How lonely can you get?

 How lonely can you get?

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Lesson:  Learn to conquer loneliness and fear through the creative art of photography and poetry.

Sunken Pier, Sto Domingo, Ilocos Sur

A giant its teeth in gruesome stain!

Where have all the children gone?

the old folks and the fishermen?

The sweep of wind answers none.

UST, Manila 

Empty bench is all that sunrise greets,

save the earthworm in its burrow,

after a full night's grind fulfilled,

earned its day's rest through,

and oh, that man should learn

to keep the clock holy and true,

his niche in his Creator's view.

 Sacred Heart Novitiate, QC

As shy as the frangipani's bloom,

whispers in the air a fountain;

the lawn breathes after its groom,

waiting for the monsoon rain.

Canossa Retreat Center, QC 

Empty benches as the sun rises;

     and no soul around to find;

Empty benches hide in darkness,

     save some tears left behind.

Avilon Zoo, San Mateo, Rizal

What bleed your hearts, oh, pigeons two!

     Having found one another, and lo!

Life! must it be the way of love to hurt

     and leave an imprimatur in the heart?   

Sacred Heart Novitiate, QC

Someone is knocking on my window pane,

dreary like the spirit I often dream;

   it must be a raven or some naughty children,

  wanting for me to join in their game.

Eerie and quiet atop Antipolo hill 

        When Amihan blows in the cold Siberian wind,
     summer ends with the last footstep of guests,
  their loneliness preserved in this emptiness,
      their pain relieved - that, we can only guess. 

 UST Botanical Garden

The artist works all by his thought,

and builds a world his own;

alone his art slowly comes forth,

like the coming of dawn. ~

Mother Earth's Day: Take me for a moment away from you, Mother Earth, that I may see my friends, neighbors and me."

Mother Earth's Day

"Take me for a moment away from you, Mother Earth,

that I may see my friends, neighbors and me."- avr

Formerly, Scenic Rural Iloilo from the Air 

"Take me for a moment away from you, Mother Earth,

higher than the highest mountain, the tallest building,

that I may view life whole and solid and unabridged

in a perspective beyond details, and without stirring." - avr

                            Photos and Poem by Abe V Rotor

  

 Biggest spotlight - the sun - reveals a typical farming community, the fields basking with the golden color of grain and color of the earth after harvest.

Take me for a moment away from you, Mother Earth,

higher than the highest mountain, the tallest building,

that I may view life whole and solid and unabridged

in a perspective beyond details, and without stirring:

I see clouds shrouding you from the sun and blue sky,

in cumulus like giant mushroom on the horizon, rising,

and released into nimbus, becoming heavy, falling as rain

in the accompaniment of wind, thunder and lightning.

I see rivers swell and lakes fill to the brim in monsoon,

flooding fields and pasture, spilling through the valley,

meandering, roaring over waterfalls and boulders,

resting in swamps and estuaries, then flowing to sea.  

  

I see farmers in the field, women and children, too,

and work animals pulling the plow and the harrow;

I hear singing and laughter and joyous conversation,

barking of dogs, cackling  of fowls trailing the furrow.

I see harvesters gather the golden grains by hand;

drying shocks in the sun, and building  haystacks;

I see flocks of pigeon and native chicken gleaning,

women and children, the sun setting on their backs.  

I see the fields scorched, a smoke here and there - 

brush fire! when the grass dries up bursts into flame

spreading all over, burning anything on its path - 

what a waste! but it is nature's work and game. 

I see poor harvest, good harvest, where and why,

crops early or late, and fields never planted at all;

I see farming a way of life, farming as a business,

and farm life in all seasons, happiness its goal.

I see children flying kites of various makes and colors,

beside them grownups cheering, coaching, flying

their own kites too, oh, they have not forgotten

the art of their childhood, so do I, reminiscing.

I see children playing patintero, trompo and sipa,

games of old folks when they too, were children;

games of beetles and spiders as gladiators;

palo de sebo and pabitin cannot be forgotten.   

I see tourists, I see balikbayan, I see old and young;

familiar and unfamiliar faces, sweet, shy, and bold;

I see children going to school, housewives to market,

people of all walks of life, always on the move. 

I see the hills and mountains, to me they're the same,

but where have the forests gone, the pasture?

I see the rivers, the lakes and ponds old as they are,

I have always loved all of these as I love nature.  

