This is a long overdue thank you for Laura for her sweet testimonial. Spend sometime to visit her photostream and I guarantee you will be in awe of her talent and creativity. She just uploaded some free textures for us to use.

Btw I just realized that I have been using whithering roses to convey my appreciation. I think I should've used fresh flowers instead. In my defense, I think flowers still look pretty even when they are whithering, especially roses. That's why I love them. :)

Have a lovely weekend my flickr friends. And oh... Spring, come sooner puh-leease. I've had enough of this cold weather and snow.

The Human Abstract

(William Blake)

Pity would be no more

If we did not make somebody poor,

And Mercy no more could be

If all were as happy as we.

And mutual fear brings Peace,

Till the selfish loves increase;

Then Cruelty knits a snare,

And spreads his baits with care.

He sits down with holy fears,

And waters the ground with tears;

Then Humility takes its root

Underneath his foot.

Soon spreads the dismal shade

Of Mystery over his head,

And the caterpillar and fly

Feed on the Mystery.

And it bears the fruit of Deceit,

Ruddy and sweet to eat,

And the raven his nest has made

In its thickest shade.

The gods of the earth and sea

Sought through nature to find this tree,

But their search was all in vain:

There grows one in the human Brain.

Taken near São Luiz Gonzaga-RS (southern Brasil). Lomo script applied.

Note: posted in Cream of the Crop as a personal favorite.

Explore. January 28, 2009.

defiance and humility...

choose your pick.

(Behind-the-scene: Photographed last Fall. One of Lucio's very first shots. All settings used were on default, I believe. You would notice that the date is off. A branch sticking out of one of my River Birches. This was the day I knew we were going to be great buddies. Lucio and I. :P)

© All Rights Reserved.

Interestingness: #77.

"Shu," a Japanese fine-dining restaurant seems to require humility to enter. The half-sized doors may be an impediment to some potential patrons but none, rich or poor, important or common, will enter taller than any other. I saw many places with entrances like this in Japan a few years ago.

Seen at 8 Rue Suger, 6th Arrondissement, Paris.

“This virtuous simplicity,” says St. John Climacus, “is the mother and nurse of a most profound humility and of a great meekness. . . . Never is simplicity to be found where there is not, at the same time, humility also.”

...In their very works and occupations the solitaries tend to humility and stifle every movement of vainglory in themselves. For who can become proud by digging in the ground, or watering plants, or making wicker baskets, or other such things?”

--The Spirit of Simplicity, Jean-Baptiste Chautard OSCO, Translated by Thomas Merton

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"

--- Author Unknown

"We come nearest to the great

when we are great in humility"

..................................................................Rabindranath Tagore

The National War Memorial has for me always been a place of great humility. This is especially true with the more recent murder of Private Nathan Cirillo on these very steps. Last weekend, when I took this photo, it was brutally cold and snowing. No one else was around but I could sense the history of so many people represented here.

"There is beauty and humility in imperfection." Guillermo del Toro

humility forever

Book / Magic Art Photography / Facebook

h&n

Agfa Box 44 from 1930s

expired Kodak Portra 160, pushed two stops

Inspired by the movie 'Wings of desire' and its remake 'City of angels', I wanted to do this project for a long time. I even started it some time ago as self-portraits wearing long, leather, black jacket:

www.flickr.com/photos/toguko/4741327405/

But this time, I thought I would do something different. I think the use of the traditional, red, Chinese dress was more for the visual reasons in the beginning. Then I started to think what I wanted to show in this project. And the word 'nostalgia' came to my mind in a natural way - the use of an old camera, expired films, dress from another era, showing longing for the past. But when I developed the films, I was disappointed with the results. I was hoping they would look like old photographs. The colours came out more vivid than when using normal kodak portra 160 (perhaps because mine was expired and pushed two stops when developed). I felt that this is not what I wanted and also that it is not really my style. I guess I had some expectations about the whole thing.

