Search This Blog

Saturday, October 1, 2011

It's St. Thérèse de Lisieux's Feast Day!


Happy October! It's the month when the leaves on the trees will be changing colors (at least in the northeastern part of the United States where I live), the month featuring Oktoberfests, and the month that ends with Halloween, a holiday for which I have a designed unusual greeting cards. 

My cards for this occasion are very unique as they are a petite wrap-around variety, which means that they fold out into a picture which is suitable for framing.

Today is also the feast day of St. Thérèse de Lisieux. She is the saint who is often referred to as "The Little Flower." 

I thought of her this morning, as I was in my rooftop garden, where I was reflecting on the fact that I had moved into my apartment eighteen years ago today, and what a blessing it is for me to have a garden (especially since I live in NYC)!

Standing outside in my garden, in the wee hours of this Saturday morning, when most of New York City is sleeping (even though it claims to be a city where no one sleeps), I noticed one of my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers), striking an odd pose —  just as it was beginning to awaken for the day — and it was an almost prayerful "pose" at that, as evidenced in the photograph which I took of it and posted below.

This prompted me to think of one of St. Thérèse de Lisieux's quotes which is this: "I had wondered for a long time why God had preferences and why all souls did not receive an equal amount of grace […] Jesus saw fit to enlighten me about this mystery. He set the book of nature before me and I saw that all the flowers He has created are lovely. The splendour of the rose and whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realised that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay."

I am sorry to say that I barely have even a fraction of the faith that St. Thérèse de Lisieux was known to possess. Her picture (seen below) hangs above my desk as a reminder.


This picture is of a framed photo of  St. Thérèse de Lisieux.
St. Thérèse de Lisieux


FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

MY BOOK SERIES


...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop urban garden in New York City. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally,  I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

4 comments:

  1. Lovely October images, and thank you for sharing the information about St. Thérèse de Lisieux; the month of October always seems to bring a sense of calm to me, and your photos and words coincide nicely :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Patricia,

    This is not my strong suit as I have tried 10 times to post a comment between tonight and last Saturday night. I wrote my comment separately in a WORD document as to save it since I knew I would screw it up. I then copied it into the Post Box. However, unlike your directions below I am unable to post without choosing a Profile. Here I choose name/URL or anonymous. And then I click “Post Comment” and then the box is empty and nothing happens. So here is my comment and I thought that maybe you can post it.


    And I can’t believe it is October 1st either. Now it really feels like Fall. And I didn’t know that today was feast day of St. Therese of Lisiesx. Maybe it’s a sign that it is time to read “The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux.” A good friend recommended the book years ago but I have yet to read it.

    On a website for the Society of the Little Flower (www.littleflower.org) I found the following quote:

    “How did St. Therese become known as the "Little Flower"? St. Therese loved nature, and often used the imagery of nature to explain how the Divine Presence is everywhere, and how everything is connected in God's loving care and arms. Therese saw herself as "the Little Flower of Jesus" because she was just like the simple wild flowers in forests and fields, unnoticed by the greater population, yet growing and giving glory to God. Therese did not see herself as a brilliant rose or an elegant lily, by simply as a small wild flower. This is how she understood herself before the Lord - simple and hidden, but blooming where God had planted her.”

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and you pictures with us. I enjoyed the on-line brochure and you redesigned website and “Store Front”. This surely a nice way to start October!


    Sorry, but I don’t think I am cut out for the posting/blogging world. I hope you are having a good week and I will see you Sunday. Best, Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dearest Andrew! I was happy to help you by copying your thoughtful comments into the "field" for you, and I am so sorry that you had such trouble! GRRRRR! Computers often have a mind of their own, and, I, too, have had to compose my comments in Pages on my Mac, and then copy it into the comments fields on a number of blogs, after making many unsuccessful attempts to weigh in.

    I applaud you for persevering, even though you say you don't think you are "cut out for the posting/blogging world". Some people (who shall remain nameless), are definitely not cut out for the blogging world, but, unfortunately it does not stop them from writing and /or posting offensive material.

    In any event, as for your heartfelt comments, they are much appreciated. I, too, was introduced to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's "Story of a Soul', and I could never get into it but I would like to try again. I was told about the book because of her not seeing herself "as a brilliant rose or an elegant lily, but simply as a small wild flower." And "blooming where God had planted her.” I wish some of the flowers that I tried to grow in my urban terrace garden in bygone years would have bloomed where God had put them, but, like their gardener, yours truly, they were not aways content (-;

    I do need to be more like her, and since her photograph is above my desk, and, her medal is on my key chain, I have a constant reminder! "They" used to say if one saw a single rose, it meant that "Saint T of L was going to bless them" and, after years of my seeing single roses, and at times still not feeling blessed, I became discouraged, so maybe, like you, Andrew, I too have a "sign" to read her book. After all, she struggled with punctuation and grammar, as I do, so she could certainly help me in my writing endeavors if nothing else, (I wonder what she'd say about the pitfalls one encounters when posting a comment).

    Thanks again for all your time and consideration in attempts to post a comment, Andrew, and thanks too for sharing info on "the Little Flower". Also I appreciate your generous feedback on my on-line brochure, store front, and web-site.

    Again, Happy (and Blessed) October. See you soon and very . . .

    ReplyDelete
  4. I appreciate your stopping by, Michelle! And, thanks too for your kind words about my content and photographs! As for October bringing you a "sense of peace" – well, as I recall it's your birth month, and only 13 "shopping days" are left, and so in advance, I wish you great peace as you move ahead in your wonderful endeavors!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.