I pray for rain

Rain to heal the deep wounds and brokenness of our country.

For the fires that are all over this country.

To heal the source of it all.

***

Lord have mercy on us.

I cling to the fact that where there is life, there is God and where there is God,

there is hope.

***

I find the beauty of this song to be better than I can speak

on the hope, the healing, the love that is found in Christ. 

For a good part of today,

I had really 'hit a wall' as they say.

The many days of isolation, we can

count the outings we had had since mid-March

on one hand, and they have all been in the last weeks.

My Husband will probably work from home for the next many months.

The process of 're-entry' is much harder than I had anticipated. 

***

BUT.  I am going often on 2 walks a day.

I am trying to find beauty where ever I can.

I am so grateful for the people in our neighbourhood who

grow flowers.  That we have beauty to find.

***

I made Marion Cunningham's Rescue Biscuits again...

I follow the recipe but not the instructions to roll and shape

the biscuits but instead do the 'drop biscuits' way

and merely drop them onto the pan with parchment paper.

It's amazing that, while they bake into what looks like

one big connected pile of biscuits, they actually separate 

so easily.  And they are so light, much better than if they 

were worked more, pressed and shaped. 

***

I have bread with walnuts and craisins rising over night.

DV it will bake while we are watching liturgy online, 

and we will enjoy fresh baked bread for brunch after liturgy...

***

So, we keep trying in this long set of months...

***

May God have mercy on us, 

on our hurting world,

and save us. 

A Quiet Friday of Thankfulness

Well, I think another thanksgiving list can be in order.

 I was walking near a park the other day and remember how 3 years ago 

I had taken picture of the pink petals on the sidewalk 

and feeling the shock of having broken my foot just days later. 

That whole summer, as you may remember, I was laid up. 

That was hard. So when I walk there again, 

and realize *I am walking* I am really thankful. 

Today the humidity is on the oppressive side but I walked anyway. 

I am thankful that I can walk and try to get exercise. 

I am thankful for tea, for flour to bake biscuits with and baking soda; 

I am thankful for summer fruit and how refreshing it is.

I am thankful for sorbet, lemonade 

and all the foods of summer that help us in the heat. 

I am thankful for my Grandma's dishes and how using them cheers me up. 

I am thankful for friends who keep in touch and for family. 

I am thankful that I can have a rest between labours 

and for the pleasure of newly folded clean dried towels. 

I am thankful for a husband who is fine with having 

a baked potato, salad and nuts for dinner 

while I have salad and raisin bread with peanut butter 

 .... I am thankful that today was quiet for us. 

I know if I look at things properly, I can never run out of things to be thankful for. 

Christ is Ascended! Ascended in Glory!

Oh for the day when this dread virus is over! 

But for now, following rules, social distancing, church at home.

It seems that things are getting better in NJ and that things will

continue to slowly open up....

I did my best to make it a special day, as it is the Feast of Christ's Ascension,

 and it did feel like a holiday,

even though we were home.

Liturgy in the morning.

Brunch for lunch.

I got out my Grandma's dishes to make it extra special.

And I had gotten a chicken, already cut up, 

on sale and I baked that for dinner!

Simple flour/salt/pepper/paprika (I should have used more salt and pepper I think)

in a bag with chicken pieces in one at a time to 'shake' to cover with the instant breading.

At home 'shake and bake' as it were :) 

And I made biscuits!

***

We went on a long walk as well today,

boy was it humid! 

But we are both trying to get more exercise,

especially as it seems that the summer pools are not open

and maybe will not be all summer; we have not heard otherwise 

in any case.... 

***

I did watch some 'murder she wrote' which is a nice diversion at times.

I find such things help me when I feel anxious. 

Well, in the midst of all the hard,

still a lot to be thankful for.

And as it is just the two of us,

we will have enough chicken to least us through at least Sunday

(since Friday is not a fast-free Friday etc). 

So that is nice also.  

***

Much to thank the Lord for.

May God bless and save us

and help us in our struggles and worries! 

Lord have mercy on us!

Leave-taking of Pascha and Eve of the Feast of Christ's Ascension

Today is the end of the 40 days of Pascha.

Such an unusual Pascha, 

we end it with hope but also a sense of heartbreak.

We pray for better

and for protection of us all.

***

I put away my Pascha decorations while listening online

to the service of vespers for Ascension...

it was easier to put these treasured icons and decorations

away while listening to such hopeful joyful prayers.

***

We must remember that when Christ ascended to Heaven,

the disciples did not feel at all abandoned but instead felt joy,

as the Gospel tells us and they waited 

for the Holy Spirit to come, 

just like Christ instructed them too.

***

Now we look for Christ's Ascension, pray for the faith and hope

that the first ones felt, when they had such joy.

And we wait for the Holy Spirit and pray that Christ will

not leave us.

In the end, we can only say

Come, Lord Jesus Come. 

A Thanksgiving List for Memorial Day 2020

Thanksgiving list on this Memorial Day. 

1. Obviously, so thankful for the many who have sacrificed for the freedom that we have enjoyed. 

2. We don't have any outside to speak of where we live, but I did hamburgers in the toaster oven and had them on great Vermont Bakery Buns with a heirloom tomato and cheddar cheese (and ketchup!) with chips, watermelon (baked beans also for me!) and a Caesar salad. 

3. I've been thinking a lot about my family in MI (and missing them!) but all this thinking makes me VERY thankful FOR them. 

4. Tomorrow, once again, is grocery delivery day.

And we are having PIZZA. That I did not make. 

5. Ice cream. We did not have any today but have plans to have some tomorrow :) 

6. That I have a loving Husband. 

7. My Sweetheart Husband and I played Dominion (a new version of the game) yesterday (he won) and today (I won) and it was really fun.