View allAll Photos Tagged Humility
We often wear material things to protect our body...but little that we know that there are people out there who protect our Spiritual Life...that our essence as human beings, and that is as a Children of God...may still be preserved and defended...and these people teach us to be compassionate...to see greater than the material things that lure our senses and bodily desires...they may be workers behind the enjoyments of those who are more blessed...who needs to be acknowledged for their humility...who truly protects Humanity…
Because I love being an American, let me share just a little personal experience I had today that concerns public spaces, transportation, terrorism, and the need to protect civil liberties (including the right to make photographs in public).
I was accosted by an MBTA employee when I took this shot waiting for an Outbound train at Central Square Station in Cambridge---a smaller stop on the Red Line between MIT and Harvard---and was told in no uncertain terms that photography is strictly forbidden on the T. This assertion was, of course patently incorrect and misinformed. Having recently passed through Grand Central in New York and taken photos in those few moments without fuss, I was struck when this happened by how well New York has adapted to the pressures of living in the "New Age of Vigilance" as I like to term it, whereas folks at home in the Boston area are still trying to sort things out. In New York, I was just one of many tourists vying for a space on the platform to take "the grand shot of Grand Central". Here in Boston, the big nerdy Asian dude with the thick glasses and the tiny tiny camera is a threat to security. Now, I'm no militant activist, but I will say I will not bend to paranoia and misinformation, nor be pushed around by someone with nothing better to do in the course of "just doing his job".
To Whom It May Concern: Wanna make a dent in the threat? Take a lesson from our Founding Fathers and educate yourself, better yourself, and carry yourself with some humility as an American, with respect for the rights you profess to protect. No, I don't mean walk around like a mouse. Meditate for real on the word humility. It's a word we Americans need to come to terms with in its positive aspects. As for me, I'll do the same, and say I'm with Ben.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." -- Benjamin Franklin
Masolino da Panicale (Tommaso di Cristofano Fini), Panicale di Valdarno 1383 - Florenz 1440
Madonna dell'Umiltà (ca. 1430 - 35)
Masolino wurde wahrscheinlich in der Werkstatt von Gherardo Starnina ausgebildet und arbeitete von 1403 - 1407 als Gehilfe des Bildhauers Lorenzo Ghiberti in Florenz. Dort wurde er 1423 Mitglied der Arte dei Medici e Speziali (Zunft der Ärzte und Apotheker, zu der auch die Maler gehören) und ab 1425 begann er zusammen mit Masaccio mit der Ausmalung der Brancacci-Kapelle der Florentiner Kirche Santa Maria del Carmine. Seine Arbeiten in Florenz gehören zu den bedeutendsten Werken der Frührenaissance.
Das Gemälde der Madonna del Umità (Madonna der Demut) wurde 1930 auf dem Antiquitätenmarkt in London angeboten und seine Zuschreibung an Masolino war lange Zeit strittig. Darstellungen Marias als Madonna dell'Umiltà waren in der Übergangszeit von der Gotik zur Renaissance ein sehr beliebtes Thema der Florentiner Kunst. Die Madonna, die das Jesuskind stillt, sitzt hier nicht auf einem Thron sondern ganz bescheiden auf einem Kissen, das am Boden liegt.
The Beautiful Complexity all around Us
All around us there are innumerable cells working together to form beautiful, complex organisms, bacteria populating the planet, all this wonder. And all we see are our mundane little problems. All we see is some irrelevant expectation of ours not met, or chance playing to our seeming disadvantage.
But remember the miracle that makes you possible. 100 million million living beings cooperating seamlessly and in symbiosis with 10-20 times as many microbes in your body to make it possible for you to exist, to live, to be conscious.
Read more at my blog post Scales of Life – From an Atom to the Human Body
Rest your body on the threshold of my reality
Awaken with a new strength to excel valorously
Live each day with honesty and humility
Walk in the footsteps of excellence through righteousness
Make each day’s journey clean and fresh like mountain streams
Ascend and descend in the cycle of renewal, sons and daughters
Use the ladder of life to teach your children well
Pathway to the Divinity is by climbing the ladder of... "love to oneself and to all things"
I was reading the Christian Bible about the story of Jacob and thought
all the messages of all the great teachers, from all the great lands, became distorted to serve man and
to help man control man out of fear and persecution.
This is a huge flaw in human development…again “Separation” of humans
because of spiritual beliefs, geographic location and the color of our skin.
