Another Day in this Year of Our Lord

Today was my last Monday at my current job. Tonight I am baking a cake for my small group at work to eat. Vanilla. I wish I had strawberries. If I have time, I may go get some.

I bought Indian takeout. Enough for three meals. Under five dollars for three meals. nice. It is a buffet and one is allowed two scoops of everything. I made lemonade, and have hot lemongrass tea with sugar.

It is hard for me to wait to see what job will come. But I am trying to really live during this time. Trust that God is taking care of me and to fight the fears that want to assail and conquer me. I am seeking to FIGHT them.

I am doing those things that are needed for my transition. Baking cake, buying small thank you cards and chocolate to give away, going to church, listening to music, praying, remembering God and calling my soul to see that even now, God is saving me.

Even now, God is saving me.

Feast of Mid-Pentecost

Happy Feast!

Job interview synopsis: 10 questions 2 or 3 parts each total time 50 minutes. intense gauntlet like.

God is so good though.

Went to vespers and had tea at a friends.

I am so thankful! To those who are praying for me: THANK YOU.

Jitters but God is good

My shirt is ironed. I only have a small table top iron board so this took a while. My cute light pink shirt. To be worn with black pants and jacket.

I prepared answers to various questions and read the rest of the libraries strategic plan.

Tomorrow I need to review my notes, some papers and pray.

Now it is time for sleep.

interview tomorrow; feeling nervous

Tomorrow is the day. Liturgy in the morning for Mid-Pentecost. Lunch with friends. Going home, changing and going to the interview. (3 pm)

I feel rushed already.

My shirt is not ironed.

Lord have mercy. I feel like there is so much more I can do to prepare, but do not have the time, and really I need to review, not learn more but review what I learned. and iron my shirt.

it is the ironing that really is unfortunate.

Please pray for me! This is the job I want above the others...

Long weekend!

It is Victoria Day on Monday.

I did in person research for the interview I have on Wednesday at three pm. Various people are praying for me and I feel really encouraged about this. like REALLY ENCOURAGED.

Thank God!!!

I am hoping to go for tea tomorrow with a friend to celebrate the Holiday Weekend.

I was at liturgy this AM and did the research in the afternoon.

I am reading murder on the links by A Christie and hung out with my Cat Cleo.

Hope everyone reading this is doing well...

today's summary

*interview in AM went fairly well. over 2 HOURS though. exhausting!
*got a call for the job i think i really want!!! interview next week Wednesday at 3 pm!

*going to vespers tonight and a teaching afterwards

i am tired!

tomorrow i hope to eat a bowl of ice cream. :)

Glory to God for all the interviews! I have gotten responses from all 4 of the jobs I have applied for. This is really encouraging and I know it is because of God's mercy and many people's prayers!

another day

A beautiful sunny day, cloudless blue skies... at work i saw sloping lawns and yellow dandelions. beautiful. I am slowly transitioning out of my current job, more every day. I am closing electronic and paper files. I will be calling England nearly every day. There is a certain publisher there, who will remain nameless, who just will not get back to me.

Tomorrow 9 AM EST an interview for a one year term. I have been reading their website tonight. I am a nerd and actually LIKE reading it.

My house is tidy now. I am in the kitchen , but most of my icon candles are lit, waiting for me to retire into the other room.

I figured out that right-clicking on a document ... I can print it without opening it! Handy, as my laptop seems a bit slow these days.

Okay. Back to work...

today was good

Work went okay today.
I need to search Google for MEDLINE/Pubmed searching (my interview on Wens is medical related, I am a librarian and use databases).
I had ICE CREAM today.

This weekend the bedroom side of my two room apartment got vacuumed! And laundry was done. And my closet was tackled and I won. I have been waiting a long while to have the time to do just that.

I have begun reading the man in the brown suit. Agatha Christie. I have read it before.

The kitchen side of my apartment is still messy, but I have hope about it.

Okay. Time to make dinner, before all that sugar I ate lets me down...

Sound advice - Found via two blogs

http://whenwefast.blogspot.com/2008/04/55-maxims-for-christian-living.html

http://sttheophanacademy.blogspot.com/2008/04/good-advice.html

So today I have done various blog searching and additions to my bloglines feed. I found this list that was complied by Erin's husband (see first link) and then I found it on the second link.

It is incredible. As in I should print this out and put it somewhere on my Prayer Wall.

This was from Ancient Faith Radio talk by Fr. Thomas Hopko.

55 Maxims for Christian Living
by Fr. Thomas Hopko

Here it is:

1. Be always with Christ.
2. Pray as you can, not as you want.
3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline.
4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times a day.
5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not occupied with other things.
6. Make some prostrations when you pray.
7. Eat good foods in moderation.
8. Keep the Church’s fasting rules.
9. Spend some time in silence every day.
10. Do acts of mercy in secret.
11. Go to liturgical services regularly
12. Go to confession and communion regularly.
13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.
14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person.
15. Read the scriptures regularly.
16. Read good books a little at a time.
17. Cultivate communion with the saints.
18. Be an ordinary person.
19. Be polite with everyone.
20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.
21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby.
22. Exercise regularly.
23. Live a day, and a part of a day, at a time.
24. Be totally honest, first of all, with yourself.
25. Be faithful in little things.
26. Do your work, and then forget it.
27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.
28. Face reality.
29. Be grateful in all things.
30. Be cheerful.
31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.
32. Never bring attention to yourself.
33. Listen when people talk to you.
34. Be awake and be attentive.
35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary.
36. When we speak, speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly.
37. Flee imagination, analysis, figuring things out.
38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.
39. Don’t complain, mumble, murmur or whine.
40. Don’t compare yourself with anyone.
41. Don’t seek or expect praise or pity from anyone.
42. We don’t judge anyone for anything.
43. Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
44. Don’t defend or justify yourself.
45. Be defined and bound by God alone.
46. Accept criticism gratefully but test it critically.
47. Give advice to others only when asked or obligated to do so.
48. Do nothing for anyone that they can and should do for themselves.
49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice.
50. Be merciful with yourself and with others.
51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.
52. Focus exclusively on God and light, not on sin and darkness.
53. Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins peacefully, serenely, because you know that God’s mercy is greater than your wretchedness.
54. When we fall, get up immediately and start over.
55. Get help when you need it, without fear and without shame.

