A weekend full of God's goodness

Those who read Jodie Anna's lovely blog

will recognize this icon;

the first time I saw her blog and this

icon of the Mother of God

I was overcome with its beauty and tenderness.

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So here is how I creatively make icons:

on a very limited budget:

1. find beautiful icon jpeg online

2. borrow and put on flash drive

3. walk to grocery store, print out at Kodak film kiosk for .33 cents

4. go to dollar store with photo icon and match to right frame

colour and size wise

5. frame

6. have it blessed at church.

Cost: less than $2.00.

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Great as gifts...

God has blessed me in so many ways this week and weekend

I can't even begin to tell you all.

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After 12 years of my (protestant) spiritual mother's passing

I was finally able to do a panakyda

for her on Saturday before vespers.

Above is the bread I baked for it.

(My first bread ever baked!)

I used my bread machine (my Grandma's old one)

to make the dough

and then ended up phoning different times to my

Ukrainian Ottawa family for

bread making instructions!

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I was able to sing part of the service

(with a very inexperienced meek voice,

I've never been in a church choir!!)

with my spiritual father

and it was so beautiful;

I was able to wear some of my finest clothes,

bring the bread, kolivo and wine.

I felt like it was Pascha;

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A taste of what I have heard at so many panakhydas:

we grief with hope as Christians

firmly believing in the Resurrection of Christ.

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At the same time,

a beautiful woman at my church just lost her mother

this week

after losing her father only 41 days before;

they are separated by an ocean

as both parents were still in Russia.

I am still stunned at the thought of losing one's parents

41 days apart.

Please pray for them.

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All I know is we must always pray for each other;

we all go through such suffering in our lives.

Thank God for His mercy,

the Church

and that we can reach out in prayer to support each other.

God has blessed me yet again -

I was able to secure a plane ticket home

that was cheaper than a two day bus ride

(was going to split it in two days as a 20 hour 1 way ride

was too much for me).

What a gift of a plane ticket and that my parents

are able to fund it for me

so I can come home

for

(new calendar)

Christmas.

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I have been so full of joy lately

that I almost feel worried!

(Knowing both that sorrow and joy are often close together)

The prayers of my family church family and blog community

have been so encouraging to me.

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This week I will continue with various job searching

activities.

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This coming Sunday (old calendar)

is St. Nicholas Day

and I am so excited for this day.

Am making 2 vegan chocolate cakes

and then fly out the next day for home.

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What mercies of God.

How tenderly God is in these mercies.

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May God continue to sustain and comfort us.