The Quotation of the Week (May 11 - 17, 2014)

A quotation of Robert Mugabe on 'longevity,' compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A vegetable rack in a departmental grocery store at Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: May 19, 2013) © Jerome D'Costa

Happy Easter to Our Readers!

Photo (An electrical outlet in a student residence in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: March 16, 2014) by Jerome D'Costa

The Quotation of the Week (June 9-16, 2013)

A quotation on 'vision' by Jonathan Swift, compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo (A view through a screened window of an apartment in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Nov. 6, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

The Photo of the Week

An eye of a wooden electric pole in Waterloo, Ontario

Photo (Waterloo, Ontario: Sept. 6, 2009) © Jerome D'Costa

The Photo of the Week

Pumpkins on sale for the Halloween Day

Photo (Waterloo, Ontario: Oct. 22, 2011) © Jerome D'Costa

The Photo Meditation of the Month (November, 2010): BEING OF SERVICE TO OTHERS

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Bark of a birch tree in a family garden in Toronto
Photo (Toronto) © Jerome D'Costa

Bark of a maple tree at the campus of
St. Jerome's University at Waterloo, Ontario
 Photo (Waterloo, Ontario: June 19, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa

Being of Service to Others

The bark of each type of tree is different -- in shape, colour and natural design.

Scratching of the bark is a kind of art. Romantic people scratch barks to leave their messages and love symbols of a heart pierced with an arrow. "John was here" or "Shawn loves Jennifer" are such examples.We can call it "the bark language."

Barks are used for various purposes. Almost all over the world, different barks are used for their medicinal properties. North American Indians used to make light canoes with birch tree barks to travel in rivers and waterways. In Europe, making corks of bottles from a special kind of bark was a big industry. Rubber trees give out a whitish juice when their barks are cut in a certain way and the collected juice is turned into rubber after some processing. Tasty maple syrup is also extracted similarly from Maple trees. Certain animals eat selected types of barks for their nutrition and healing. Cinnamon, a spicy bark, is a common spice used widely in the Middle Eastern and the Indian subcontinental cooking.

Barks are so simple but useful to others. We need to thank God for providing such wonderful items for use by his other creations. As the barks are there to serve others, so are the mankind -- the best of God's creations. We also need to be environment-friendly and not exploitative and inimical to trees and other flora. This mutual respect and love will make this world more livable for our generations to come.

The Photo Meditation of the Month (August, 2010): GIVING UNTIL IT HURTS

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Hollows in a tree at St. Jerome's University campus, Waterloo, Ontario

Photo (June 19, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa

Giving Until It Hurts

Tree hollows form when branches are cut close to the trunk. Due to infection, bug infestation or woodpeckers' pecking holes are formed. These holes or hollows may not be good for the health of a tree, but they surely give shelter to small birds and animals like squirrels, tree rats and others. Many birds build their nests in hollows and hatch their eggs and give life to birdlings.

Trees like this serve others by their amputation and suffering. They shelter others from deadly predators. Sometimes, to creative children, these holes look like noses and mouths -- as if these trees are trying to say something to them.

Mother Teresa once said: "If we do not give until it hurts, there is no meaning to giving." Another time she said: "I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no other hurt, only more love." If we look at great men and women, we see similar examples in their lives. By "dying" through their sacrifices and suffering, they give "life" to others. So, we have a thing or two to learn from hollowed trees!