And then I thought that I did the best I could, given the tools I have at the moment (I had to sell all my equipment for personal reasons and only kept my grandfather's camera for sentimental reasons and was left with few boxes of kodak portra 160 that I didn't sell) and that the final results were actually not up to me. I felt that this was a great lesson of humility, letting go, diminishing my ego and expectations, trying to deal with my 'control freak' and perfectionist side. So my new idea for the name of this project is 'humility', for the reasons above but also because of the small figure in the vastness of the landscapes (universe) as I am trying to show how small and insignificant we all are.

The other thing I thought about is what does the model feel/experience. What is her perspective? I feel not many people think about that. So I asked her. She said that in the beginning, the posing didn't feel natural to her, she felt awkward standing there looking at all these landscapes in front of her. But in later shots, she started to relax, closed her eyes and meditated.

Changed the name of the project to 'h&n' (for humility&nostalgia but also here&now).

There is one more film I shot for this project and that's it. It will not continue in its current form.

Typhoon Blues Book

「慢心は損害を招き、謙虚は利益を受ける。天狗になるとミスを犯し、謙虚になれば協力を得る」– 孔子『書経』

Pilgrims, visitors, tourists paying homage and giving offerings to the spirits of the Yakuo-In shrine. Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. © Michele Marcolin, 2023. GR3

[Arrogance causes harm, humility benefits. If you are a tengu, you make mistakes, if you re humble, you get help] - Confucius' Book of Sutras

-----

The Buddhist temple on Mount Takao is formally known as Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji. It was established in 744 on the orders of Emperor Shomu as a base for Buddhism in eastern Japan and its founder was Gyoki, a charismatic priest closely associated with the erection of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple in Nara.

It was restored late in the 14th century by Shungen Daitoku, a priest of the of the Shingon esoteric Buddhism, with close connections also to Shugendo (mountain asceticism). After a demanding goma fire ritual of 8,000 goma sticks and subsequently receiving a living vision of the deity Izuna Daigongen, he was aften described as the second founder of the temple and Mount Takao flourished as a Shugendo center.

During the 15th to the late 16th century, a number of powerful warrior lords, such as Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, looked to Izuna Daigongen as a protector deity. The Hojo family, who held the Kanto region under their sway, were particularly strong devotees and they placed Mount Takao under their special protection. It was no accident either that the mountain occupied an important strategic position. During the Edo period, Yakuo-in expanded under the patronage of the ruling Tokugawa family.

Today Yakuo-in is one of the three head temples of the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha Sect, the others being Narita-san Shinsho-ji and Kawasaki Daishi Heiken-ji.The Tengu association of it dates back as far as the 14th century - through its ties with the practice of mountain asceticism. Tengu - which in an early stage of their history were considered disruptive entities against Buddism - had the reputation of teasing particularly ascetic monks in their search for illumination. Later developments saw them as keeper of Mt. Takao and guardians agains any evil doers. Even to this day, you can see Tengu iconography all over Mt. Takao.

I decided to take a late afternoon stroll yesterday in the beautiful evening sun. Walking past so many gardens full of exotic looking flowers was wonderful and yet nothing really caught my eye and made me wish to capture it.

Nothing that is until I came across these very humble looking buttercups.

It served to remind me that sometime it's the simplest of subjects that can prove the most beautiful.

I am thankful for adversity. Likewise, I am thankful for the humility and utter reliance on God it points me to.

Now, before you think I'm all some kind of noble, let me also say that adversity hurts. And the conflict and outright hostility from some in my life hurts especially hard... dismissive ridicule masquerading as high-minded tolerance; mocking sneers written into shaded words; assumptions and presumptions born of enmity and estrangement.

I have lost to that estrangement close family and friend alike. Job would understand. So would Paul, and Luther, and Wilberforce, and Schneider. Each drew a line that defined an arc of adversity against which they leaned continually throughout their days. Mine, like theirs, has become an anchor.

God, it is said, draws straight lines with crooked sticks. And mine was particularly misshapen. But as an invited resident in my life, the line Christ has drawn for me has become a dividing line with those who bear adversity in their bosoms as if it their very breath. And for that I am thankful. No, not that we are divided. But thankful that by that line I am forever tethered to a hope and peace and assurance I would not have otherwise discovered.

As adversity isolates it also frees. And I am free, indeed.

