Continuing prayers needed

Am on a train to Brampton.

Saw on FB that Noah's line is exposed

and he may have to go out of town to a hospital.

Given his situation, this could be very serious.

Asking your prayers.

Nativity Fast Day 3

Akathist to the Protection of the Theotokos

O Chosen by the pre-eternal God,

Queen of heaven and earth higher than all creation,

who hast in days past entered praying

into the Church of the Blachernae we,

offering Thee with thanksgiving due veneration,

flee with faith and compunction under

Thy shining vestment for we lie in darkness.

And Thou who hast invincible power dost set us free

from every affliction that we may cry to Thee:

Rejoice, our Joy, protect us from every ill by Thy precious Veil.

Almost, Almost

Grey wet rainy day.

Almost going to Brampton, Almost going home to

Michigan.

Almost...

Writing rough draft of my proposal.

Feel like the steam has been exhausted out of me.

Lord help us all!

Have had all my candles lit all day.

Felt the day needed it.

Dreamt last night that a parishoner

whose 5 year anniversary of her repose

is tomorrow

came back to life

we were all in a big house

and there she was,

peaceful, talking to everyone

in turn...

We never do get over missing people.

I am just glad in this case that she died

a Christian and when we had her 5 year panakhyda

this past Sunday

and the memorial meal afterwards

it felt so much like no time had passed at all;

like I was back at the first meal for her;

even I dare say like somehow she was really present with us;

I was not the only one that felt this.

May God remember her in His Kingdom

and may we have the mercy to join her one day.

Continuing to pray for Noah.

Asking the Mother of God's help,

her intercessions,

her comfort.

Day 2 of the Nativity Fast

Soon early in the fast

I will be home.

I am really tired.

Cleaned this morning so that my house

will be clean when I return.

Soon home

with my family

beautiful dishes from three generations

some rest

but also more work

as the proposal I am working on is due

next week Friday

and I have miles and miles and miles

to go before I sleep...

Day 1 Nativity Fast 2011-2012

And so it begins;

the count down to Christmas

13 days ago or today

(Dec25/Jan 7).

I began reading Fr. Thomas Hopko's

Winter Pascha

see here for excerpts

and today was busy

researching for my proposal,

meeting my great job coach about it

and then coming home

calling my Mom

and finding out that somehow I or we or someone

had gotten their wires crossed as it were

and here I thought I was to go to Brampton to see my Oma

tomorrow and had my train ticket booked

accordingly

and was aghast to find out that my family was coming the day after

and only for one night and then

suddenly

I did not know if I was going to see my Oma with my family

but Via Rail

very kindly

changed my ticket to the next day.

WHEW.

Thank you God!

Thank you Via Rail for treating me like a human being

stuck in a jam with the wrong day booked for

the ticket!

So.

I go Wednesday

come back Thursday

work on my proposal on the train both ways

and on Friday

and I fly Saturday afternoon to Michigan.

(Expeida was not so kind and would not change my ticket

to accommodate the new situation I was in

but that too I trust is from God and is for a reason).

I talked with a friend on the phone tonight

about wanting to do the Holy Supper

Christmas Eve

again this year.

I love how Fr. Thomas Hopko explains

that Christmas is

considered a three-day Pascha;

I am looking forward to entering Church

God willing

Christmas Eve

wearing red and anticipating the coming of our Lord

born in Bethlehem.

O Christ,

Light of the World,

Come Quickly

We need You and Your Saving Hand;

Lord, Come and make haste to save us!

Nativity Fast

And so it is time to prepare our selves

open our hearts

to let Christ come in.

In the middle of rejoicing,

there is still often pain

in this life.

Kate and Jeff,

Noah's parents,

are with the medical team seeing that

Noah is in the last stages and they are

making funeral plans.

Please pray for Noah and his parents and siblings.

I was especially touched by Noah's parent's wish

for a good and beautiful cemetery to have Noah's

body laid to rest in.

Please pray that all this can be provided.

I am sure I am not the only one who

has been praying for Noah who has shed tears

about his pain and sudden rapid decline.

