Between Christmas

We had a few days away with family for December 25th Christmas 🎄. 

Back home now. 

Special days ❤️🙏

Special Days

Tonight God willing 🙏 I baptise my goddaughter.  

Last weekend I was at a Monastery.  It was a deep blessing. 

We got COVID afterwards but are on the mend. 

I am so thankful 🙏 

"Thank You"

 This is so worth reading. 

Seriously, if you did not read Sean's post today,

it's totally worth the time. 

That's all I have for today.

God is with us.

Thank you God. 

Lord have mercy on us. 

St Nicholas Eve

St Nicholas day again ❤️

Please keep praying friends.  I have a lot of support but am also going through some very difficult times. My heart is broken because of some things I see that I can do very little about because it is someone else's story and I am privileged just to see it.

This song about St Nicholas is very special to me. 

O who loves Nicholas the saintly,

O who serves Nicholas the saintly,

Him will Nicholas receive,

And give help in time of need:

Holy Father Nicholas!*

He who dwells in God's holy mansions,

Is our help on the land and oceans,

He will guard us from all ills,

Keep us pure and free from sins

Holy Father Nicholas!*

Holy Saint, hearken to our prayer,

Let not life drive us to despair,

All our efforts shall not wane,

Singing praises to your name:

Holy Father Nicholas!*

*****

This line:

"Let not life drive us to despair"

My former spiritual father emailed me when I had lost my memory and I remembered the song. 

And now, all I can do is thank God through my tears. 

Who actually knows

 

Years ago I had a teacher in school who had a very unusual Dad.  He totally did not see how unusual and very possibly this man is now with the Lord, since I knew this teacher in the first half of the 1990s.  Here is why: this teacher's Dad had a very tender heart and could not watch the news without crying.  Because he felt the hurt of others so deeply.  

So yesterday I ran into a young man, probably in his 20s who was out in the cold asking for money.  In NYC you see this a lot esp. when it's cold and it was cold yesterday. 

You know what this young man, who said his name was Kale, said to me:  He can't read the news without crying immediately.  And that God is truely all he has and that God is everything.  I said I understood: God is our only source of love and hope. 

Pray for such souls that the world passes by when they are out in the cold asking for money so they can have food.  Who actually live dependent on God and cry when they read the news.  Kale said he can only read the news maybe every 2 weeks because it is so painful for him.  

The rest of us, we can bearly touch what Kale knows in actual lived experience.

A Favourite Picture

I wish I had the original of this picture easily available!

Taken years ago at a Monastery. 

I am gaining ground from my struggles. I was in NYC last week! Busy times! I hope to get a lot done this week including being in NYC.

May God save us 🙏 

Thanksgiving 2023

We had dear friends over. It was very blessed ❤️🙏

Ready for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving I am using my  Ukrainian Mother wedding gift 🎁 of the Ukrainian table cloth and napkins ❤️🕯🙏🦃 ❤️

******

We give thanks to Thee, O Christ our God, that Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; deprive us not also of Thy Heavenly Kingdom. As Thou didst come to Thy disciples and didst grant them peace; so come to us and save us, O Savior.

talked with my Ukrainian Mom

In Ottawa. It was so helpful. Now I am getting ready for Thanksgiving 🙏

Healing takes time

So I realized recently that I'm basically struggling with trauma. And right now i'm in a kind of acute grieving stage. 

I am getting help for it and am researching to understand more slowly. 

I just didn't realize that the great illness I had was to the level of trauma. 

This is a lot of a message I sent to my friend today.... What you see below this that is.  I understand that I will not always be this hurt. But that sometimes you have to go through the hurt to heal.

And I know that God in His gentleness will help me heal.

*******

These are just pictures showing you how I took care of myself today. I understand that I am in a profound grieving experience. Even writing this I started crying. Anyway it's totally o k it's gonna be o k cause God loves me. Anyway, I got some new journals. Because someday I want to use them for my writing research, for new research. They're my way of saying that my heart won't always be broken. That I still have worth. That God loves me. Also I made sure I had food today. I have leftovers for saturday from both meals. I bought myself one yummy treat of chocolate covered almonds. And I bought two bottles of kombucha. I got five thousand steps in. And my eyes are okay. I went to my retina specialist today.

the ups and the downs

We had friends over for lunch on Saturday! It was not hard because I bought lots of things basically already prepared!

