong from the start.
The two lovebirds experienced another rare encounter together, in “Scandal”, while on Venice Beach, in California, where Jem and the Holograms arrived for their scheduled interview with California Beat to promote their appearance at the Roller Rock-Out Bash. It had been a long time since she communicated with her man, so Kimber was shocked when she walked into her tent to freshen up and recognized Sean who was preparing for his own interview. The British Pop-rocker asked to have a word with her and they started in on an important conversation until he was called to film his segment. After reporting that he was in town to perform at the Roller Rock-Out Bash with his all-male Pop band, Sean walked over to the beach and noticed Kimber sitting alone writing in her diary and decided to join her. Then, in the most respectful way possible, he asked her to write a song for him, catching her off guard and leaving her stunned! The keyboardist happily agreed to create a popular tune for the Brit, and then he asked her to meet him for dinner at Los Pelomas to which she said she would be there no sooner or later than 8:00. Upon leaving for her interview, Kimber forgot to grab her purse, but a staff member for California Beat noticed and ran over to pick it up from off the bench while inadvertently knocking her diary onto the sand. Then, as bad luck would have it, Misfits saxophonist, Jetta, noticed the brightly-colored book laying next to the base of a palm tree unopened and picked it up, then jumped on back of Stormer's ATV and raced out of sight! Hours passed and Sean arrived at the restaurant on time to find that Kimber hadn't arrived yet, so he sat and waited. While chillin' at his table in VIP, he was bum-rushed by the Misfits who fixed the entire situation so that Kimber wouldn't show up at all, and arrived instead with a publisher from Cool Trash Magazine to conduct a rigged interview for their advantage! Pizzazz secured proof of her rendezvous by getting Roxy to snap a picture of herself and Jetta cozying up to the British stud in the booth, which pissed him off, so he shoved the rockstar off her seat and onto the porcelain floor where she banged her elbow super hard, then sat there for a minute in shock lol! Bored out of his gourd, Sean assumed his sweetheart wouldn't show, so he hopped over the table and dashed out of there. At the bash, Sean was just finishing up his performance with his band, when Kimber rolled in with Raya and skated out to the middle of the floor where she noticed him standing on stage. The second he spotted her, he hollered her name over the crowd, and she scooted closer to see her honey...until Pizzazz strolled in on her skates with a microphone and announced that she was “good friends” with Sean, and that she was about to add some spice to the event with her drum-banging hit, “Scandal!” When the music stopped, she slid forward and directly in front of Kimber to present her with a copy of Cool Trash Magazine that featured a picture of her face on the front cover and the title: “Kimber loves Sean, he could care less!” The reality of the scandal left her reeling in tears, and her sadness from the humiliation was more than she could ever handle, so she flew out the building and was followed by a crowd of fans who chased her into the street where she was almost hit by a bus! Out of concern for her, Sean ran outside to call her back, but she was already several feet away, weaving through traffic, and skated all the way back home and up to her bedroom where she swore she would never write again. The following night, on the Harriet Horn show, Kimber prepared for her performance with support from Jem, Shana, Aja and Raya who were ready to sock it to the Misfits with their song of redemption, “Dear Diary!” After the lights came up and Jem's wind machine whirled its last gust of wind, Harriet surprised Kimber with a special guest appearance from her British babe! The minute he appeared, Sean took full advantage of the opportunity to explain to the world that the Cool Trash interview at the restaurant was nothing but hogwash, and that Pizzazz was to blame for the entire situation. And while keeping in tune with the mood of the moment, he placed her hand in his and confirmed that he had the utmost respect for her, and then asked her again to write a song for him. The attention given to Kimber was bad medicine for Pizzazz who stood up bitterly from her seat and said SHE was supposed to write the song because she's BETTER than her. While laughing his head off, Sean raised one eyebrow and told her to quit dreaming and grow the hell up! In that moment, the atmosphere felt more like the gymnasium scene from “Carrie”, and the crowd hungered for more as Pizzazz lunged forward with a rebel yell that was heard from outside Studio A! Roxy, Stormer and Jetta were worried about getting kicked off Harriet's show, like they did on VTV, so they jumped up at once to calm her down. With only 10 seconds left on air, Kimber had gained control of the melodrama, and then answered “yes” to writing a song for her gentleman. Her response generated a chorus of cheers from the audience, and an even bigger round of applause. Just before the credits rolled on camera, Sean stood up from his seat and declared the segment as the show of all shows.