In the end as we turn our minds, eyes and hearts

toward Christ's birth,

we have to trust that Christ who was born to die for us

is involved today in our lives and that His love for us

and for children such as Noah

is very, very real.

Almost Sunday

The snow is pretty much gone now.

I hope it will come again soon! :)

*

I worked hard on an email to inquire about the

proposal I will be writing in hopes

of being chosen for the contract.

I am going to work really hard on this!

Of course with your prayers...

*

The Nativity Fast begins for us tomorrow

Old Calendar.

I am happy about this.

Actually I am looking forward to Lent already.

To standing again DV

with my spiritual father and many from my church

for the Canon of St. Andrew...

Meanwhile,

I must prepare myself for Nativity

and ask that I be made ready

for the coming of our Loving Lord and Saviour...

Beautiful Evening

A dear friend came for dinner and

we got Greek takeout and dined in.

I was really blessed by the company and conversation.

*

Of course Cleo was up to no good

and wanted my food.

Notice the pink IKEA plastic spray bottle in the first picture?

:)

It tells Cleo 'no' better than me

telling her :)

Cleo likes to be near by

esp. when she feels comfortable with my friends.

Which thankfully is usually the case.

I do like my little Cleo Cat.

Hope on a Grey - Sunset Is So Early - Friday

Really appreciated this post by Deb

and the news it brings...

truly an incredible event in Moscow

I...we... must remember that the main thing we are called to do

is to prayer.

To returning to Christ.

To repentance and asking God for the

grace of repentance.

Asking the Mother of God's intercessions

to her Son

our Lord Jesus Christ

when we struggle or feel afraid.

And to know that we are not alone

no matter how we may feel.

And that when we fail, fall into worry, doubt or

other thoughts that trip us up

and weigh us down,

that God is here waiting

and with God we can get up again,

no matter how many times it takes,

we can get up and be with Christ again.

Thursday in Canada - Thanksgiving in the States

Picture from yesterday's snow.

It is melting already.

Today in the States is Thanksgiving.

*

It is also St. Menas' Day.

*

And a year ago

November

I was hit with lots of things at once;

the first of 3 or 4 times I got the bad face rash;

the first time was the worst.

I got the unexpected tax bill.

I almost had to go to ER for the rash.

I did not know if I had enough money

outside of my small from a few years back

pension that is still

a year later

is in the bank.

It's not enough really to do much in old age other than

provide for my funeral and burial

but at least it is still in tact.

I have

(and still continue),

like so many,

gone a year now

without knowing if I would have enough for rent

1 to 3 months down the road.

*

I have had moments where I rested in God and in His provision

and many where I fell and freaked out,

to put it in the vernacular :)

*

I have seen God and the Saints rescue me time and time again.

Like when my apartment plans fell through

2 weeks before I had to move

and then suddenly I got the apartment I wanted

in the first place,

that I am still in now.

I did not know how much God was rescuing me until

I found out in late Winter that the apartment

I almost moved into

burnt down and the fire started in what would of been

my apartment with Cleo.

*

I've had God provide for me through unexpected ways

and suddenly giving me the job that I have worked on contract

in early Spring and in later Summer.

*

Through ways I could not foresee, control or predict,

God has provided for me,

food, shelter, friends and especially church family.

*

And I have been SO BLESSED throughout the years

with each of you.

You have encouraged me, prayed for me and loved me.

I have been showered with many blessings because

of your prayers and presence in my life.

*

A dear friend of mine told me about two months ago

that we go through many struggles in life

but our Christian friends help us through.

I really see this.

And I have seen how we have prayed for others as well.

Two years ago we prayed the Psalter for

Resa

who left us for heaven.

A year ago we prayed for Lucia

who the Lord took to Himself,

beautiful baby girl.

And this year we are praying for Noah

whose health continues to decline.

Noah is with his family this

Thanksgiving Day.

*

So in the end all this makes me think of

Fr. Stephen Freeman

who taught me through his blog

that God is good

no matter what tragedies, heartache, and struggles we go through.

God is good.

He loves us. He does not abandon or forsake us

no matter how alone we may feel.

It is thanksgiving

and on this day I again seek also to say

Thank You.

This Just In...

Doing my research and found a

contract that is open for applicants

and it is work I have done before as a

Librarian and researcher!

I have to submit my application by early December.

*

Asking your prayers -

if I could get this contract it would be

not only more earnings for me

but would begin to really establish my work

as a researcher and I would be doing

what I love most -

researching, finding hard to find information

and writing about the findings.

First Snow Fall

5 AM this morning I woke up

and this is what I saw.

I love Ottawa in the winter!

And first snow falls are always so peaceful,

waking up and seeing everything covered

in a clean blanket of white snow.

*

I am researching places for networking

purposes.

Praying to God for wisdom and courage.

St. Nectarios

We had a moleben service to

St. Nectarios tonight.

*

My list of names included Noah;

Noah is declining rapidly and they have

chosen to take him home

and seek to only control the pain.

Please keep praying for him.

*

May the Lord have mercy.

New Week ... Monday is almost over already

Recovering from the wonderful weekend.

Thinking of my godchild a lot.

Realized I should clarify one point -

and this may explain why the first communion was

so special for me.

There are lots of Orthodox churches in Ottawa

and my dear friends,

the parents of my godson,

who I have known for many many years,

go to another Orthodox church,

so that was the only Sunday liturgy that I will be taking

my godson too.

I am so grateful for the honour of taking him to his

first communion.

I was gone a lot of the weekend for the baptism

and had an appointment this morning;

this afternoon has been lots of catch up and clean up.

*

Today is the feast of Archangel Micheal and Gabriel and

this is a great comfort for me.

*

I am going to two good friend's house tonight

and am making apple crisp to bake

while we eat dinner

for dessert.

I found out today that I will not be eligible

for employment insurance

because I was unemployed and then viewed as

self-employed over the past two years.

While I have enough for now and the next few months,

this was still really disappointing to learn.

It feels a little scary

and quite unfair... but... I must remember to be

thankful.

*

All things

require a lot of trust in God as

December I am going home to see my sister

(cost too much to change the plane ticket and she is not there for

Christmas)

from Dec 3-12 and then soon after that is

new calendar Christmas and really

not many people in Ottawa will be hiring then.

I don't think my job search will really take off until January,

though I am going to do a lot of work for the rest of this week

and also in December before the holidays.

Next week Tuesday-Wednesday I already am going to Brampton

to see my family and Oma

and Saturday I fly home.

Other life things that I can't blog about

are taking a lot of energy at present

so lots of apathia and trust in God

are needed.

Lots of learning to live in the present and trust

that God knows everything and is orchestrating

all events for my salvation,

and is taking good care of me.

Truly,

our Lord is good to us.

Godbaby's First Communion

Today I took my godson to his first communion.

I got to hold him for almost all of the service

after the sermon.

He was in his white outfit I got him

(will try to take a picture of it later;

sorry I don't do pictures of people on my blog)

and I held him close to me,

gave him to the Mother of God to protect, care and raise him

and gave him his first theology lesson,

showing him the icons of the Theotokos and of Christ.

Can't start too early you know.

And I gave him lots and lots of kisses, cuddles and love.

Everyone admired him as I walked around church with

him and I was beaming the whole time.

*
Communion was very special

two deacons on either side holding the red cloth;

the one deacon is his godfather

and our little godbaby was draped with the red cloth,

given the Blood of Christ,

the very life of Christ

as his godfather said

godbaby

many times and it was so beautiful

holy

all surrounding with love...

It was such a deep and beautiful time.

*

It is a great honour and privilege to have this godson

and to be able to pray for him.

I know I am responsible for helping him grow and

giving him spiritual instruction.

I know that as long as I remember that I am not worthy

then there is hope of myself getting out of the way

for God to work.

To say I am thrilled I think would merely be an understatement.

Today My Godson Was Baptised

My Godson was baptised today.

I felt so very happy.

