The White Spider Lily or known as White Spice...this flower is one unique gal. I personally prefer the name White Spice; exotic and it personifies this beautiful flower as it really spice up the garden!
Symbol of beauty...the spider lily is certain one. If you see a whole garden filled with them, you might walk pass it without noticing its beauty. This is because each flower has 6 spider-like petals that surround the corona (the white heart of the flower) and they grow in clusters. Unfortunately, at first glance, they look like a whole array of unkempt weeds!
When I walked in Shan Tao Secondary School to do my teaching practicals in January 2010, these white beauties caught my eye. I knew I was in for a tough 3 months and was not sure what to expect or what was expected of me but these lilies would cheer me up every morning, for sure. Whatever happens, I thought to myself, I would find the time to photograph these flowers...haha so much for focusing on becoming a teacher!!!
We had a dry spell for a long time and every day I would check on the lillies from the balcony, just to see how they are holding up. One fine day, it poured! I was so happy to see that the flowers are finally receiving their showers of blessing. Walla...rejuvenation. What's better than being able to dance in the rain?
Only when I had my free time to photograph these white beauties, did I realize how fragile this flower really is. Its corona (white heart or crown) looks like a transparent paper. Yet, it could hold 6 long spider-like petals, as if carrying burdens/commitments on its fragile shoulders. Perfect symbol for a student...young, fragile, beautiful, persevering through life, and so much to offer to the future.
The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt (Frederick Buechner)Memories:
I am dedicating this page to my Form 4H students in Shan Tao Secondary School, where I had spent about 3 months with them and enjoyed every moment tremendously. I walked into Class 4H on 26 January 2010 and saw a garden of spider lilies! I thought to myself..."Oh boy...this is gonna be tough!" I saw curious faces. I saw "Yucks-another-practical-teacher" faces! Then, I saw one smiley face! One happy face was enough to give me hope. Hope that maybe at the end of my 3 months, every spider lily in this class would be an individual full of life. My personal goal was to appreciate every individual and learn from them as much as I could.
Every flower about a house certifies to the refinement of somebody. Every vine climbing and blossoming tells of love and joy. (Robert G. Ingersoll)I loved the time together in class, educating and sharing life's experiences. They are the ones who kept me going all these months, no matter how exhausted I felt when I reached school every morning. They captured my attention in the beginning and they captured my heart in the end!
This is my prayer for each and every one of you:
Thank you God for giving each and every student of mine a mind and a heart.
I pray that they will always have a mind that is willing to learn and a heart that is always open for love.
I pray that they will all persevere in pursuing their dreams, be it small or big, and let courage be their creed.
I also pray that in all their busy lives, let them always find moments of stillness and enjoy little blessings that life has to offer.
Let every one of them be guarded and guided by their guardian angel :)
The world is full of cactus, but we don't have to sit on it. (Will Foley)
A species of the famous miracle healer, San Pedro Cactus, is actually spreading like wild fire in Malaysia. This cactus is a native to the Andes mountains of Peru but it loves living anywhere hot and dry.
This cactus is sacred to the South Americas and is especially associated to shamans and healers of the Peruvian Andes. It was said that San Pedro @ Saint Peter embodies these qualities because Saint Peter is the holder of the keys of Heaven and the name of the cactus therefore speaks of its abilities to "open the gates" into another world.
A symbol of patience, endurance and persistence...
Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory. (William Barclay)
Cactus flowers are usually sensitive to light even though the cactus stems can hold water for long dry periods. San Pedro is no different. This beautiful flower only blooms at night and closes when the sun rises.
To be a survivor...