Tribute

I wanted to note that I have a most lovely Mom who is indeed the Best Mom for Me. She has been there where I was a child and now that I am adult. When I am happy and when I am in tears; we have learned a lot, both Mom and I. I can honestly say she is one of my closest friends and while still being my Mom, she is also a friend. Mom-friend :)

Also, I have a friend who I talk to every week, usually and I just wanted to say that she and I also have walked through many things together via many phone calls.

I am blessed to have her in my life!

I could go on, but I should de-clutter my home, or something.

So...

The saga of my life continues. Surprise surprise. :)

I have an interview for a 1 year term position. The second round interview was postponed, date still unknown. Am still waiting to hear about other things.

Ah life transitions. how I dislike you, life transitions.

oh well!

I remember reading in an Anglican prayer book over ten years ago how God is the unchanging one, the still centre... (I am paraphrasing btw). So I seek to remember this.

I am reading a mystery book; lovely after fasting from them for Lent. Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson. I like, though I must say she is pushing things a bit in places; the phrases. I was an English major and am still aware of what I read. None the less, I am enjoying it thus far.

tired but peaceful

This morning when I was busing to work, and passing over a bridge, the bus stopped. I got to look out on to a river, with apartments, green grass and sunshine. I thought today I need to enjoy the present. i.e. not be thinking only of the future (job etc). I had a fast walk over lunch with colleagues. I had ice cream when I got home. Chapman's Premium French Vanilla. I decided I like it better plain than with cheapy chocolate sauce.

I got a cute pink summer blouse on sale. I got another black shirt at another store (than the one yesterday) discounted and with a sale coupon. I listened to Bach. Held my cat, called my Mom (twice), got a hold of a reference, and researched for my second round interview.

Tomorrow DV I am going to vespers after a meal with a friend who got engaged over Pasca in a small white Greek church in Athens (where the fiance is from). Talk about romantic. ! I will get to see pictures.

Today is St. George Day old calendar!!!! Happy St. George Day!!!! I have a beautiful Icon of him newly placed on my icon prayer wall and I was happy today because it is his day.

Now it is time to rest for the night...

If people were not praying...

I sware I would be dead!

exaggerating MAYBE. but really, I do not know how people survive without God; even when I am shaken, even deeply shaken, God always does something to up hold me.

Thank you Mimi for praying to St. Xenia of Petersberg for me. This means a lot. Her icon was the first one i ever bought, a small lovely one. it is right next to my icon of the Theotokos on the right and my icon of the Crucifixion on the left. (I have some icons on a shelf, with tea lights in front; I find that the icons need to be just above my immediate eye level, or there abouts).

For those who may not know, St. Xenia is a fool for Christ who lived in St. Petersberg and she chose to be homeless and prayed a LOT. Her prayers are still felt and effective for jobs, houses, spouses, protection of children. We recently got a beautiful handwritten icon of her in my Church here in Ottawa. I felt so relieved when she was brought in to Church!

Well. no new job news. I took a test today for a government competition; I did not do that well, but I also do not really want the job, as opposed to others... I went shopping - yes - again. I do not go shopping that much (really) but I wanted a new spring shirt for my second round interview. I got a nice purple one - light with a bright summer-spring feel - and I bought my second ever nice pair of black pants - and - to my delight - a long sleeved button down black shirt with fabric that I think will not collect Cleo hair as quickly! When you have a non-pure breed long haired Himalayan Cat with Blue Eyes, this becomes a consideration! I really should get a digital camera someday so I can post a picture. Of course then I would have to figure out how to do so... :)

I am seriously excited about this black shirt, as I wear black shirts under various work jackets (or blazers, depending on what term is being used). I am so excited, I may go back and buy another. I have not found a good black shirt in a long time and my older blackshirts are really shabby now.

One thing that I find I struggle with, which I think a lot of people do, when I have interviews is suddenly being worried about what I LOOK like. Suddenly blush colour, lip colour, hair cuts, and clothes mean something.

Sigh. But I am so glad that God loves me despite of it all and I am so glad for the Saints as well.

When I think of all the spiritual support I have in the Orthodox Church, I wonder why my faith is so small when I am in job transition. But at the same time, it is good to see how little I am and how weak; the hope is that I will gain humility from this. I have been learning more this year how the Church Fathers consider humility to be one of the most important things. And I have been being taught that humility and love are directly linked, the two sides of the same coin.

In all these things, I thank God for His mercy!

I made the second round

I have a second interview for the job I interviewed for this past Wednesday. The second interview is the Tuesday of next week.

This week has been a challenging one, but was encouraged by being in church for vespers.