Remembering Summers Past

I realized that I had no clear memories of my last few summers. So I thought about them - summers since I left B.C.

Here is what I remember:

2004 - summer I was preparing for chrismation. Two part time jobs. Exhausted. New Orthodox friends. Sunday nights late at Krispy Creame past closing with these friends. Garage sales to furnish my 1 room studio that I found late that summer. Chrismated. Moved to London Ontario and began Masters in Library Science. Commonly referred to as Library School.

2005 - finishing a year of intense study for my MLIS. Dreams of a job and what this would be like. That I was wrong in what I thought, I have worked through. Walks with special library friend. Beautiful houses, ice cream, friends. By the end of this summer I was exhausted and struggling. I left my lovely little 1 bedroom tall ceiling apartment forever and moved to Ottawa for Co-op. A few months later I began this blog.

2006 - back in London. So beautiful - green, trees, old well kept houses, walks. Travels to Ottawa twice that summer. Desperate to move back to Ottawa and my new church home in Ottawa. Cleo my Cat and I began our lives together that May (I inherited Cleo from a dear friend who married her allergic-to-cats husband). Wonderful to be in my London church and with my spiritual sister. Extremely exhausted after finishing the semester. Said goodbye to my London church, where I put flowers by so many icons. Pictures of friends near my favourite saints - St. Herman, St. Nicholas, St. Xenia...

2007 - first summer in Ottawa. Began second Library Job in Ottawa. Felt like I was really getting to know Ottawa as a city for the first time. Good friend visited, high tea. Church Picnic by Lake. Memories of walking to services in the warm twilight. How happy I can feel when walking to one of my churches!

2008 - summer where I thought I would start my current Third Library Job. Broke foot in early June. June-July recovering. Church family taking good care of me. Started my job in August. Walking to get Gelato for the first time after the accident. Took time to regain strength. Took more time to get over the sense of panic. Church picnic - sunshine, water, spiritual Father.

I am hoping that this summer will be stable - that I will continue in my job, continue in my church life, and have my first summer in my new apartment with balcony.

May the Lord have mercy.