Who me?

Do you ever have a day where you are sitting at a table with others and you feel so different from them?

A common human experience I’m sure…

Sometimes I eat lunch with some friends who are interested in things I, well, am not as interested in. Like movies and TV. They had to explain to me why there was no G.Globe this year. And they always mention so many actors and singers I have never heard of…

So I don’t have a TV. So I usually don’t listen to music. Though I do LIKE music, but well, not usually the music of today’s pop culture.

I like old detective movies from the 70’s and 80’s – esp. of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. I guess if I do anything TV like it is reading blogs; and I am re-reading a PD James book.

I am also sitting in a room full of lit candles and the only manmade light is from my computer screen; and I like teapots and teacups.

The cool thing with this group I eat with is that they still accept me – I am the only Christian and probably the only Orthodox Christian they know – they think that my church has really good food! (I have described it before, as talking about a church meal is easier than talking about liturgy, as food is familiar and they are really not necessarily up for hearing in detail about theology) (I keep hoping though).

It is like being in another world though and like I do not know how to meet half-way that well.

I would love to hear about others who perhaps also struggle with this – I know those of us who are Orthodox are around this deep beauty in church – even the most humble mission church has beauty because icons, including replications, are so beautiful. And to be surrounded by the cloud of witnesses and to see all these saints who love us. Wow. It is no wonder that being anywhere else is a bit jarring. The world is not with us…

Any stories about this and how you deal with living in seemingly duel worlds? I would love to hear…

How I was able to go to Christmas Liturgy

I was chrismated in a lovely Antiochian church in Michigan and was 'raised' in the church on the new calendar. I now go to a old calendar church (that is not old calendarist, as a esteemed friend wrote) and today is Christmas. Well, I had gotten confused and thus had to go to work today. I was really disappointed as I was looking forward to having Christmas with my church family.

So I woke up today and got ready and went to work. (I had just gotten back Friday night and did not realize my mistake until the next day and it was too late to try to fix this vacation wise). So I get to work and guess what!!?

The power was out at my work - a transformer problem. We were all sent home and I esp. was given a blessing from on high to go to my church's Christmas liturgy!

God did a wonderful small miracle in this. It was wonderful to pray in church for Christmas - and I got to do the Christmas liturgies in both my Michigan and Ottawa churches.

What blessings.

Blessed Christmas or Theophany to all! :)

home

i am back. Cleo is glad to see me. it is always a strange transition, going between two earthly homes.

going home by plane today

i had a priest pray for me the travel prayer and was blessed with holy water a bit after Matins yesterday morning!

i have had very little down and email time this Holiday, so my apologies for lack of blog comments. i was not home much and when i was home, i was with family.

time to contiue the journey to the airport.

God is so good to us.