To grow into ourselves, to Love ourselves and to Love each other,
is the key to a…… Bright Future….. We need to stop the madness…..
Lies, Hate and Tyranny has crippled us and transgresses us all to a group of one legged men in an ass kicking contest…..
We are all in the same……. “Human Family”
It’s time to wake-up…..
How many wounds will our mother take from us, before she tires of our petty self-serving
indulgent behavior.
Will she sacrifice all for one….she never has in the past…..History, and our actions will decide our fate
A statue near the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare that appears to display humility, in this case allowing a sheep to nibble your fingers.
NN. 5–9167 {provide} moral and ascetic lessons from the humility and virginity of Mary. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility more so. Virginity is counseled, but humility is commanded. If you cannot be a virgin, you can at least be humble. He who is without virginity can still please God by his humility, but without humility even the Virgin Mary would not have been pleasing to God; and though her virginity was pleasing to God, it was her humility that caused her to conceive the Word, because if she had not been humble, the Holy Spirit would not have rested upon her (see Isaias 66: 2). The obedience of Jesus to Mary teaches us the greatest humility and obedience. “As often as I wish to be placed in command over men, I desire to go ahead of my God and therefore I do not really know the things of God” (60). 168 Here again, we can say that St. Bernard is doing what he did above: penetrating from external signs to the inner mystery of our life in God. Virginity and purity may be signs of sanctity, but humility and obedience are closer to the essence. The deepest reality in the moral and ascetic life is participation by love in the total obedience and humility of Christ.
-The Cistercian Fathers and their monastic theology : initiation into the monastic tradition 8 / by Thomas Merton ; edited with an introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell ; preface by James Finley.
Since Tiruvannamalai is the place where Lord Shiva (Destroyer-cum-Rejuvenator) takes form of one of the five elements - Fire - the purifier or sins - since this is the place where he taught humility to Lord Vishnu (Savior) and Lord Brahma (Creator).
For record, the 5 pilgrimage spots for each of the 5 elements are:
1. Fire - Tiruvannamalai - Annamalayar Temple;
2. Water - Thivaanaikkaa, Trichy - Jambukeswarar Temple;
3. Earth - Kanchipuram - Ekambareswarar Temple;
2. Air - Sri Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh - Kalahasteeswarar Temple; and
3. Sky / Space / Ether - Chidambaram - Natarajar Temple.
Coming back to Tiruvannamalai, when Vishnu and Brahma had an argument amongst themselves as to who is greater and could not decide amongst themselves, they chose to have Shiva as a mediator. Remember that Shiva tends to be very playful and mischievous almost all the times, except when he is angry (normally for a good cause).
Shiva told the other two மும்மூர்த்திகள் (Trinity members) that he would conduct a competition and will stand as a flame that would rise to the skies and dwell through the earth's underground and whoever finds the end would win. Shiva stood as a fire in Tiruvannamalai. Vishnu is known for his Varaha avatar (boar form) and bore through the ground to find the root of the flame. On the other hand, Brahma called for his வாகனம் (vehicle) - the swan and flew up towards the sky to find the head of the flame.
However, both could not succeed in finding the ends of the flame. Vishnu gave up realizing humility. Brahma happened to meet தாழம்பூ (Fragrant Screw Pine) on the way, which was used to decorate Shiva's head earlier. Brahma made a pact that meeting this pine flower is as good as seeing the head and asked the flower to witness, for which the flower agreed too. When Brahma claimed that he saw the topmost tip of the flame and Fragrant Screw Pine fake-witnessed it, this enraged Shiva who ordered that there would not be any temple with prime God as Brahma and that the Fragrant Screw Pine will never be used as items used in any aspect of worshiping Shiva. Owing to this, Brahma has only one own temple in the whole world where He is the primary God (மூலவர்) and the flower is never used in worshiping of Shiva.
It is good to worship him by burning camphor (but not this quantity). Scientifically, eyes need some traces of sulphur and phosphorous for good health and this is obtained by burning camphor. The same practice has been adopted by Jewism and Christianity who replaced camphor with candles, which is less smoky.