I am so proud of him too!

He only fussed a little but but never cried,

the whole service!

Many years to my little godbaby!!

And to the weekend!

Tomorrow I need to make another cake.

Lemon this time.

And what is the cake for?

The reception for my godbaby's baptism!

It's tomorrow and then I will be

officially his godmother!

I got to hold him tonight and

he fell asleep while I was rocking him.

It was very precious.

And I got a really cute baptismal outfit for him.

Am very excited!

Already towards the weekend

I've had an eventual week,

but not a lot of job search opportunities.

I see my job coach again next week

and am starting to do some research for

to look into networking opportunities.

*

Noah continues to struggle greatly.

*

I am going to see my Oma end of this month

as she is 102 soon 103 and

it may be the last time I see her.

*

As far as I know I will be in Ottawa for Christmas,

but at least I will be in Michigan with family beforehand.

(it is not my sister and brother-in-laws year to be

home for Christmas so I go in the first part of

December to Michigan).

*

I need to get my godson's baptismal outfit tomorrow,

the baptism is Saturday!

*

God is with us and will not abandon us.

Prayer

Please pray for Noah,

he is struggling greatly.

Unexpected

I got to hold my godbaby today;

he is

1 month and 1 day old.

Hope

But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43: 1-7

Another Day

Pictures of my favourite tree.

Today is a day that I had to slog to get through.

But the point is that I am getting through.

Learned tonight of a dear friend's father being sick.

Cancer - we knew about it - but he is

more ill from it again.

Learned horrible news of a very old Orthodox church

being turned into a Mosque

(h/t).

*

We must take courage

and put our trust in Christ...

Lord help us!

Edging towards the week's end

Update on Noah -

he is still in the hospital and he and his mother are

far from home, please keep praying for them.

*

I am in grief about a friend's struggles.

*

I saw my job coach today.

It was good.

But I can see that this may take a long time.

And I will be gone for the first half of December and then the second half is

n.c. Christmas etc so really

it is very possible that it will be in January before something job-wise lines up.

Of course we never know.

I am okay for money for now.

Lots of continued lessons in trusting God.

*

For the first time I am listening to the music that

I listened to a lot when I was working in my

last job.

*

I am grateful to God for His salvation and

for prayer.

Without our Heavenly Father,

the Saints and our church families,

I can't imagine

making it through.

Prayers

One of my dear friends who I have asked

prayers for is continuing to struggle

in a very grave situation.

Another friend and I are going to pray tonight

for many,

including Noah and my friend and others.

Lord have mercy and save us!

Please Pray for Noah

Noah is quite sick

and in an unfamilar hospital.

His Mother Kate is with him;

Noah has been ill for so long.

Lord have mercy.

Night Comes So Quickly

5 pm and the sun was already setting.

It was surprisingly warm out.

I took a short walk

and sat on a bench a while...

Recovering from exhaustion sure can take time.

Restoration: home, quiet and Cleo

Resting up today.

I know the rules by now; when you are able

and are exhausted,

rest.

Rest to be restored

to face the battles again.

Rest for me for this day

included resting in the morning.

Laundry and dishes now in the afternoon.

Eatting meatloaf and roasted vegetables.

Being very quiet.

Drinking tea.

*

Lighting candles, prayers, looking at my icons.

Asking for the Saint's help.

Seeking to remember God;

rememering God's mercy and the many

stories of His miracles in the lives

of my friends and family.

*

Having this Akathist to listen to again.

Reading a great post on

living life on the truest level.

*

It is sunny, quiet and Cleo is happy to have me home.

Sunday, the day of starting anew

This photo cracks me up.

Cleo was a bit out of sorts :)

She's doing fine now.

Do you see the Canadian Flag? :)

This is my walk on my way to the library...

Liturgy was good as always.

I am very blessed.

Later today a friend gave me these

tealight candles from IKEA.

Such a thoughtful and practical gift.

I am doing all I can to recover from the exhaustion

of this past week.

I found a job add to apply for.

One step at a time...

The Lord is with us.