Monday, April 06, 2015

Lent 2015


Great Lent for Orthodox Christians
ended this past Friday.
*
usually Lents for me in years past have
either had sickness, high stress or personally
devastating news on one level or another.
*
Of course I have things in my life that are unbloggable,
like we all do, but overall, things were a bit lighter this year for me
during Lent.
*
I don't expect it to be this way forever or even for long;
I always remember in the book by Fr. John,
where he wrote basically 
to prepare for hard times when times are good
and to know that a more peaceful time 
will come after a difficult time.
*
I've found that in my life God gives a period of rest after
a difficult time and often esp. before a future difficult time.
When I was young I found that I thought life
got easier (when it was actually a grace period to rest in,
to be strengthened) because I was obeying God better in some form.
Now I know that while obedience to God does impact
our lives in life-giving ways, 
it does not at all preclude suffering.
*
One thing I have noticed about this Lent in particular,
and it was the same for my sister-friend still in Ottawa,
and that was the number of deaths of people who were
either close to or family to people we love.
*
It seems it's almost been everyday for me lately,
either through my blog friendships, church family, my 
biological family or extended group of friends from the various
places I have lived.
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I also have friends who have severely sick friends or family
or sudden job loss.
*
This past week alone 3 new people, two very sudden and tragic 
died; family of friends of mine, each of them.
*
If you count since January Christmas, the number of people 
who have died is nearing 15 souls or so;
those who died were all individuals who were close to 
someone who I know in person or who
 I either read a blog regularly to the
point that I think of the person as a blog friend;
all of the ones who died were extremely significant
 in the lives of my friends.
*
It's been heavy that way.
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That's why I blogged the poem last Friday.
It just seemed like the only thing I could do,
other then light many candles at home and seek to pray.
*
Well, we go through many sufferings in life;
all I know and see is that God wants to be with us
in the middle of our lives and with us in the pain that we 
carry with us and the suffering we do go through.
*
May God have mercy on us and carry us through Holy Week
and to His Most Holy Pascha.

4 comments:

karen said...

so sorry for the friends who have passed, I think at times we are struck by the finality of it all. I think that is why my daughter's wedding is exciting because we are gathering as family for a celebration of newness instead of a funeral saying goodbye to someone. Our families tend to gather for those two events.

Michelle M. said...

I have been overwhelmed this Lent by how many people have passed away or the number of babies lost to miscarriage or stillbirth. As we proceed through Holy Week, may God continue to sustain us all. Thanks for your encouraging words, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth @ The Garden Window said...

I too have heard of many deaths this Lent, and have been praying for the reposed and their families...

Mimi said...

It has been an incredibly death filled Lent here as well. Memory Eternal