Devotees conglomerate in Tiruvannamalai on every Full Moon Night for கிரிவலம் (Girivalam, which is a combination of Giri - hill and valam - round), which is to go around the hill (about 16 km barefoot walk) to see and worship Lord Shiva in his purest of forms in the place where the whole hill is considered to be Lord himself, where Shiva appeared as fire. From the spot called as பஞ்சமுக தரிசனம (Panchamuga Dharisanam), one can see the shape of Shiva Lying with features of face, arms, chest, legs clearly depicted by the five peaks in the hill. From நந்திமுக தரிசனம் (Nandhimuga Dharisanam) and 3 other spots, the outline of the hill shows the shape of the bull's head, which is Shiva's வாகனம் (vehicle).
With so many spiritual factors in this place, It is claimed that those who think of this holy place (Tiruvannamalai) would get out of the vicious life-death cycle and become eternal. Apart from being a spiritual spot, taking up Girivalam has its own medicinal effects, since the barefoot 16-km walk is a good session of Accupressure and excites all nerves on the surface of the feet, thereby realigning all simple malfunctions in the body, thereby rejuvenating the senses. Moreover, this village is yet to be polluted and fresh air from the medicinal plants and minerals from the hill and countryside is a refreshing experience in itself. No wonder a lazy guy like me does not bother to pursue Girivalam seriously since Jan 2006 every full-moon night without a break in between, come what may!
Gate of Humility, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, 27 Feb 2016
One of the most historic features of Gonville and Caius college is its iconic trio of gateways. The Gateways of Humility, Virtue and Honour can be found in the grounds of the college. They are said to symbolize the pathway of academic life.
One arrives through the Gateway of Humility, humble before the task of academia before you.
In the centre of the college is the Gate of Virtue. Students must pass regularly through this gate during life at the college, representing the values of virtue that creator Keys saw as synonymous with learning.
Finally upon graduation students pass through the Gate of Honour on their way to receive their degrees at the Senate House.
Obviously the Gate of Humility is the simplest and the Gate of Honour the grandest.
Don't you hate it when you think you're almost done making something and then you realize that you've screwed up royally? My mom calls times like that humility moments. Yup, I forgot to finish the back edges of these lovely dresses, and now I have to take their skirts off entirely to fix them. Humility sucks!
A little angel depicted on the headstone of Mary Dougherty, her granddaughter Hilda Nelson and her daughter Mary Ann Nelson kneels over the family grave.
Kneeling symbolises worship and honour. It is a gesture of humility before the Lord and is often accompanied with a request or prayer. The angel’s wings are spread wide open symbolising the flight of the soul to heaven or rebirth. [1]
The arch of the once white gothic shaped headstone which represents a portal to heaven, is decorated with a chain of shamrocks. The shamrock has been a symbol of Ireland since the 18th century and is commonly found on Irish Catholic grave monuments. [2] Yet the Waikumete Catholic Burial book records Mary Dougherty, who passed away of bronchitis, was a native of England and had been in Auckland for 31 years. She was indeed born in Preston, Lancashire and baptized at St Peters Priory, Lancashire, England in 1831 [3]. It was Mary’s husband Richard who was born in Ireland and died at Auckland Hospital at the age of 68 years on June 11 1891, due to stricture of the oesophagus and Pthysis which he had suffered for 3 years. He was interred in Waikumete Cemetery Roman Catholic Division B, Row 4, Plot 18. [4] [5]
Mary Ann Coyle married Richard Dougherty in 1853 at the Church of Saint Ignatius Preston, Lancashire, England. [5]
The couple arrived in New Zealand sometime before the birth of their youngest daughter Mary Ann Dougherty in 1867. [6] [37]
Life in New Zealand was no bed of roses for Mary or her family of four children. [5] Newspapers reveal that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hand of her drunkard husband who threatened her life and beat her. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Also in an attack by her teenage daughter Lizzie in 1878 Mary was stabbed with a knife in the head. [14]
By the age of 17 years Richard, a shoemaker, had already spent time as a prisoner in the house of correction at Preston for stealing a dress. [15] [16] [17] And in 1889 when on trial for larceny the police gazette reveals that Richard had 12 previous convictions in New Zealand. [17] These included yet were not limited to drunkenness and disorderly behaviour, indecent exposure, selling and receiving stolen goods, stealing from the person, failing to support/being in arrears in support of his wife, and violent assault. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]