I have seen enough, let me return, Mother Earth,

to my home, sweet home, on the farm, to my family;

and tell them of what I've seen in my short sojourn; 

down below I saw my friends, my neighbors, and me. ~  

  

  Geometric parcels of farmland in parallel formation apparently 

   show diversified farming and system of crop rotation. 

 

It's the peak of summer, and the rains have not arrived.  

Green patches are fields irrigated from shallow wells.

 

Residential houses huddle on one side of a creek (left); 

farms undergo fallowing, a resting period in summer.

 

Misty air looms over the dry landscape - a prelude to monsoon.

 

This fringe of land appears to have a sub-climate of its 

own influenced by the surrounding sea, while the

 rest of the island undergoes the normal dry season. 

  The uplands were once covered with forests and grasslands, 

now converted into agriculture and human settlements.  

A wisp of smoke greets the lazy morning air from among 

the trees that line a creek appearing like a miniature forest. 

 

A unique symmetry created by a natural waterway crowded 

with trees that form a natural windbreak and  sanctuary of 

surrounding organisms specially in summer. ~ 

MOTHER is the sweetest word in any language. In Celebration of Mother's Day May 10, 2026 in 6 Articles

   In Celebration of Mother's Day May 10, 2026

MOTHER is the sweetest word in any language.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

Part 1 - "My mom is a never-ending song in my heart."
Part 2 - "A boy's best friend is his mother."
Part 3 - A mother and her child - no greater love to find.
Part 4 - Green Madonna and Child
Part 5 - Mother Nature Crucified

Part 6 - 10 Famous People Whose Career Was Inspired by Mom

           Part 1 - "My mom is a never-ending song in my heart."

Author's spouse, Cecille, and their daughter, Anna Christina, on the latter's graduation day at Ateneo de Manila University with an MS degree in Information Technology, 2010 

Mother is perhaps the most popular subject in all fields of endeavor and in all walks of life.

It is one of the most powerful words, specially when used in personification, analogy, simile and other figures of speech. It is used to describe both animate and inanimate objects, often putting "life" in an inanimate thing.

Mother pertains to origin and everything has an origin - innate and immanent, and from the time of conception, be it biological, idea or thought. The meaning of mother is readily absorbed in the human mind without undue restraint it is closest to love itself.

Of the definitions of a Mother I have chosen these quotations from famous men and women whose success is undoubtedly traced to the greatest queen and ultimate image of Mother Earth.

But how little do we know the vast goodness, beauty and magnificence of a Mother! Lo, to us who only see them through a keyhole, and not have the key to unlock the door.

The sweetest sounds to mortals given
are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. ~William Goldsmith Brown (author)

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici (author)

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving (author)

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. - Abraham Lincoln (US President)

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck (author)

The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes (philosopher, historian and author)

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac (philosopher)

My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~ Graycie Harmon

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty (actress)

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/ observed on Sunday, May 14th. Mother's Day is observed the second Sunday in May. It is a time to honor mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers for their contribution to family and society. Since it is not a federal holiday, businesses may be open or closed as any other Sunday.

Part 2 - "A boy's best friend is his mother."

There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between the mother and a son. (Unknown)

                                                         Markus 3, and his mom.

                           Mother - the sweetest sound:

mommy, mama, mom, nanay, inay;

there's mother in all languages,

her breath, whisper the same thing,

her face, smile, all her images.

Mother Earth, motherland,

universal, living and non-living,

mother's forever, in everything;

when in comfort, when lost,

there's always a mother calling.

Great men, a mother behind,

angel on earth or hereafter,

mother, first word in the cradle,

mother, last word on the dying bed,

first and last rays of the candle.

A Song for Mama, Ave Maria,

on her birthday, on Mothers' Day;

to Ceres, mother of good harvest,

with Gaia, goddess of the earth,

Rhea, mother of all goddesses.

Mother, guardian and teacher,

to her own, orphans, abandoned,

faith is but one, so with love,

old and young, any brethren

are seen as mothers Above.

                                   - avrotor 

Markus, on his 3rd birthday, with his mom. During the first 3 years of life, a child’s brain develops at an astonishing rate. By age 3, the brain has reached 80% of its adult size. Developmental experiences determine the organizational and functional status of the mature brain. It is therefore critical during this time to focus on quality care taking and building a strong and healthy attachment, particularly with the mother or guardian who takes care of the child as a biological mother does.

A boy's best friend is his mother.

