The Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

By Frank A. De La Rosa

The Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever is created based on a famous quotation from a world-renowned English poet during the early part of the eighteenth century. His name was John Keats. Frank liked and loved his works. In his love for photography, he came to like taking beautiful pictures of almost everyth

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorUnit
• Release date: Apr 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960075888

Frank A. De La Rosa

Frank started his early education in the Philippines. He was behind in his schooling because of the World War II, which started in Europe in 1939 and spread throughout the world-that includes the Pacific Islands, from 1941 to 1945, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Frank finished his elementary education (PCES) in 1952 and secondary education (CAIC) in 1958 in his beloved hometown of Panganiban, in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. He graduated with honors in elementary and as a valedictorian in high school. Using his diploma as a passport to college, he was admitted to the Araneta University in Rizal, Philippines. As a valedictorian, he was offered a full scholarship at the Department of Engineering, taking a course in agricultural engineering. He graduated with flying colors at AU, with a degree of bachelor of science in agricultural engineering in 1963. His yearning for higher education doesn't stop here. After college graduation, he was admitted to the graduate school at the University of California, Davis, at the Department of Agricultural Engineering in 1963, which was focused on irrigation management and soil conservation from 1963 to 1965. In 1967, he was awarded another diploma in bachelor of science in mechanical engineering at the Heald Institute of Technology in San Francisco, California. After his academic pursuits, he worked for a major engineering corporation at the Eastern United States. He retired later in Florida, enjoying his hobby-gardening-with his beloved wife, Mary Grace, their children, and eight grandchildren. However, his beloved wife died in Florida after a long illness in March 30, 2016. Goodbye, my love.

Book preview

The Thing of

Beauty

is a

Joy Forever

Frank A. De La Rosa

The Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

Copyright © 2023 Frank A. De La Rosa.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Authorunit

17130 Van Buren Blvd., Ste. 238,

Riverside, CA 92504

877-826-5888

www.authorunit.com

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in the work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

ISBN 978-1-960075-89-5 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-1-960075-88-8 (Ebook)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction

All Things Bright and Beautiful

My Dearest Mom

My Beloved Wife

Meet the Author

In Time of Your Need

Magnetic Personality

Life Isn’t Fair

A Letter to Our Granddaughter Aileen

An Open Letter from a Friend

Message of Thanks

Author and His Wife

Letter to a Friend

For My Daughter

Attitude

Befriending Anger

A Friend like You

God Has Total Control of Everything

Don’t Throw This Day Away

Author and His Family and Friends

Don’t Quit

Don’t Hide Your Pain

It’s Thanksgiving!

God Has His Own Agenda for Our Lives

God Is Never Far Away

Looking Back

Author Relatives and Acquaintances

God Will Take Care of You

Let God Take Charge

House Blessing Prayer

Christmas Prayer

Life Is a River

Desiderata

May God Bless You

Author and His Friends and Brother Knights

Author and His Garden— Plants and Flowers—and Birds

On the Brighter Side of Life

Friends Are the Roses in Life’s Bouquet

To Tia Mer and Tio Anching

Sceneries, Signages, Other Object Photos, Food, Picture of Texts

How to Live Life to the Fullest

To Uncle and Auntie on Their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary

If I Could Live My Life Over

How Do I Love Thee?

Reflections

Religious Photos

It’s Never Late to Say Thank You!

The Miracle of Forgiving

Water—the Beverage of the World

Finding God in Ordinary Things

To My Mom and Dad on My Wedding Day

My Prayer

Love Isn’t Love Till You Give It Away

About the Book

About the Author

Banana Nut Bread

Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk

Chicken Curry

Rice Pudding

The Arrow and the Song

Acknowledgements:

Pacific Book Review

Introduction

After I finished writing my first book, A Touch of Life (2010), my friends kept asking me when I will write my second book. My blunt answer was Very soon. However, tomorrow comes, tomorrow goes, and I never started writing my second book yet.

Life then was so unpredictable as you can see it through your own life. While you are doing something at the moment, something will come to view that needs attention, like fixing the leaking roof, the leaking faucets, etc. And then you would go back to where you were before, and one of your daughters would call to say that her eldest son was having his first communion and that my wife and I had to come.

Time really flies . . . without even knowing it. I’m happy to tell you that for the past nine years, my late wife and I had been so busy doing traveling away from home. We had two Caribbean cruises, one wild river adventure on the wild Florida river, a trip to Arizona and California; attended our golden jubilee celebration of CAIC class ’58 in my hometown of Panganiban; etc. Then we came back home weary and tired.

After we came back home from our adventure at the wild Florida river, something unpredictable happened to my beloved wife. She got very sick. I took her to the ER. Admitted and confined in the hospital for more than a month, she never recovered. The hospital’s doctors and other medical professionals offered all their best to help, to save my beloved wife’s life, but only God knows what his plan was for her. He took her to her final peaceful home on March 30, 2016. Life was never the same. He took her. I only hope that someday we’ll be together again.

In the meanwhile, I have to continue writing my second book, A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever, which I dedicate to her in her loving memory. I have to say that I don’t have those gems and treasures surrounding me, but one thing I’m sure is that everything that I can see with my own two eyes are mine to behold and tp admire.

Frank