and onwards one goes

 

2025 already!

Sorry I can't blog much these days.

Blogger does not work on my phone,

I am often not on my chromebook, 

and just don't have time for everything...

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I wrote the following on social media.

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Well. I got a lot to be thankful for. I got to see my doctor today. I have always expereinced such understanding from her, she is very kind. I have a mild sinus infection. I was hoping it was just a cold but it's not bad enough to need antibiotics, which I really don't want unless it's super needed. I did not need a chest x-ray.

{back story on Friday I was told by a different medical

professional that I would need a chese x-ray}

Friday was so hard. But I am learning as I go. Healing takes a long time and when you have expereinced trauma, it takes way longer than you expect to heal from it.

So I got to eat in NYC at my favourite place

(tea and sympathy) which I hope will make it.

Prices are going up, taxes on imports too

and they have a lot of things from England,

and I really hope they will be OK.

Growth, at any age, I find, is not easy or straightforward. I have been blessed with some good night sleeps. I often suffer from insomnia so when I have that blessing, I don't take it lightly.

I've been slowly reading some Corrie ten Boom books,

I used to read her when I was a young teen and young adult.

Some people, even just in books,

come back to you in your life just at the right time.

I am finding her not only instructive

but very comforting and simple.

But what God did through her is very humbling - to go through that sort of hell - as even she describes it - the consecration camps -

and later forgiving her enemies and telling people all over the world that God their Father loves them

and that Christ is full of forgiveness and love...

it's really a deep comfort,

seeing what she did by God's will and strength...

My favourite tea (toast and jam by yorkshire tea)

is discontinued sadly, I made two orders from amazon of 3 boxes

each because it's my favourite.

It comforted me with warm cups of tea

for the last few years. I am glad, I hope, God willing,

that the packages will come safely and

I will have some left to enjoy.

But also I see that God gives one thing to comfort us,

then it is slowly taken from us and we must trust God that something different, and even better for us, will take it's place...

In the book, Ladder to Heaven, detachement is the bottom rung.

It's always what I am working on.

But I know the secret:

if you see yourself on the bottom, someday,

by God's mercy,

God will lead you to Himself, who is LOVE

and you will find yourself safe in the arms of Jesus, which if everyone knew such loving arms,

they would run to Christ without fear because Christ's radical, accepting love is the greatest reality that exists,

warming and saving us.

Thanksgiving: Cooking Edition

 

Thanksgiving List: cooking edition. 

(Apologies to those starting the Nativity fast tomorrow,  we are on the Julian calendar so not fasting quite yet).  

I raided the freezer, got out 1 lb of beef and a package of chicken thighs and legs.  

Beef went with onion, oregano and fried up, then added a can of mushroom soup and then cooked egg noodles mixed in. 

 Chicken boiled with about 8 cups of water (it kept decreasing, I had to add more), then deboned and used a chicken enchilada soup mix + 12 oz of red salsa and now that's cooling on the stove. 

I mixed up some Marion Cunningham's Rescue Biscuits and had some of the 'easy beef stroganoff' with 1 biscuit and some spinach for dinner.  

I have food for all weekend + early next week! 

I am thinking of adding some more carrots to the soup, having them with tortillas and perhaps a bit more rice as well... 

Feels so good to get some cooking and baking in!

Autumn Beauty

 

I have endured one of the worst storms in my personal life over the last two years!  I think the dust is settling now.  I was so sick and unwell.  I am not going to write more about that, other than to thank God for His mercy in pulling me out of such great suffering.  It was a time that taught me a lot but now I hope to just get on with life and it's many challenges.  I am getting older, life gets harder in ways for sure because old age prepares us for Heaven and leaving everything behind, in trust that God in His mercy will receive us because we looked for His mercy in our lives.  

I don't think I will have time to regularly blog, it does not work on my phone with pictures and my life is very busy now.  But I am glad to be here at the moment and will return when I can.  God help us bear the sorrows of life and bring us to the rest in Christ that everyone so deeply desires, even if they do not realize what it is that they actual want.  

still here

Blogger still does not work on my phone for pictures.  I am hoping to do something better but am pretty busy trying to keep up with life.

My Grandma said a beautiful thing to me on the phone today:

"Prayer changes things, sometimes we have to wait."

bright Thursday

I still can't load pictures here from my phone. 

I am ok. 

I just had a very hard loss.  I found out that in Ottawa, where I lived before I was married, that a very kind man, my Ukrainian Mother’s Husband, died.  Once family always family. He was so warm gentle steady simple and unassuming.  I have been crying a lot is all I can really say about this loss.

At least I can cry.

Other than this, I am doing what I can to heal from the most difficult health crisis of my adult life.   I am doing a better but the new loss I have endured has me thrown for a loop.

I take long walks. I still have my therapist who I talk to. 

I know I am not here much. It just the way it is.  V who commented if you are the one I met 2 summers ago in MI at my beloved Monastery please feel free to email me. See the about me page. 

Other than that I have a lot to be thankful for.  I am just in a time of grief and of healing.  

test (will be removed later)

waking up to birdsong

I can't get blogger to load pictures correctly on my phone. I don't have time to do more so just here briefly. 

It's been a year yesterday that I lost my memory. 

God is bringing comfort in increments. 

Healing takes time. 

I go on walks most everyday. I am very fortunate to have therapy. Fr Thomas Hopko in his 55 maxims: 

"Get help when you need it, without fear or shame."

It is wonderful to wake up and hear the birds sing.  It is wonderful to wake up and know where one is and feel warm and safe in one's own home. 

Lord have mercy on those who do not have this great gift. 

Today

I had to save this picture via the snapseed app for Blogger to put the picture right side up. 

Beautiful icons that bless my home 🥰

I am working on more healing 🙏 and am in a better place than I was a couple of months ago. But you know, healing on a deep level, that takes the rest of one’s life. 

We have DV our house blessing soon. A year ago I was in the midst of my memory loss. So this year I hope is a year of healing as I process where I was a year ago. 

May God so grant.  🙏