So, I have had a bit of a difficult time regarding something. I can’t talk about it much. I can say I experienced an unexpected loss.  And I am grieving it.

I also had a "come to Jesus" moment which to me in part means: see things more clearly. 

So basically the medical trauma of January - April was so severe that I am still recovering from it. 

That + some poor sleep left me a bit emotionally wrecked.  

But I understand it better and am getting nutritional help. Psychological help I already have so that's taken care of.  I am just really depleted.  

But that's OK. I just have to take care of myself and get more rest. 

I am thankful for the good and that God's mercy is everlasting. 

One day, two posts!

 Just saw this, what a movie trailer! 

So beautiful... 

THE HOLY ARCHIPELAGO a film by SERGEI DEBIZHEV

Also: Exciting news for us Ortho-loving folks:

about Matuska Olga!!! 

***

May God have mercy on us.

A New Song (to me) and two other songs of my heart

Lord Huron - The Night We Met

I don't often listen to songs of this era,

I know, I am bit different that way.

***

Anyway.

***

For reasons of loss 

(read quickly: NOT in my friends or marriage)

that I have experienced in ways, again,

that THANK GOD are not with

any friends or my Husband,

this song resonated with me.

*

So, in typical random Elizabeth style,

I am sharing it here.

***

To me, this by BACH is similar

in terms of working through loss and grief

to get to the other side, 

like my beloved Madeleine L'Engle wrote

years ago... 

***

J.S. Bach : Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 / Liene Andreta Kalnciema live at Riga Cathedral

***

Lastly THIS beautiful Lord have mercy

in Greek has been on rotation this week...

I love Georgian music and people so much...

Georgian church song - Kyrie eleison (Georgian version)

Author of this version of this beautiful prayer:

Author -  Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi,  Metropolitan bishop of Abkhazia and Bichvinta, His Holiness and Beatitude  Ilia II (ShiolaShvili).

***

May God bless, save and protect us all!

LORD HAVE MERCY.

KYRIE ELEISON.

A Quick Hello

God is so good to us 🙏 

beauty in daily life

Vespers tonight 🙏 

soup making and soup prep

After working all day on my writing project research I boiled a whole 5lb chicken for the meat (future casseroles) and soup broth. Then I peeled chopped and boiled potatoes. Thursday DV I am going to make the potatoes and leek soup mix and use the boiled potatoes with potato water + chicken soup broth + chicken meat for an ultra packed soup 🍲 

10 Days in the State of Georgia

We visited 2 of my Husband’s siblings and his parents ❤️ we also saw our wedding godkids. 

I am doing fine but understandably tired!

Will try to write more soon! Busy days 😊

May God have mercy on us 🙏 

Sunday

We had a beautiful Sunday.  A friend and her kids came.  We went shopping for groceries after. 

I have had a difficulty sleeping but keep hoping for better 🙏 

My work on my writing project continues. 

Next week we have family visiting so olif I don't write, that's why. 

May God have mercy on us 🙏 

A very full Monday

I had my first online class for my writing project today. It went really well. It is exactly what I need and I am so grateful to God for this. 

I had a second meeting tonight and then took a walk and then got ready to leave. 

We were at a dinner for a friend's son's birthday today and that was really nice.

So yesterday was church and seeing our candledesk man at his retirement home then nap and then I went to a baby  shower for my goddaughter. 

So I am really peopled out! So tomorrow will be a clean house day and rest and do a little. 

All the while I keep going back to thinking about the class I had....

May God have mercy on us 🙏 

A Saturday of Joy

Our friend Photini visited us! We had brunch!  I got an egg coddler made in England at Tea and Sympathy. 😊🥚

We went to vespers. I got some groceries. After dinner I made koek. I think I over baked it  ... 

We have a busy week coming up. 

May God have mercy on us 🙏