You golden sunflowers,

Tenderly inclined toward death,

You sisters full of humility

In such stillness

Helian's year

Of mountainous coolness ends.

Then his drunken forehead

Pales from kisses

Amid those golden

Flowers of gloom

The spirit is determined

By silent sinisterness.

Georg Trakl

When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.

When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.

When you are lonely, let me be your companion.

When you are tired, let me carry the load.

When you need to learn, let me teach you.

After all, I am your horse.

Willis Lamm 1997

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS IMAGE ALONG WITH OTHERS ON MY PHOTOSTREAM ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT www.runninghorsepictures.smugmug.com

God Bless Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton... www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Zfx5qra_g&NR=1

“When we visit sacred sites we go there with humility, perform our acts of respect and then see what happens — we surrender to the place rather than try to ‘control’ it.” ~ James Swan

Lower Antelope Canyon - September 2011

Hard to believe that the small opening in the earth that you see below leads you into a whole other world....one that is mesmerizing, spiritual, and sacred rolled all into one. The canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone,primarily due to flash flooding and secondarily due to other sub-aerial processes. Rainwater, especially during monsoon season, runs into the extensive basin above the slot canyon sections, picking up speed and sand as it rushes into the narrow passageways. Over time the passageways are eroded away, making the corridors deeper and smoothing hard edges in such a way as to form characteristic 'flowing' shapes in the rock. (source: wikipedia)

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend....and wishing everyone a great week ahead. Appreciate all your visits, comments, invites, awards, and faves :-)

.

.

"Add to this a good sense of humor, a big dose of patience, and a dash of humility, and you will be rewarded many-fold."

~ Maranatha

.................

1. "Speak to people.",

2. "Be friendly and helpful.",

3. "Be cordial.",

4. "Be genuinely interested in people."

.................

~ My Easter cactus flowers are blooming on my balcony...

~ the original photo is displayed in the first comment below...

Thanks for stopping by

and God Bless,

hugs, Chris

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

*أصدق الحزن .. ابتسامة في عيون دامعة

______________________________

Copyright © 2009 Arikashika, all right reserved

even amidst a countless creations thereis in nature...we human beings have the humility... to choose to be in servitude to all creation...to protect life on Earth...in servitude to God...who created us all for this Divine Purpose...

It was not a perfect place to take star trail picture as light pollution was so heavy. It was not a perfect weather either as humility was very high and air transparency was below average. But it was only 25 minutes of driving from home and it was fun to get a interesting star trail picture in such unfavorable conditions.

A escultura de Santa Teresa do Menino Jesus, realizada em 1926 pela escultora francesa Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, encontra-se na capela lateral da igreja de Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, em Paris. Esta obra foi criada logo após a canonização de Teresa de Lisieux em 1925, refletindo a devoção à sua "pequena via". A escultura dialoga com o vitral gótico que a sobrepõe, o qual ilustra a genealogia de Jessé, David e Salomão, estabelecendo uma ligação teológica entre o Antigo e o Novo Testamento. Esta relação destaca a santidade cristã contemporânea e a tradição bíblica da humildade, que valoriza os pequenos. Delarue-Mardrus, além de escultora, foi escritora e buscou atualizar a iconografia de Santa Teresa, conferindo-lhe uma expressão de força e autenticidade, conforme os ideais espirituais do século XX.

The sculpture of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, created in 1926 by French sculptor Lucie Delarue-Mardrus, is located in the side chapel of the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Paris. This work was created shortly after the canonization of Thérèse of Lisieux in 1925, reflecting devotion to her “little way.” The sculpture dialogues with the Gothic stained glass window above it, which illustrates the genealogy of Jesse, David, and Solomon, establishing a theological connection between the Old and New Testaments. This relationship highlights contemporary Christian holiness and the biblical tradition of humility, which values the little ones. Delarue-Mardrus, in addition to being a sculptor, was a writer and sought to update the iconography of Saint Teresa, giving her an expression of strength and authenticity, in accordance with the spiritual ideals of the 20th century.