Throughout the remainder of 1987, Sean and Kimber paired up whenever the opportunity presented itself, but the distance factor proved to be one serious obstacle to conquer. His love for her was what kept him going, and she was all he could think about during his flight to California to film his latest project for Howard E. Sands' Rock musical production, in “Hollywood Jem, Part One!” Besides the fact that he was chief lyricist for the soundtrack, he also had a co-starring role as a talking robotic computer, which Kimber found pretty amusing when she discovered that it was him behind the studio screen. They were so pleased to catch up with each other on all their accomplishments, and Kimber asked for Sean to advise her if he needed help with his lyrics for the soundtrack to which Sean agreed that he would. Days later, with Rio and Jem, Sean escorted Kimber to a party, in Beverly Hills, hosted by French director, François Trésor. Casual and cool was the mood of the night as François offered Jem a role in his film. The diamond-draped singer accepted, but kindly asked if she could finish her latest project, first. And, after only 15 minutes into the gala, François blew his top at Jem’s answer, forcing herself and Rio to turn back around and exit his gathering. Kimber was affected by her sister's misfortune as François began to slander the lead vocalist's name to a few reporters who were present. So, being the thoughtful man that he is, Sean felt her discomfort and quickly whizzed her away to the Hollywood Hills to take her mind off the incident at the party. The sweet gesture captured her heart and opened her mind to the possibility of a relationship. Sean then mentioned that he wanted to make a stronger commitment to her. And with the city lights shining below, and the stars covering the sky, he pulled her close and they locked lips in a tight embrace. At that moment, Kimber grew very close to him, so close, in fact, that she mistook his affection as a proposal of marriage, and she couldn't wait to gush to Jem about it. However, before she reached cloud nine, Sean pulled her back down to earth gently and admitted that his comment was not meant to suggest they get married. He agreed to be more committed and to see her exclusively, but he wasn't exactly ready for the infinite lock and key. Emotionally crushed by the truth, Kimber apologized and said she didn't mean to rush into love, while Sean assured her that it was just fine and apologized also for not making himself more clear. The ride home was heart-wrenching for Kimber who began to get a little ahead of herself while listening to Gloria Estefan's “Anything for You” on the car stereo system, and assumed their friendship had come to a complete end. Then Eric Carmen's “Hungry Eyes” came on, commanding for Sean to look over and wink at his girl. The heart-broken Hologram secretly wished for the car ride to last forever, but they had already arrived at the front door of Starlight Mansion where her suitor dropped her off and wished her a good night. The following day, Sean stood outdoors with Rio, Jem and the crew to watch his stunt double, Jeff Wright, perform a high speed chase under a truck. Far off in the distance, on the opposite side of the set, stood Kimber who appeared wearing a pair of expensive sunglasses to hide her pain from the previous night. During his stunt, Jeff recognized the keyboardist standing alone and almost crashed while staring. When he jumped out the vehicle, the second his boots hit the ground, Kimber ran into his arms and they expressed outright happiness in seeing each other! Caught by surprise, Sean approached with caution and said he would meet her back at the studio to begin their song. Quickly consumed with jealousy, Jeff asked her about her relationship with Sean and became upset when he didn't receive the answer he was looking for, even going so far as to accuse her of leading on half the male population of California! He then sped off angrily on his motorcycle. Back at Sean's in-house studio, Kimber walked in and apologized for not mentioning the situation early on. She also drove it home that she liked him and enjoyed working with him, and Sean replied with just the same. Something clicked inside of him that day during their rehearsal session. His feelings started running deep and he couldn't shake the vibes, which was why he decided to purchase an engagement ring for his special girl at the jewelry store with a plan to propose. The next day, on set, Sean noticed Kimber a few feet away and ran over to complete the deed, but