In July 1874 Richard was serving a sentence for robbery and in September the same year Mary was gaoled for vagrancy. It appears that with both parents unable to care for their younger children they were placed into care, and during December 1874 Mary and Richard’s two youngest girls Lizzy and Mary Ann [37] ran away from the St Marys Industrial school. They were found with their sister Catherine Dougherty and her partner William Scurry/Scarrah who were charged with harbouring the escapees. [38] [39] [40]
Mary was charged with vagrancy again 10 years later when in 1884 without any means of support she was sentenced to 2 months imprisonment. Once she had completed her sentence she was unable to be taken into ‘the old women’s refuge’ so was returned to gaol for another 30 days. [41]
By 1893 Mary was working as a domestic and living in Auckland city's Durham St West. [5] [42] Her death notice reveals that she had been ill for some time before her death which occurred at her residence. “Her end was peace” [43]
Mary’s young granddaughter Hilda who passed away at her home in 1909 [44] rests with Mary in Roman Catholic Division A Row 7, Plot 42. The Auckland Council online cemeteries data base reveals that Mary’s daughter Mary Ann Nelson who appears to have married young to Ernest Saxwell in 1883 and despite leaving him soon after, gave birth to at least two children by him, passed away in 1925 and lies alongside her mother and child. [45] [46] [47] [48] They were finally joined by Mary Ann’s 2nd husband Andrew Nelson, a master Mariner who passed away at the Epsom infirmary in 1932. [49] [50]
Their grave markers are inscribed:
In Loving Memory Of
MARY DOUGHERTY
Died 29th Nov. 1893
Aged 48 years
Also
HILDA
Grandchild of above and daughter of
A & M NELSON
Died 20th Jan. 1909
Aged 11 years & 4 months
Also of MARY ANN.
Wife of ANDREW NELSON
Who died 6th July 1925
Aged 59 Years
Rest In Peace
Plaque at the base:
Also ANDREW NELSON
Died 19th March 1932
Aged 65 years
Roman Catholic Division A Row 7, Plots 40 - 42
Mary Dougherty and Hilda Nelson Plot 42
Andrew Nelson Plot 40
Mary Ann Nelson between Plot 40 and 42
[1] www.thankgodforjesus.org/spiritual-meaning-of-bowing-knee...
[2] www.gmct.com.au/media/720756/gmct-information-sheet-_ceme...
[3] Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liber Baptizatorum; Reference Number: 282 PET/1/3
Liverpool, England, Catholic Baptisms, 1802-1906 Ancestry.com 2011
[4] 581/1891 Richards death entry
[5] Waikumete Cemetery Catholic burials, 1886-1923 p102 and p13
[5] P582 England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Ancestry.com 2006
[6] Dept internal affairs NZ 1867/97831867DoughertyMary AnnMary Ann Richard
[7] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.27.2
POLICE COURT.—Thursday. [Before James Naughton and James Baber, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[8] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18720420.2.20.2
POLICE COURT.-Friday. [Before J. M. Dargaville and W. A. Gra. HAM, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4573, 20 April 1872
[9] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.10
The Daily Southern Cross., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[10] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700527.2.27.2
POLICE COURT.—Thursday. [Before James Naughton and James Baber, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3982, 27 May 1870
[11] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18711102.2.21.2
POLICE COURT.—Wednesday., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4427, 2 November 1871
[12] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18720420.2.11.1
SATURDAY,'APRIL 20, 1872., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4573, 20 April 1872
[13] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18730715.2.22
POLICE COURT.- Monday. [Before his Worship the Mayor.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIX, Issue 4958, 15 July 1873
[14] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18780125.2.23
POLICE COURT.—This Day, Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2447, 25 January 1878
[15] census Class: HO107; Piece: 2267; Folio: 804; Page: 18; GSU roll: 87292 ancestry.com
[16] England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
[17] www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000099/18510...
Preston Chronicle - Saturday 12 April 1851
[18] New Zealand Police Gazettes, 1878-1945. Archives New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand. Ancestry.com. New Zealand, Police Gazettes, 1878-1945 2018.
[19] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18891113.2.7
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9521, 13 November 1889
[20] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18870228.2.8
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7883, 28 February 1887
[21] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18690227.2.29
MANGAPAL.—A CHILD DROWNED., New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1644, 27 February 1869
[22] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18801028.2.32
POLICE COURT.—This Day., Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3204, 28 October 1880
[23] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18810528.2.24
POLICE COURT.-This day., Auckland Star, Volume XII, Issue 3381, 28 May 1881
[24] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18690817.2.25
POLICE COURT.-TUESDSAY., New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1790, 17 August 1869
[25] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18700223.2.24
POLICE COURT.-TUESDAY., New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1905, 23 February 1870
[26] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18700511.2.28
POLICE COURT.—Tuesday., New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1970, 11 May 1870
[27] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18700514.2.24.2
POLICE COURT. -Friday. [Before G. M. Mitford, and Joseph May, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3971, 14 May 1870
[28] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18701117.2.13
POLICE COURT—THURSDAY., Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 267, 17 November 1870
[29] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18710331.2.10
The Daily Southern Cross., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4252, 31 March 1871
[30] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18710704.2.29.2
POLICE COURT.—Monday. [Before J. O'Neill and J. M. Dargaville, Esqs., J.P.s.], Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4332, 4 July 1871
[31] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18720805.2.17
POLICE COURT., Auckland Star, Volume III, Issue 795, 5 August 1872
[32] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18801028.2.32
POLICE COURT.—This Day., Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3204, 28 October 1880
[33] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18820608.2.13
POLICE COURT.-This day., Auckland Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3690, 8 June 1882
[34] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18821017.2.5
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6526, 17 October 1882
[35] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18850623.2.22
Auckland Star, Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 141, 23 June 1885
[36] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18891213.2.8
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9547, 13 December 1889
[37] Turner family tree ancestry.com
www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/120100662/per...
[38] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18740703.2.17
INQUEST., Star, Issue 1974, 3 July 1874
[39] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18740902.2.19
THE POST OFFICE SAVINGS BANK., Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5312, 2 September 1874
[40] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18741214.2.12
POLICE COURT.- This Day., Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1511, 14 December 1874
[41] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18840804.2.6
LAW AND POLICE., New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7087, 4 August 1884
[42] New Zealand City & Area Directories, 1866–1955. Microfilm publication, 921 fiche. Anne Bromell Collection, BAB Microfilming. Auckland, New Zealand. Ancestry.com. New Zealand, City & Area Directories, 1866-1954 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
[43] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THS18931130.2.5
DEATH., Thames Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 4598, 30 November 1893
[44] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19090121.2.2.2
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 13964, 21 January 1909
[45] Dept internal affairs NZ 1883/9101883Mary AnnDoughertyErnestSaxwell
[46] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH18830510.2.2.6
Page 1 Advertisements Column 6, New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6701, 10 May 1883
[47] Department of Internal Affairs NZ
1885/94451885SaxwellErnest WilliamMary AnnErnest
1887/170521887SaxwellMary CatherineMary AnnErnest
[48] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19250707.2.2.3
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19063, 7 July 1925
[49] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19320321.2.2.4
DEATHS., New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21137, 21 March 1932
[50] paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19320321.2.3
DEATHS., Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 68, 21 March 1932
Link to image of the kneeling angel
www.flickr.com/photos/discoverwaikumetecemetery/418313528...
Photo: Cathy Currie
Must be fall... I've been away from you a few days as I've been busy hosting a visit from my mom who lives far away. Precious time with a special person. Hope you've all been well. Hope you each had someone like her to teach you kindness, compassion, determination, and service. And may they all live long.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. - Helen Keller
More Helen Keller Quotes and Sayings
Picture Quotes on Humility
12 Beautiful destinations in Thailand to explore
Original photo credit: Lukas Johnns
The extension.
(A lesson in humility)
When John and Mary won the multi-million Lotto jackpot in March 2007, they did not let it go to their heads.
They have kept their simple life style.
Their only concession to their new-found immense buying power was to build Mary's dream extension at the back of the house.
It's handy when the children and grandchildren come home for Christmas.
Humility in the Oratorio del Rosario in Santa Cita. Maybe the pigeon on her head forces her to be humble, through mortification!
January 21, 2010
Taken with my iPhone
The sky over the ocean was a beautiful sight tonight. We may not have a lot of sun but we do have the most amazing sunsets in the winter. Alaska makes me feel so small with beauty this big.
Rose colours have different meanings.
White - Purity, Innocence, Silence, Secrecy, Reverence, Humility, Youthfulness, "I am worthy of you" Heavenly.
The Friend of God has these three qualities: a generosity like that of the ocean, a compassion like that of the sun, and a humility like that of the earth.
---Bayazid
"Do you wish people to think well of you? Don't speak well of yourself."