Friends, followers, and my incredible sisters in this journey,

Wow. What an incredible year 2024 has been. Standing here today, I am filled with so many emotions—gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of awe. I can hardly believe how quickly time has passed. It feels like just yesterday I was crowned Whiskey Girl of the Year – 2023. It is a moment I will cherish forever. But here we are at the end of an extraordinary chapter, and I am so grateful for every second of this journey.

First, I want to thank the Whiskey Girl Organization for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to represent this fantastic group. This organization is truly a force for good, and it has given me the opportunity to pursue my passions and make a difference. It has been an honor to carry the title of Whiskey Girl of the Year, and I promise to continue using everything I’ve learned from this experience to continue helping others.

Thank you, Miss Emily, for your friendship, love, and leadership. Without you, Whiskey Girl Studios would not exist. On behalf of all the sisters, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you.

To my Second Life family—thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unwavering support, love, and encouragement. You have been my rock, and I would not be standing here today without you. Your messages of love, encouragement, and belief in me have kept me going during the tough days and have reminded me to have fun while spreading hope and love.

To my fellow sisters —what an incredible group of talented, kind, and inspiring people you are. You are all change-makers in your own right, and I have been so blessed to share this journey with each of you. The friendships I’ve made here are some of the most treasured relationships of my second life, and I know we will continue to support and uplift one another long after this year is over. I’m leaving this year with a heart full of gratitude and a deeper commitment to making our world a better place.

The funds we raised for Relay for Life, in cooperation with Debauche, were a truly amazing achievement. Fighting Cancer hits to the heart of the sickness that darkened my life over the past year. Thank you all for supporting Relay for Life and for supporting me in my own personal fight.

The Whiskey Girl of the Year crown is not just a symbol of beauty or talent; it is a symbol of responsibility. The opportunity to lead with grace and authenticity is something I will never take lightly. I will continue championing the causes that matter most to me—fighting cancer and empowering sisters to believe in themselves and their potential.

To my successor, whoever she may be, I am so excited for you. You are about to embark on a year of growth, challenges, and incredible opportunities. I know you will carry the torch with grace, strength, and passion. The Whiskey Girl sisterhood is a bond that lasts a lifetime, and I look forward to watching you shine.

Thank you all for making this year one I will never forget. I am proud to have served as Whiskey Girl of the Year 2023, and I will carry the lessons, the love, and the memories of this year with me for the rest of my life. I am a Whiskey Girl for Life.

Love - Heather

h&n

Agfa Box 44 from 1930s

expired Kodak Portra 160, pushed two stops

Inspired by the movie 'Wings of desire' and its remake 'City of angels', I wanted to do this project for a long time. I even started it some time ago as self-portraits wearing long, leather, black jacket:

www.flickr.com/photos/toguko/4741327405/

But this time, I thought I would do something different. I think the use of the traditional, red, Chinese dress was more for the visual reasons in the beginning. Then I started to think what I wanted to show in this project. And the word 'nostalgia' came to my mind in a natural way - the use of an old camera, expired films, dress from another era, showing longing for the past. But when I developed the films, I was disappointed with the results. I was hoping they would look like old photographs. The colours came out more vivid than when using normal kodak portra 160 (perhaps because mine was expired and pushed two stops when developed). I felt that this is not what I wanted and also that it is not really my style. I guess I had some expectations about the whole thing.

And then I thought that I did the best I could, given the tools I have at the moment (I had to sell all my equipment for personal reasons and only kept my grandfather's camera for sentimental reasons and was left with few boxes of kodak portra 160 that I didn't sell) and that the final results were actually not up to me. I felt that this was a great lesson of humility, letting go, diminishing my ego and expectations, trying to deal with my 'control freak' and perfectionist side. So my new idea for the name of this project is 'humility', for the reasons above but also because of the small figure in the vastness of the landscapes (universe) as I am trying to show how small and insignificant we all are.

The other thing I thought about is what does the model feel/experience. What is her perspective? I feel not many people think about that. So I asked her. She said that in the beginning, the posing didn't feel natural to her, she felt awkward standing there looking at all these landscapes in front of her. But in later shots, she started to relax, closed her eyes and meditated.

Changed the name of the project to 'h&n' (for humility&nostalgia but also here&now).