Jeff cut him off by swinging in on a rope and lifting her to a higher platform to ask her one last time for her hand in marriage! With Sean looking on, Kimber agreed to marry him, causing the agile daredevil to laugh vociferously at the news, then lift her up in his arms, like Indiana Jones, and leap onto the lower level where Kimber insisted on climbing down to the ground. Looking out below, she watched Sean slowly walk away and felt absolutely terrible, so she quickly chased him down as he marched forward feeling broken and bruised. Unaware of his feelings for her, Kimber revealed that she accepted Jeff's proposal, but the towering prince of Pop played it cool and reminded her that he wasn't ready to settle down. Seconds after, in a smart tone, he congratulated her while continuing his march to his dressing room where he junked the ring and held his head low in anguish. The gallant Brit was heated during the events leading up to Kimber's wedding day, in “Hollywood Jem, Part Two!” The clock was ticking and he needed to show her how much he really wanted her in his life...and boy did he ever! It all came to a head, when he risked his life by performing Jeff's stunt himself and raced his car directly at the speeding truck instead of UNDER as was planned! Once he lost control of the wheel there was no way of gaining it back, and soon his race car spun out of control, flipping across the road and smashing violently into a large stack of hay! The crew couldn't believe what they had seen and ran over to pull him out. The fellas then laid him down on a stretcher where Rio and Kimber stood by his side with as much help as they could possibly provide. At first, Kimber thought it was Jeff, but when the helmet came off, she discovered it was Sean and wept at the sight of her beau in pain! Rio insisted on driving her to the hospital where the two sat in the waiting room wondering what happened to their good friend. Right away, Kimber blamed herself and regretted not knowing just how upset he really was about her up-and-coming wedding. Eventually, the nurse entered the waiting room with an update on his condition and stated that he was stable, but hadn't regained consciousness. She then suggested that they both get some rest, so Rio told Kimber to go on home and that he would call her if necessary. A full day passed and Sean eventually regained consciousness with minimal discomfort from his accident, and he was DETERMINED to win his ladylove back! He was still confined to his bed due to a broken leg. So, with little time to waste, the musician sent Rio to interrupt her wedding with his ring of proposal. The plan almost failed as Jerrica gasped at the sight of her man kneeling down in front of her on bended knee for Kimber—and he did it with Sean's personalized diamond rock. Kimber was flattered, but said she couldn't possibly marry him at which point Rio announced to her and everyone there that he was doing it all for his good buddy, Sean. Turns out, Kimber and Jeff decided not to get hitched after all, and she wasted no time getting over to the hospital where Sean explained how much he cared with an official proposal of marriage from his bed. Kimber agreed, but quickly decided that it was crucial to get better acquainted before fully committing to each other. Gradually, he became mobile and was discharged from the hospital just in time for the 60th Annual Academy Awards, honoring his friend, Jem, who was nominated for “Best Actress!” Kimber was dressed in her best and was shocked, when her loverboy popped out the limousine with crutches and a leg cast to escorted her to the ceremony. The two had a blast together on that night, and Sean moved into Starlight Mansion where he and Kimber locked themselves away for a whole week before his departure from California. Despite their infrequent encounters, Sean has always been extremely fond of his lady fair, and also fully aware of a love lost due to assumptions and miscommunication—two mistakes he vowed to never make again. New Years ‘87 passed, and 1988 hurried in with “Riot's Hope”, and a memorable gathering at Stingers Sound Studios in celebration of the Stingers' debut album. The party allowed Sean and Kimber the chance to spend the evening together mingling among close friends and colleagues, and ripping up the dance floor to Riot's authoritative warning, “Take it or Leave It”, and his heart-puncturing tune, “It's a Hard, Hard Life!” Time has past since their verbal engagement at the hospital, and the connection between both musicians has grown stronger than ever before!
This set is one that I consider to be another golden treasure—something of a personal reward from Integrity Toys—and I'm very grateful and undoubtedly delighted to add him to my collection! Sean is extremely essential to the world of Jem and I am blown away by his appearance as a fashion doll. He was another pick from my top ten list of must-haves, and it sure seems as though Integrity is giving me exactly what I want because Sean (along with a majority of the dolls on my wish list) has come to fruition! This British crooner definitely stands out in the collection with just his signature jet black swoop alone! The short cut accommodates his face sculpt so well, and the dark hue immediately directs your attention to his piercing blue eyes. Speaking of which, there's something very interesting about the way Integrity constructed his pupils. To start with, their decision to add a yellow ring to both irises seems a bit unconventional, but it works for Sean! Another unavoidable feature worth point out is the outer area around his eyes. The off-brown appearance exposes a mysterious allure that almost appears a bit distressed—looks real good, though! I am astonished at the work on his blue, custom-made Burberry blazer! He wears his swanky, chain-linked lapel brooch pinned to the chest area of his jacket, and it's brilliant! There's equal appreciation for his sheer, pale green, pink-striped Oxford dress shirt, his dark purple, pin-striped Oxford trousers and his pink GQ belt! Sean also proves to have a mean shoe game choosing, from his imported collection, a pair of upscale, Bass Weejun penny loafers, and a classy pair of slick, dark blue Gianni Versace socks to dress up his feet. Only one man has the qualifications to don such a dapper getup and press forth with the utmost pride! I'm actually quite angry at the absence of his original wristwatch as depicted in Integrity's prototype pictures. From my standpoint, the dark blue/white-striped band matches perfectly with the gold bezel, both adding a ton of flare to his entire outfit! I also feel that the original wristwatch looks more fashionable and realistic. Damn! What a loss! Inside this set contains an incriminating photo and note from Pizzazz, both of which I'm sure he'd give anything to forget! The last piece of memorabilia is a final script for Howard Sands' box office smash, Starbright!
Sean Harrison was one of the defining figures of mid-‘80s Pop. His music merged the technology-intensive sound of new wave and filtered right into Synth and Rock genres effortlessly! Harrison racked up a string of hits before he retreated into being a cult symbol by the conclusion of the decade. With a whopping 87 weeks on the charts, “Romance in Modern Times” holds the record for most weeks spent on the Hot 100! And his acclaimed 1987 classic, “Benton My Belle”, has spent an amazing 30 weeks riding the Billboard 200 albums chart! Writer, composer, collaborator, producer, paired with three live albums and sold out tours...Sean Harrison-Benton-Harrison is one Brit who's proud to raise his flag high in the sky with pride! 🇬🇧
The unfailing laughter
your compassionate fire speaks
enters the wilderness of rust
that my little soul has built, teaching
me the blossoming
I pray for, showing
me how to want
that secret commotion
that leads to holy stillness.
©Laura Sorrells 2012
all rights reserved
Lewis was visiting today and arrived in his car this was him doing a three point turn in the garden and then deciding he'd had enough!
Our Daily Challenge - THE BACKSIDE
People longed for the compassionate touch of Jesus. And each one who came was touched. And each one touched was changed. But none was touched or changed more than the unnamed leper described in the first four verses of Matthew 8. He bowed before Jesus and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will. And Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, ‘I will. Be healed! And immediately the man was healed from his disease.’”
In New Testament times, leprosy was the most dreaded disease. In Scripture, the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast. A person doesn’t have to have leprosy to feel quarantined. The divorced, handicapped, unemployed, depressed, and terminally ill know this feeling. Jesus touched the untouchables of the world. Will you do the same?
Read more Just Like Jesus. Max Lucado
Poet, philosopher, legendary wrestler, and extraordinarily compassionate man - it is no wonder that Pahlavan Mahmud became Khiva’s patron saint. Mahmud was known for his empathetic generosity, he worked to help the poor and the oppressed with his actions and donations. He died in the 1320s, but the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum was built as a memorial in the 1700s, centuries after his death to celebrate his great life and actions after he was patronized. More than a simple Mausoleum, the site is an architectural gem, where turquoise shining tiles decorate the walls of the largest dome of Khiva.
The Persian-style building, with its turquoise dome and stunning courtyard, is a sight to behold. These stunning features make the Pahlavan Mahmud Mausoleum one of the most beautiful sites you can visit in Khiva.
"She gives me my place as easily as she puts me in my place".
The compassionate strength of a nurturing woman is something a man will forever treasure and desire.
Ever After 2017
This is my first lesson with Tamara Laporte
On Ever After we explore fairy tales, but we also explore retelling them in our own way, or we look at how we can put more of 'ourselves' into the story. :)
Lindsi is one of the most compassionate and non-judmental women I know. She works with developmentally challenged children and helps them navigate a school system that isn't uniquely designed for them. Similarly, Lindsi is making her own way through the complicated shelter and re-homing system. Simply within the past year and a half she has navigated through a new Bipolar Syndrome diagnosis, finding a new career, and dutifully managing and recovering from a substance abuse issue. She's one of the most remarkable people I know. And this is only the beginning for her! #pinktigerproject
To See more of the project:
Showcasing the strength and beauty of women living in homelessness. #PinkTigerProject #picoftheweek
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pinktigerproject/
One of the most compassionate,thoughtful people I've met on Flickr is Sandra of www.flickr.com/photos/fleetingglances/
I wish you joy and encouragement,my friend.
What a fellowship;what a joy devine
Leaning on the everlasting arms. (yes,Sandra, I remember,and still sing it !)
I just found out this is a Dog Rose.
Having an eccentric and compassionate executive chef on their side to remind them occasionally that they are on the same team (and not pitting them against each other), three FOH (front of the house) employees do silverware rolls clean menus and do silverware rolls over a shared bottle of Pinot Noir before they open shop
Inspired by my experiences as a seasonal host at a restaurant
Crayola and Prismacolor colored pencils; Crayola art markers, Crayola watercolors, Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolors, Prismacolor Premier illustration marker, drafting pencils, a Sharpie, splashes of lukewarm dark roast coffee, splashes of Cabernet Sauvignon, and splashes of Malbec
Brushed with a Blick 18 bristle brush
Canson mix media pad
7" x 10"
2018
"Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’"
– Luke 10:30-37, which is part of today's Gospel for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
My sermon for today can be read here.
Stained glass detail from St Salvators chapel in St Andrews.
At last the camera points my way
Sees with unobstructed Eye
Compassionate Eye
The Eye that sees all that could still be
The Eye that understands
The Eye that looks beyond conditions
The Eye that can see Limitlessness
Sees through the lens of forgiveness:
The miracle of life is here
The shackles of judgments fall
The Truth unfolds
The epic Self finds a Voice
Light
Wings
Imagination
Music
Possibility
Authenticity
Fulfillment
© Ganga Fondan, 2011
*What I love about the camera is that everything seen through the two eyes now is filtered through one view. If this view could be totally free of judgement, we would have pure vision. This artwork and poetry came from a battery of self-criticism upon myself today and my realization of the great trick of the mind to think it knows everything. A great opportunity to remember that we are not the mind:
"To train the mind and think the thoughts we want to think and not the thoughts we don't want to think is the secret to success." - Tulshi Sen
Driving Miss Daisy at Theatre Royal, Sydney, Australia...
This evening was opening night for Driving Miss Daisy at the Theatre Royal in King Street, Sydney.
A timeless American play, which inspired the beloved Academy Award®- winning film, Driving Miss Daisy tells the affecting story of the decades-long relationship between an elderly Southern Jewish woman, Daisy Werthan, and her compassionate African-American chauffeur, Hoke Colburn. Their iconic tale of pride, changing times and the transformative power of friendship has warmed the hearts of millions worldwide.
Promo...
Don't miss 2013's hottest ticket as two of the world's greatest living actors arrive in Australia to perform Alfred Uhry's timeless Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Driving Miss Daisy.
The stage will light up, with the extraordinary talents of the legendary five-time Tony Award® winner and three-time Academy Award® nominee ANGELA LANSBURY and two-time Tony Award® winner and Honorary Academy Award® recipient JAMES EARL JONES. David Esbjornson's acclaimed, smash-hit production has dazzled audiences and critics alike on Broadway and the West End.
Inspiration for the much-loved Oscar winning movie, Driving Miss Daisy is the charming, poignant and utterly compelling tale of the unlikely, long-lasting friendship that blossoms between a prickly, elderly Southern matriarch and her kind-hearted chauffeur, Hoke. As the wheels turn and the decades roll by against a backdrop of prejudice, inequality and civil unrest, the pair slowly transcend their differences and ultimately grow to rely on each other far more than either of them ever expected.
Sparklingly funny, irresistibly heart-warming and with an unmissable stellar cast, Driving Miss Daisy is the must-see show for 2013.
Don't miss 2013's hottest ticket as two of the world's greatest living actors arrive in Australia to perform Alfred Uhry's timeless Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Driving Miss Daisy.
Limited season from 1 - 31 March
The Theatre Royal stage will light up with the extraordinary talents of the legendary five-time Tony Award® winner and three-time Academy Award® nominee ANGELA LANSBURY and two-time Tony Award® winner and Honorary Academy Award® recipient JAMES EARL JONES. Also starring four-time Tony Award® winner BOYD GAINES, David Esbjornson's acclaimed, smash-hit production has dazzled audiences and critics alike on Broadway and the West End.
Inspiration for the much-loved Oscar winning movie, Driving Miss Daisy is the charming, poignant and utterly compelling tale of the unlikely, long-lasting friendship that blossoms between a prickly, elderly Southern matriarch and her kind-hearted chauffeur, Hoke. As the wheels turn and the decades roll by against a backdrop of prejudice, inequality and civil unrest, the pair slowly transcend their differences and ultimately grow to rely on each other far more than either of them ever expected.
Sparklingly funny, irresistibly heart-warming and with an unmissable stellar cast, Driving Miss Daisy is the must-see show for 2013.
Reviews...
Stage Whispers - 10/02/13
“...a trilogy of perfection”
Aussie Theatre – 11/02/13
“...a once in a life-time opportunity to see two of the worlds’ greatest theatre legends on stage in Australia”
Theatre People – 11/02/13
“...nothing less than the most superb piece of acting”
“...timeless star quality, attentiveness, awe-inspiring craftsmanship” “...warm, honestly funny, sincere, composed, poised and utterly astounding”
The Australian – 11/02/13
“...every person in the theatre was on their feet, some with tears in their eyes”
Courier Mail – 12/02/13
“This production of Driving Miss Daisy is a theatrical masterpiece that those who are fortunate enough to see will never forget.” “A spine-tingling piece of theatre”
“They take what is already a warm, funny, engaging and compelling piece of theatre and turn it into something truly magnificent.”
Special Guests: The Member for Wentworth and Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband Malcolm Turnbull (Angela Lansbury’s cousin) with Lucy Turnbull and their daughter Daisy; Bronwyn Bishop MP; ABC TV’s Margaret Pomeranz; Kerri-Anne Kennerley; Channel 7 newsreaders Chris Bath, Mark Ferguson and Anne Sanders; Channel 9 newsreader Deborah Knight; actors Tom Burlinson, Mitchell Butel, Gigi Edgley, David Harris, Amanda Harrison, Nancye Hayes, Erika Heynatz, Jay Laga'aia, Steve Le Marquand, Todd McKenney, Sharon Millerchip, Ben Mingay, Tara Morice, Amanda Muggleton, Lola Nixon, Peter Phelps and Ian Stenlake; choreographer Kelley Abbey; radio announcers Stuart Bocking, Tony Delroy, Rob Duckworth, Brendan “Jonesy” Jones, Dominic Knight, Simon Marnie and Jason Morrison; theatre producer James Thane; along with Driving Miss Daisy playwright Alfred Uhry, Broadway producer Adam Zotovich and Australian producer John Frost, amongst others.
Websites
Driving Miss Daisy - Daisy On Stage (Australia)
Daisy On Broadway
Theatre Royal
Eva Rinaldi Photography
by hannahlula :)
i will follow suit and put my tagged people "in my photo" even though...they arent
1. music is like my blood, i cant live or thrive without it
2. despite my sometimes emo titles for my photos, i am a very happy person :)
3. adam young [aka owl city to all you newcomers] is my inspiration for life itself, his music is incredible and it can make me feel better no matter what mood im in
4. this may sound cliche...but Mitchell Davis was really my inspiration to start photography. im not gonna go on and on about how amazing he is an blah blah blah because too many people do that. but he is definitely my inspiration
5. i only wear skinny jeans. i own no other jean
6. i feel that im a very creative person, but i have to be in the right mood
7. i long to be part of the music/movie/arts industry
8. apple products make me happy :)
9. i love the rain
10. im a very good listener, and a very compassionate person
therr ya go
***EXPLORED December 13 #408?? what thee heckk!
Buddha Vacana Verse 355:
An enlightened person is naturally endowed with a compassionate nature and disposition. He desires to alleviate the suffering that beings suffer, and is even willing to relinquish his own body or life to do so. Until he reaches his goal, he is willing to struggle and strive for a very long time on a course involving great hardship, without fear and without ever becoming disenchanted with all the suffering in the round of existence, all for the sake of the welfare of other beings.
《長阿含》卷四‧〈遊行經〉（大正卷一，25下～26上）
佛告阿難：「汝勿憂也，諸族姓子常有四念，何等四：一曰念佛生處，歡喜欲見、憶念不忘、生戀慕心。二曰念佛初得道處，歡喜欲見、憶念不忘、生戀慕心。三曰念佛轉法輪處，歡喜欲見、憶念不忘、生戀慕心。四曰念佛般泥洹處，歡喜欲見、憶念不忘、生戀慕心。阿難，我般泥洹後，族姓男女念佛生時功德如是；佛得道時神力如是；轉法輪時度人如是；臨滅度時遺法如是、各詣其處遊行禮敬諸塔寺已，死皆生天除得道者。
Early morning on a trail to a mountain lake, and a compassionate light beseeches me to pause to admire her sheen…
Beacon of Hope
Valiya Vilakku Festival, Kalikulangara Temple, Nanthiattukunnam, North Paravur, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
Additional Info :
Kalikulangara temple is a very ancient and renowned temple is the abode of Kalikulangara ‘MUTHI’ who is extremely compassionate as well as too generous in bestowing boons to her true devotees.It is a branch of Sivagiri Mutt governed by Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, Varkala. Irrespective of caste or religion anyone can visit the temple .It is an ideal place where all dwell as brethren.Only fireworks and elephants are prohibited here, Traditionally followed programs are performed within the temple compound.
Ancestors say that Sree Narayana Guru came, saw and conquered here. According to legends, when Sree Narayana Guru came here for the very first time and spent a night here the local people chased him away by throwing stones and sand. This was narrated by the Guru Himself later on like this……”I slept here one night. They called me a lunatic. When a second visit was made, I was able to stop animal and fowl sacrifice. We could own the temple during the third…..”
During the invasion period of Tippu Sultan, the king of Kochi once sent his people to cut the sandalwood tree in the temple compound, but surprisingly, it was transformed into a ‘Kaanjiram’. It is told that the King himself sought forgiveness after making a visit to the temple.
In the beginning, the Poojas were performed by the women folk. After the renovations of the temple, Virtuous rituals are followed in Poojas. The origin or the root spot of Kalikulangara Muthi is the holy water gathering, the temple pond.
Valiya Vilakku Festival is held on Kumbham 12 at the Braahmamuhurtha after 41 days of the holy flag hoisting on Makara Sankranthi.Wooden pieces are wrapped with thick plantain films and formed in the shape of a seven storyed ‘Pagoda’ which is fixed on a wooden frame. One main flame and thousand other flames are lit on it. The whole construction is done by Viswakarma Acharees.
After the poojas the flame is lit and hundreds of devotees carry it on their shoulders from the East Nada to the North Nada. After seven rotations the wicks of the ValiyaVilakku are supposed to bring prosperity and have medicinal qualities will be taken away by votaries with staunch devotion.
© 2016 Biju Thomas PhotoWorks. All Rights Reserved.
“Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.”
— St. Seraphim of Sarov
It was Father Germann, a monk I met in the Russian city of Vladimir, who first told me about Saint Seraphim of Sarov. He was showing me the local cathedral, still a museum in those days of Soviet rule. The tourists in the church were startled to see a living monk complete with long hair, full black beard and black monk’s cap — they couldn’t stop staring. It wasn’t only his appearance that attracted attention. He possessed a contagious joy and freedom. I mentioned to him that this church must have wonderful acoustics. Immediately he sang an unrestrained, banner-like, “Amen.” The church reverberated in an astonishing way.
I had traveled enough in Russia to be vaguely aware of Saint Seraphim, the icon of whose compassionate face seemed to grace the walls of every parish church and to have a place in many homes, but Father Germann was the first to tell me the saint’s life story.
“Saint Seraphim helped me to become a believer,” he said. Reaching into his pocket, he showed me a fragment of a large rock on which Saint Seraphim prayed for a thousand days. It was a gift from an old nun who knew a nun who knew a nun who had been in the Diveyevo convent near Sarov, a community closely linked with Saint Seraphim. The saint’s few possessions, among them the heavy cross he wore, were kept in the custody of the sisters at Diveyevo.
Father Germann explained that Seraphim was born in 1759, the son of a builder. He was still a baby when his father died. His mother took over the business while raising her children. While still a boy, he had what should have been a fatal fall from scaffolding. Miraculously, he was unharmed, an event which prompted a local “holy fool” to say the boy must surely be “one of God’s elect.”
When Seraphim was ten, he had his first vision of the Mother of God. Nine years later he entered monastic life where he began the regular recitation of the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Later, following his ordination as priest in 1793, he was led to seek a hermit’s vocation in the forest, or, as he regarded it, his “Holy Land.” Here he lived alone, devoting himself to prayer, study and tending his small garden, with few aware he was alive apart from the wild animals he befriended with gifts of food, among them a bear who sometimes lay at his feet, a scene portrayed in some of the icons of Saint Seraphim.
During this period of social withdrawal, he was nearly beaten to death by robbers who had heard there was a treasure hidden in his cabin. The injuries he suffered made him walk with a bent back for the rest of his life, a stance occasionally shown in icons. After recovering from his injuries, he spent a thousand days and nights in prayer on a large rock in the forest, sometimes standing, other times kneeling, leaving the rock only for brief periods.
After his long apprenticeship in solitude, people began coming to Staretz Seraphim for confession and advice, a few at first, but finally they came in floods. One of the first pilgrims was a rich man, gravely ill, who was healed by Seraphim, so healed that he gave up all his wealth and embraced holy poverty.
During the last eight years of his life, Saint Seraphim spent many hours each day talking with those in need, some of whom had walked for weeks to reach him. Others came by carriage, among them Czar Alexander I, who later gave up the throne and lived a pious life in Siberia — some say under the influence of Saint Seraphim.
Among many remarkable stories left to us about Seraphim’s life, one of the most impressive comes from the diary of Nicholas Motovilov, who as a young man came to Sarov seeking advice. At a certain point in their conversation, Seraphim said to his guest, “Look at me.” Motovilov replied, “I am not able, Father, for there is lightning flashing in your eyes. Your face has grown more radiant than the sun and my eyes cannot bear the pain.” The staretz answered, “Do not be afraid, my dear lover of God, you have also now become as radiant as I. You yourself are now in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise you would not be able to perceive me in the exact same state.” Saint Seraphim asked him how he felt. “I feel a great calm in my soul, a peace which no words can express,” Motovilov replied. “I feel an amazing happiness.”
At the heart of Saint Seraphim’s teaching was use of the Jesus Prayer and continuing inner struggle to “acquire the Holy Spirit, the one treasure which will never pass away.” He reassured those who came to him that there is nothing selfish about seeking to save your soul. “Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands of souls around you will be saved.”
Without a vital spiritual life, he said, we cannot love. “God is fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil — for the devil is cold — then let us call upon the Lord and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him but for our neighbor as well.”
He was an apostle of the way of love and kindness. “You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a swamp that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.”
No matter what season of the year it was, he greeted visitors with the paschal salutation, “Christ is risen!” As another paschal gesture, he always wore a white robe.
Before his death, Saint Seraphim said to the sisters: “My joys, come as often as you can to my grave. Come to me as if I’m alive and tell me everything, and I will always help you.”
On January 2, 1833, Saint Seraphim was found dead in his cell, kneeling with hands crossed before an icon of Mary.
“Saint Seraphim is a unique saint,” Father Germann told me. “In him and his character, in his spirituality, we find the principal Christian characteristics — love for all people without exception, and a readiness to sacrifice. That’s why people love him so much.”
“We live in a time that pays special homage to advanced education and intellectual brilliance,” Father Germann added. “But faith isn’t just for the clever. Seraphim didn’t graduate either from university or seminary. All his ideals were gifts from God revealed through prayer and deeds. And so through Saint Seraphim many different people are drawn to belief — the intellectuals, the simple, and now not only people in the Russian Orthodox Church but other churches.”
“Saint Seraphim is the face of the Church,” said Father Germann.
Living in a period in which iconography had been influenced by western art, old icons of Saint Seraphim often resemble portraits while more recently made icons are usually in the simpler, more symbolic Byzantine style. The one reproduced here, showing Saint Seraphim praying on the rock, was made in 1992 by the iconographer Philip Zimmerman closely following an icon made earlier in the century in France by the monk Gregory Kroug. In all icons of Saint Seraphim, there is a prayer rope in his hands, a reminder of his devotion to the Jesus Prayer.
(extract from Praying With Icons by Jim Forest -- Orbis Books)