Blaise Pascal
The fern as a chrisitian symbol represents humility according to website I found catholic-saints.info
Picture of fern in my parents yard in Ventura, California
If there is any advice Col. Kirk Gibbs can give to his successor, it is this: Lead with honor and humility.
As Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 61st commander, prepares to relinquish command of the LA District July 19 to Col. Aaron Barta, he offered up some advice and reflected on the past three years as the leader of one of the largest Corps districts in the country.
There are many things Gibbs said he is proud of when it comes to the LA District, but three things stand out: the District being recognized two years in a row as a "Best Place to Work" in the Corps; completing Weed Army Hospital at Fort Irwin, California – the Department of Defense’s only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum, carbon-neutral, net-zero certifiable hospital – on time and within budget; and the one-on-one time he was able to spend with employees in the District.
It is the people Gibbs said he will miss the most – the employees and the District’s close partners across the four-state area.
“I have never focused on relationships like I have here in this District, and I sincerely believe it is part of the District's culture,” he said. “When projects are tough, the close relationships get us through those challenges and ultimately deliver the program.”
During his time with the LA District, Gibbs has overseen a multimillion-dollar program that provides engineering, construction, planning, contracting, real estate, emergency operations, environmental and regulatory services to military, federal, state and local governments across a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. That also includes leading about 750 military and civilian personnel with a wide array of expertise.
But leading people is nothing new to Gibbs, who has served for more than 24 years as an active-duty Soldier, leading both military and civilian personnel.
“Each person is different, and I have learned that good leaders get to know each person individually and then lead them in a way that brings out the best in that employee,” he said.
Providing priorities and a solid intent on the District’s missions, particularly disaster response operations, helps employees stay focused on what’s really important, he said.
Gibbs will now serve as the chief of staff at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, he said, he hopes to be an advocate for all of the Corps’ districts nationwide.
“I feel that this District and the great people are responsible for giving me the incredible opportunity of being the Corps’ chief of staff,” he said. “The people have taught me so much, and I will take that with me to make a positive impact on the Corps’ enterprise and help our Districts deliver our programs in civil works, military, Interagency and International Services, real estate and regulatory.”
Gibbs knows how the importance of mentors and having a good support system have played in shaping his career, and he credits his parents with instilling in him respect for others; his wife, Kim, who taught him to endure all challenges, no matter how great, with grace and dignity; and his former chief of staff – Col. Steve Hill – for giving him tough jobs to prepare him for success.
“(Hill) gave me tough jobs that I thought he could have done at the time, but as I look back, the toughest assignments he gave me in that civilian organization at the Corps headquarters prepared me for District command and enabled me to achieve the goal of commanding at the battalion, brigade and District levels,” he said. “I also remember he told me I would be a chief of staff for the Corps one day. He was preparing me for that. I didn't believe him, but that is my next job.”
And, as for additional advice he can share with Barta, Gibbs provided these words of wisdom:
- Be prepared to change leadership style when leading a District of professional civilians. Don't lead them in the same way as Soldiers;
- Engage with people and get around to see them across the District's entire area of operation. Don't sit behind a desk;
- Study hard initially and learn the policies, processes and programs. “You will never be the expert, but you must prepare yourself to make effective decisions as quickly as possible”;
- Always provide a commander's intent and an end state. The civilian workforce appreciates that; and, lastly,
- Lead with honor and humility. “It isn't about you. It is about the District's people and our vital mission.”
As for the future of the LA District, Gibbs said he hopes future leaders continue to change the culture to an organization that is more risk tolerant in streamlining processes and moving projects forward; deliver the Department of Veterans Affairs and Customs and Border Protection programs phenomenally – on time, within budget and to the highest quality; and to remain a "Best Place to Work" in order to retain and recruit talent to the high-cost living area of Southern California.
“I want the District to do what it always does and ‘knock those programs out of the park,’” he said.
‘Hadha Min Fadli Rabbi’ is an Arabic phrase whose translation in English nears "This is by the Grace of my Lord."
The phrase is most often used to convey a sense of humility and most importantly, gratitude to God for having something, be it material or spiritual, or otherwise, such as a talent one may possess, or good health, good income, good spouse, children, etc.
El Retablo de Señor de la Paciencia y la Humildad (The Altar of the Lord of Patience and Humility) at la Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar is a polychrome hand wood carving made in the 18th century and attributed to Spanish sculptor Andalusia. Christ is pictured seated on a rock, waiting for his crucifixion. On both sides are San Pascual Bailón and San Benito de Palermo--the latter of which was restored in 2004.
La Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar) at Junín 1904, was inaugurated in 1732, making it the second-oldest church in Buenos Aires, as part of a convent belonging to Padres Recoletos. The church owes its name to the patron saint of the city of Zaragoza in Spain, the hometown of Juan de Narbona who financed the construction starting in 1716. Construction was started by Italian Jesuit architect Andrés Bianchi and it was completed by Juan Bautista Premoli.
The order of the Recoletos was expelled in 1822 by Governor Martin Rodriguez, and after their property was expropriated, the convent became a mendicant's home in 1934 and then a retirement home. It returned to ecclesiastical use opening as a parish church in 1829, and was declared a Basilica in 1936 by Pope Pio XI.
The pristine white unadorned exterior is a modern alteration. The colonial-style building was originally a sun yellow. Inside, the basilica fetures outstanding Spanish colonial artwork and six German Baroque-style altars, the center one of which is overlaid with Peruvian engraved silver and features an image of the Virgen del Pilar.
Los Claustros Historicos Del Pilar (The Cloisters), which date from 1716 and still have their original floors and some fixtures, was opened to the public in 1997 as Museo de los Claustros del Pilar. The 3-floor museum features religious artifacts and photographs documenting Recoleta's evolution.
Another one of those humility blocks! In the lower left corner grouping of nine patches (why is it always in the lower left corner with me!) the red and white block should have had five reds, so one swan was missing. I saw this when it was all sewn together except the corner triangles and the border. So, instead of ripping, I set in a tiny swan in the lower left corner triangle. Turned out, I liked him down there :)
Two Kinds of Wisdom
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
[James 3:13-18 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
I took this picture tonight and was reminded of a rather famous quote by Carl Sagan. The quote was describing an image that was taken by the Voyager space craft as it left solar system for the last time, turned around and took a picture of the earth.
"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.
Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. "
The main access to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is this Liliputian and simple door in the main façade known as "Door of Humility". It dates back to the Ottoman period and its small size meant to prevent carts being driven in by looters, and to force even the most important visitor to dismount from his horse as they entered the holy place. The doorway was reduced from an earlier Crusader doorway, the pointed arch of which can still be seen above the current door.
Japanese Architecture and Garden Planning
Doesn't this style of house just exude humility, and the desire to un-noticed? Not. Traditional Japanese houses, trees, porches were mock palcial, and in your face enough, but now many Japanese take little notice of tradition and build Western, Swiss, Log-cabin, or Gothic style monstrosities in any colour that they choose, and they can choose because there is a complete absense of planning regulations. Japanese style architecture and gardens demands that we view their creators as rugged individuals, though they may not subscribe to the philsophy called "individualism."
On my way home today I took some photos of phenomena that seem to me to express Japanese individualism. All of them are visual expressions of individualism. All of the Japanese people invovled in their creation would seem, and in language be, humble, mild-mannered, and introverted. Give them a camera, ask them to design a car, manga, or house however and their taste for individuality stands out.
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Therefore, as Go'ds chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
February 23rd, 2009
As you can see, this isn't really a self-portrait. But you can barely see me in the reflection, and that counts enough for me. I really don't feel like doing anything different. I took this at about 6:24 this morning. 20 minutes before I went to my bus stop. Excuse the dirty window, our cats like to jump, and our dog is slobbery. :P I just liked the heart. I'm not sure where it came from. But iiiiii like it. :D
Today, I woke up, and just..didn't wanna wake up. Haha. But I did, of course. I got up, showered, did my hair, got dressed, did my make-up, etc. This girl that went to Falcon (her name was Sarah Conrad) died over the weekend, and so everyone wore yellow because that was her favorite color. She got into a car accident, and wasn't wearing her seatbelt. So, yeah. I don't think I knew her, but it's still super sad. Her poor brother is heart-broken, they were really close.
I got to school, and saw Howie and Mo. Went to all my classes, and nothing really exciting happened. Just a regular school day. In Freshman Seminar, we made posters for a movie night for Friday, it was fun. And a waste of time. I liked it. :] Pretty much the whole time, I was trying to convince Mo to come to church with me. We're learning about the Bible, where it came from, why we believe it, etc. Mo always says that the Bible isn't real, so I wanted to invite him. I tried FOREVERRRR to convince him, and he wouldn't go. It was sad. But then, after school, Mo told Howie about it, and Howie said that he would go. I'm excited. I hope that he DOES go. And maybe he'll like it, that woud be good. :]
Then, I came home, and am just hanging out. Did some homework, tried to take a picture but failed, etc. Now I'm here.
At 7, Nathan has a game. I plan on going.
My Dad called and asked for his number. And....I just realized that that could be bad news. Why does my Dad want to talk to Nathan? Hm. That's really weird.....really weird....Whoa. I should ask him.
I think I'm gunna ask Sam to take some pictures with me on the football and track field. I think it would be way fun. Maybe we could take the activity bus home, and she could hang out. It's been a long time since we've done anything. And she's PERFECT for taking pictures.
If there is any advice Col. Kirk Gibbs can give to his successor, it is this: Lead with honor and humility.
As Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 61st commander, prepares to relinquish command of the LA District July 19 to Col. Aaron Barta, he offered up some advice and reflected on the past three years as the leader of one of the largest Corps districts in the country.
There are many things Gibbs said he is proud of when it comes to the LA District, but three things stand out: the District being recognized two years in a row as a "Best Place to Work" in the Corps; completing Weed Army Hospital at Fort Irwin, California – the Department of Defense’s only Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Platinum, carbon-neutral, net-zero certifiable hospital – on time and within budget; and the one-on-one time he was able to spend with employees in the District.
It is the people Gibbs said he will miss the most – the employees and the District’s close partners across the four-state area.
“I have never focused on relationships like I have here in this District, and I sincerely believe it is part of the District's culture,” he said. “When projects are tough, the close relationships get us through those challenges and ultimately deliver the program.”
During his time with the LA District, Gibbs has overseen a multimillion-dollar program that provides engineering, construction, planning, contracting, real estate, emergency operations, environmental and regulatory services to military, federal, state and local governments across a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. That also includes leading about 750 military and civilian personnel with a wide array of expertise.
But leading people is nothing new to Gibbs, who has served for more than 24 years as an active-duty Soldier, leading both military and civilian personnel.
“Each person is different, and I have learned that good leaders get to know each person individually and then lead them in a way that brings out the best in that employee,” he said.
Providing priorities and a solid intent on the District’s missions, particularly disaster response operations, helps employees stay focused on what’s really important, he said.
Gibbs will now serve as the chief of staff at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. There, he said, he hopes to be an advocate for all of the Corps’ districts nationwide.
“I feel that this District and the great people are responsible for giving me the incredible opportunity of being the Corps’ chief of staff,” he said. “The people have taught me so much, and I will take that with me to make a positive impact on the Corps’ enterprise and help our Districts deliver our programs in civil works, military, Interagency and International Services, real estate and regulatory.”
Gibbs knows how the importance of mentors and having a good support system have played in shaping his career, and he credits his parents with instilling in him respect for others; his wife, Kim, who taught him to endure all challenges, no matter how great, with grace and dignity; and his former chief of staff – Col. Steve Hill – for giving him tough jobs to prepare him for success.
“(Hill) gave me tough jobs that I thought he could have done at the time, but as I look back, the toughest assignments he gave me in that civilian organization at the Corps headquarters prepared me for District command and enabled me to achieve the goal of commanding at the battalion, brigade and District levels,” he said. “I also remember he told me I would be a chief of staff for the Corps one day. He was preparing me for that. I didn't believe him, but that is my next job.”
And, as for additional advice he can share with Barta, Gibbs provided these words of wisdom:
- Be prepared to change leadership style when leading a District of professional civilians. Don't lead them in the same way as Soldiers;
- Engage with people and get around to see them across the District's entire area of operation. Don't sit behind a desk;
- Study hard initially and learn the policies, processes and programs. “You will never be the expert, but you must prepare yourself to make effective decisions as quickly as possible”;
- Always provide a commander's intent and an end state. The civilian workforce appreciates that; and, lastly,
- Lead with honor and humility. “It isn't about you. It is about the District's people and our vital mission.”
As for the future of the LA District, Gibbs said he hopes future leaders continue to change the culture to an organization that is more risk tolerant in streamlining processes and moving projects forward; deliver the Department of Veterans Affairs and Customs and Border Protection programs phenomenally – on time, within budget and to the highest quality; and to remain a "Best Place to Work" in order to retain and recruit talent to the high-cost living area of Southern California.
“I want the District to do what it always does and ‘knock those programs out of the park,’” he said.