Typhoon Blues Book

Anima Series 5

Sitting No. 190

Lismore NSW 2018

Model: Naomi Grant

Humility is a very useful quality that allows us to balance the often powerful influence of our ego. The key word here being ‘balance’.

As C S Lewis once said, ‘humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less’.

Humility provides a means of seeing beyond our periphery and thereby not obsessing about our own concerns, or being blinded by desire. It is a more grounded, down to earth view that looks outward at the world rather than always inward.

This is not to suggest we should ignore the inner workings of our hearts or minds but simply, like all things, we need to balance between our inner and outer worlds.

In the age of the selfie stick, we risk being drawn into narcissistic habits where our lack of a balanced perspective exposes us to seemingly greater shock – when in truth it is simply our bubble bursting at the slightest touch.

Humility is this balanced perspective.

h&n

Agfa Box 44 from 1930s

expired Kodak Portra 160, pushed two stops

Inspired by the movie 'Wings of desire' and its remake 'City of angels', I wanted to do this project for a long time. I even started it some time ago as self-portraits wearing long, leather, black jacket:

www.flickr.com/photos/toguko/4741327405/

But this time, I thought I would do something different. I think the use of the traditional, red, Chinese dress was more for the visual reasons in the beginning. Then I started to think what I wanted to show in this project. And the word 'nostalgia' came to my mind in a natural way - the use of an old camera, expired films, dress from another era, showing longing for the past. But when I developed the films, I was disappointed with the results. I was hoping they would look like old photographs. The colours came out more vivid than when using normal kodak portra 160 (perhaps because mine was expired and pushed two stops when developed). I felt that this is not what I wanted and also that it is not really my style. I guess I had some expectations about the whole thing.

And then I thought that I did the best I could, given the tools I have at the moment (I had to sell all my equipment for personal reasons and only kept my grandfather's camera for sentimental reasons and was left with few boxes of kodak portra 160 that I didn't sell) and that the final results were actually not up to me. I felt that this was a great lesson of humility, letting go, diminishing my ego and expectations, trying to deal with my 'control freak' and perfectionist side. So my new idea for the name of this project is 'humility', for the reasons above but also because of the small figure in the vastness of the landscapes (universe) as I am trying to show how small and insignificant we all are.

The other thing I thought about is what does the model feel/experience. What is her perspective? I feel not many people think about that. So I asked her. She said that in the beginning, the posing didn't feel natural to her, she felt akward standing there looking at all these landscapes in front of her. But in later shots, she started to relax, closed her eyes and meditated.

Changed the name of the project to 'h&n' (for humility&nostalgia but also here&now).

I wonder what you think.

Typhoon Blues Book

www.richardweber.it

h&n

Agfa Box 44 from 1930s

expired Kodak Portra 160, pushed two stops

Inspired by the movie 'Wings of desire' and its remake 'City of angels', I wanted to do this project for a long time. I even started it some time ago as self-portraits wearing long, leather, black jacket:

www.flickr.com/photos/toguko/4741327405/

But this time, I thought I would do something different. I think the use of the traditional, red, Chinese dress was more for the visual reasons in the beginning. Then I started to think what I wanted to show in this project. And the word 'nostalgia' came to my mind in a natural way - the use of an old camera, expired films, dress from another era, showing longing for the past. But when I developed the films, I was disappointed with the results. I was hoping they would look like old photographs. The colours came out more vivid than when using normal kodak portra 160 (perhaps because mine was expired and pushed two stops when developed). I felt that this is not what I wanted and also that it is not really my style. I guess I had some expectations about the whole thing.

And then I thought that I did the best I could, given the tools I have at the moment (I had to sell all my equipment for personal reasons and only kept my grandfather's camera for sentimental reasons and was left with few boxes of kodak portra 160 that I didn't sell) and that the final results were actually not up to me. I felt that this was a great lesson of humility, letting go, diminishing my ego and expectations, trying to deal with my 'control freak' and perfectionist side. So my new idea for the name of this project is 'humility', for the reasons above but also because of the small figure in the vastness of the landscapes (universe) as I am trying to show how small and insignificant we all are.