- Joseph Stefano (Screenwriter, Black Orchid, and Hitchcock's Psycho)

Sons are the anchors of a mother's life. - Sophocles (Ancient Greek writer-dramatist,
Oedipus the King)

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. - Irish Proverb

Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged. - Louisa May Alcott (author of The Little Women)

There is an endearing tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart. - Washington Irving (author, Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)

Mothers are inscrutable beings to their sons, always. - A.E. Coppard (author, The Collected Tales)

A good son will never allow sorrow to befall her mother...and act as if he is an only child that cares...protects when no one dares...serves with his life in return...and most of all finds a wife that will love his mother too. - Helen Rebibis Ramos (Philippine author, Bluemoon of Memories)

If a man has been his mother's undisputed darling he retains throughout life the triumphant feeling, the confidence in success, which not seldom brings actual success along with it. - Sigmund Freud (Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis)

To a mother, a son is never a fully grown man; and a son is never a fully grown man until he understands and accepts this about his mother. Unknown ~

Part 3 - A mother and her child 

- no greater love to find. 

     Dr Abe V Rotor

   

              "Tenderness has no measure - it is immeasurable;

it's ultimate expression of a mother and her child,

a universal symbol that stands most adorable 

unquestionably no greater love to find. " AVR 

                      Acknowledgment: old painting at Delgado Medical Center QC. 

                                                       Kudos to the artist.

  

Part 4 - Green Madonna and Child

"Our Holy Lady and Child, please help us

       save our dying Mother Earth."

Dr Abe V Rotor

Relief painting of Madonna and Child in acrylic AVR 2015 

  

Faceless, shrouded with smog, seated on a volcano,

    this Madonna and Child of my imagination

moved my fingers, and touched my heart and soul.

    Forgive me for my irreverent interpretation.

I am a humble artist seeking meaning of art to life,

    a new consciousness, a re-birth,

to bring prayer to action, our Lady and Holy Child

    in saving our dying Mother Earth.~

Part 5 -   Nature Crucified 

"Above me rises a dead tree..."

Dr Abe V Rotor

Lady devotee Angie Tobias turns her attention to Mother Nature in the 

midst of today's massive destruction of the environment symbolized 

by this driftwood artwork made by the author for Lent 2024.

When the sky is gray and red in sorrow,

the fields bare and dry all around,  

the sun beats hard on ev'ry levee and furrow;

I wonder where I am and bound.

No shade to find comfort even for a while, 

save a tree standing on a hill,

where some birds briefly rest and again fly,

leaving me empty at the scene.   

I look up and wonder, "Is this Golgotha?"

No sound, no breeze, but eerie

like I were in the heart of the Sahara;

above me rises a dead tree. ~

Part 6 - Ten Famous People Whose Career Was Inspired by Mom

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother." - George Washington 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

1. Of all the persons who had the greatest influence on Jose Rizal’s development as a person was his mother Teodora Alonso. It was she who opened his eyes and heart to the world around him—with all its soul and poetry, as well as its bigotry and injustice. Throughout his brief life, Rizal proved to be his mother’s son, a chip off the old block, as he constantly strove to keep faith the lessons she taught him.

2. "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” – George Washington

3. “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” – Thomas Alva Edison

4."All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” – Abraham Lincoln 

Nancy Hanks Lincoln and son, 

US President Abe Lincoln 

5. “A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” – Washington Irving 

6. “My mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”—Pablo Picasso 

Maria Picasso  y Lopez

7. “It seems to me that my mother was the most splendid woman I ever knew… I have met a lot of people knocking around the world since, but I have never met a more thoroughly refined woman than my mother. If I have amounted to anything, it will be due to her.”—Charles Chaplin

8.  "My mother was an angel upon earth. She was a minister of blessing to all human beings within her sphere of action. Her heart was the abode of heavenly purity… She was the real personification of female virtue, of piety, of charity, of ever active and never intermitting benevolence." US President John Quincy Adams. 

9. As India’s first female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi (1917—1984) She also entrusted a sense of duty in her two sons, Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi, who both grew up to become politicians; Rajiv became Prime Minister of India after his mother was assassinated in 1984.

10. Hoelun, famous as the mother of Genghis Khan, she survived getting kidnapped, widowhood, and being an outcast, to becoming the mother and advisor to one of the largest empires the world has ever known (as well as being one of the few people who could yell at Genghis and get away with it)

Acknowledgement: Internet