Hello, still here

Merry and blessed Christmas to all who have already celebrated it! I am still quite busy and will be until next week (really it's going to be busy for a bit but anyway....)  ... my sister's foster son's sitaution remains in my thoughts.... it is my birthday tomorrow... I am going to be 45! Hard to believe, really. My Mom sent me a gift which I will open tomorrow with a few cards I got.  My Husband and I are going to do my birthday probably after January 7 Christmas this year.  Anyway, God BLESS and comfort you all.  May He protect us and save us.  

Here, Still, Again

I am busy with family visiting.  

Please pray for my sister and her family; they have been trying to adopt a child they have had for over 2 years and it is not going well.  Obviously I can't go into details.... (foster care legalities).  Our hearts are heavy and brokenhearted at the very idea of losing this child who we all love so much.

I am still trying to post as I can HERE on my public IG account.  

I am so sorry that I don't have more to say at present but know that I and my Husband are well.  Just busy with family.  Bless you all.

I realize that this is a hard season for so many.  May God have mercy on us and save us...and carry us in His love, in His arms... 

A Festive morning tea with cake to begin a Christmas NYC Extravaganza

Heather, a long time friend of mine since I moved to the East Coast of the States, came to NYC yesterday! I am sharing lots on my public Instagram account and you can see my pictures HERE for the lovely tea and cake we had! 

If not, here's what I wrote this morning there:

🎄Christmas in🗽🍎 with @thenaturejournaler began when Heather drove up to my place from ✈🥰

🎄 I had the tea table ready! A delicious decaf apricot tea that my friend @katiebythelake gave me YEARS ago☕and a delicious vegan GF Cranberry Orange Cake ➡️ for recipe! (I substituted OJ for milk & used an egg replacer + Bobs Red Mill GF Flour)

🎄 Our laughter broke out in delight as my Husband met Heather for the first time (he jokes a lot when with friends)🎄🥰

🎄 I played my favourite Christmas CD and we enjoyed tea & cake after touring our library 📚📚📚

🎄 Heather gave me beautiful 🎁🎄🎁 that she made! I will show you in a later post but the 🎄 ornament in last picture is one of them! 😍🎄

🎄Soon we were speeding off to a NJ/NYC PATH train to NYC for what I had dubbed our Christmas in NYC Extravaganza 🎄❤🗽🍎❄☃️

🎄 Hoping to share more as the days anticipating Christmas go on! Much tea and beauty to come! 🎄☕☃️❄🗽🍎🎁🎄☕❤ #christmasinnyc

Where to even begin...

 

...well, we had Thanksgiving, my friend Photini recently returned from overseas and was with us and our favourite Munchkin and his Mom.  It was a really wonderful blessed time, esp after so much hard because of the pandemic. ... 

...my Great Aunt Phyl died. :( On Saturday November 27th evening EST.  I knew it was coming as she was in more pain and getting confused in the evening; she was moved to a full nursing care floor about 5 or 6 days ago... then I think Saturday I was told she was dying and that night she was gone.  She is my Grandma's sister (she had two, my Aunt Bets died nearly 20 years ago) and they talked on the phone every night at the same time.  You knew not to call them at that time! A month or more ago my Aunt Phyl stopped using the phone, her hearing was getting really bad.  My Grandma really lost her in stages, so in some ways it was gradual but still very hard.  My Aunt had moved into assisted living RIGHT when lockdown began in 2020 and it really aged her a lot.  She was nearly 96 years old.  I am SO GLAD I got to see her last summer and my Husband did too.  

...I went to NYC today and did more shopping.  I got myself a new tea called 'toast and jam' from an English grocer in NYC.  Their Instagram page is HERE.  Of course I went to Tea and Sympathy! 

...I started this entry yesterday but did not get a chance to finish it... My days are incredibly busy right now. I got my Booster today and now I am going to go rest before the rest of my very full day continues.... 

God bless you all! May the Lord save us and have mercy on us!

NYC and back again

 

Today was a long day.  I did quickly get to see the Christmas tree at the Met Museum! :) It's beautiful as you can see. 

May God have mercy on us all and save us! 

Thankful in the midst of difficulties

 

Today: It's been a hard time.  The only thing that broke it was the prayers we did tonight. 

This morning I had this tea, pictured above, it was very delightful and comforting. 

I am feeling a bit better.  I go to NYC again tomorrow.  

God help us all and save us.

Here, still

 

this past week was so busy, I was amazed to survive it.  I am quite weary at present. The little snippets I have been able to share are HERE on my IG account. 

things are going to stay busy for a while, I wish I could be here more. But for various reasons it's just not possible. 

I pray you find yourself comforted and upheld by the mercy of Christ.

Still Lit

Something that cheers me greatly is seeing my oil lamp (lampada) still lit by our dining room table. 

These days are so busy, I am sorry I can't come here much right now.

God bless and keep you!

Thankfulness

 Quickly a few things I am thankful for. 

1. We got our loveseat, pictures hopefully later, you can see it on my IG account.

2. house is picked up/tidied 

3. Dishes washed, dishwasher running

4. I hope to bake tomorrow.

5. While I have felt like everything is very rushed, I had some moments in our chapel/library that were peaceful.  

6. Good books to read. 

7. God's mercy for a new day. 

Bless  you all, each and every one

Back: a week in retrospective until the present

Ok. Here I am finally again.

Last week had so much insomnia that I could not keep up.

I went to NYC last week Sunday for the world

premire of Arvo Part's song to St Nicholas.

That song plus Sauve Regina were my top favourites. 

Silouan's Song (orchestra only) was also a top fave. 

I went to NYC last Tuesday

walked 7 MILES and could feel it the next day

but it was worth doing.  

I went tea shopping for Christmas gifts.

I saw a used bookstore.

I went to Tea and Sympathy and 

Harney and Sons.

It was my first time in Soho in a couple of years.

I saw more stores I would go to closed.

My diners closed.

That was hard.

I wrote about it HERE. 

I wrote:

I have lived just outside NYC for 9 years. Every time I visit now is a heady mixture of elation and loss. The first pictures here are of the store (right side) newly closing where I, and I am sure others, would buy the carts so needed for city shopping. @goodstuffdiner_nyc is still empty. Those empty tables in front? I used to sit right there with a friend or a solitary dinner while I waited for my Husband to come after his work. @purlsoho is still closed and I pray they reopen. I loved going there when I could. Everyone experiences NYC differently. The pandemic my mind wants to trick me, to tell me it's over, crashes in when another one of "my" stores close. 14th street & 6th Avenue is where the PATH train is. This is the first area of Manhattan that I ever knew. Not having #goodstuffdiner or #ridgewaydiner is like walking down the street and suddenly having no street to walk on. No place familiar to feed you. That's also why I visit @teaandsympathynyc when ever I can. I was there yesterday (photos forthcoming) and every visit is a gift. ❤🗽🍎🧵🧶🥢❤

***

I am pondering reading books and books that deal with 

rough things, including rough language.

Intersting discussion HERE on a recent book I read

(and the author was kind enough to comment!!)

I am still thinking about this and another book,

Francise Affair that I recently reread

(it is in many ways a revelation of how things are,

a revelation of truth of a situation but the situation

also reveals a sordid situation and so it is tricky

to know how to recommend but yet it seems

like a great one for conversation... 

***

Saturday we went to IKEA and I felt really blessed by

the following: we wanted 2 single billy bookcases,

the half size (ending up being about size of a high table)

and it said 3 were in stock, we got there and there was only 1.

While we were standing there, suddenly a woman came up,

asking if we needed the exact bookcase we did need

and that she took 2 by mistake and was returning them

and there were were, surprised by love, by God's giving us

exactly what we had asked.

We also found a loveseat at another store which was an 

answer to prayer as well.

***

Last night we went to Larrisa's home.

On her fridge was the magnet I gave her.

We saw beautiful old icons and church books that

are going to a Monastery.

I took her Spice Rack off her wall and now it's in my

pantry as no one wanted it.

That was a moment that I found hard.  

Dismanteling a person's home is hard.

I kept saying, 

O Larissa, again and again and again.

Seeing her home like that.

Here things, the layers of her life.

***

I got back from liturgy new calendar for St Michael

and that was good.

***

And now I have an afternoon of a lot of research

for various things to do.

So good to be back here.

***

May God have mercy on us, save us, struggle ones and 

bring kindness to us and protection!