The other thing I thought about is what does the model feel/experience. What is her perspective.

Changed the name of the project to 'h&n' (for humility&nostalgia but also here&now).

I wonder what you think.

Typhoon Blues Book

Credits : beautiful-mistake.com/2015/06/19/and-the-devil-did-grin-f...

To be great, you must first learn to be small... Humility, therefore, is a long way

Follow me on ! tumblr | 500px | website | Flickr | instagram

© Alain A Foutrier, All Rights Reserved

Candid photography from Thailand

Black & White and color By calculating the

exposure of light.

The other important point in taking a good photo and the composition.

The classic mistake is to rush when a scene seems interesting, we do not check the edges of the canal and try to fit as many elements as possible in the direction no we have to make a choice and it is arranged to organize the together.

at first it is preferable to eliminate from the case anything that is parasitic when reading the image by placing yourself judiciously.

I never use zooms, Than fixed lenses Which forces me to build my image in other words I learn to zoom with my feet.

© Alain A Foutrier

La Meije et le Rateau vus du lac Lérié sur le plateau d'Emparis au coucher du soleil

Explore www.flickr.com/explore/2012/11/21

#222 on July 7, 2013

# 224 on June 1, 2013

# 229 on November 27, 2012

# 197 on February 9, 2022

# 196 on April 10, 2022

# 195 on November 25, 2022

# 194 on January 25, 2023

# 192 on January 1, 2024

Learn of the Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly at

www.monarchbutterflyusa.com/Cycle.htm

Humility

let me to the valley go,

This pretty flower to see;

That I may also learn to grow

In sweet humility.

© Copyright Rebels Abú 2010 | All rights reserved.

Please do not use, copy or edit any of my materials without my written permission. If you want to use this or any other image, please contact me first.

Thanks for the visit!

♫ ♫ ♫ < Joyful music! ♫ ♫ ♫

If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it's the restaurant business.

Anthony Bourdain

Our neighborhood restaurant, The Hilltop.

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,

and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 15:33

Lily-of-the-Valley was my maternal Grandmother’s favourite flower, and when I see it, or hear it mentioned, I always think of her. She told me and showed me proudly in photographs, that she had Lily-of-the-Valley in her wedding bouquet during the Second World War. She used to use Yardley Lily-o-the-Valley soap and talc, and for a very special treat, their Lily-of-the-Valley bath salts. I never found out why she had Lily-of-the-Valley in her bridal bouquet. Born in January, it wasn’t her birth flower. Perhaps she chose them because of their sweet and light fragrance, which I do know she loved, or perhaps she also chose them for their meaning.

Floriography, commonly known as the “language of flowers”, was used as a means of coded communication through the use of flowers and floral arrangements. It allowed expression of feelings, sometimes unspoken ones, discreetly during a period when sharing ones feelings openly was not the done thing. Lily-of-the-Valley represents “a return to happiness”. Was my Grandmother trying to communicate the happiness she so dearly hoped for in her bridal bouquet?

The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 17th of October is “floriography”, so I chose Lily-of-the-Valley over my own preference for white roses in memory of my beloved maternal Grandmother, but also for its meaning. As the theme stipulates that my image must also “depict the meaning”, I have superimposed a partially transparent photo of a Lily-of-the-Valley that I took at the National Rhododendron Gardens in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges over the top of one of my maternal Grandparents’ wedding photos taken in London in 1942, where they look very happy. Sadly, my Grandmother’s bouquet featuring Lily-of-the-Valley only appears in formal studio portraits where the happy couple look far more serious, so I couldn’t use them for this challenge. Still, I hope you find this more happy photo of them on their wedding day on the steps of the church with wedding guests a suitable choice.

So, in Victorian times, Lily-of-the-Valley meant “a return to happiness.” In Germanic mythology, Lily-of-the-Valley are associated with the humility and purity of the virgin goddess Ostara. In Christian legend, Eve’s tears as she was expelled from the Garden of Eden turned into Lily-of-the-Valley. The Lily-of-the-Valley is also seen as a symbol of humility and a sign of Christ’s second coming.

Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe.