Chihuly, the Meijer Gardens and Other Thoughts

My Mom, Sister, Brother-in-law

and myself

went to the Meijer Gardens and saw the Chihuly glass exhibit.

It was nice,

though I found it exhausting being in the full sun outside...

This is one of my favourite shots,

as you can see the plants in the background.

This was my favourite of the glass

seemed idyllic and rather what I think of when I would think

of the England

that I know from books.

*

I sold some more books.

I am wanting to clear out more later.

It's surprisingly good to start getting rid of things.

More and more I realize that

when I am looking at books or artwork or anything

I am looking for help, for answers, for consolation,

and most of my books

do not give this nor does art work.

I find myself in various homes of Protestants and

not having icons nearby to look at

makes me more aware of how much I depend on looking on them.

How much I am looking for help.

*

This of course is not a testimony of some great spiritual feat;

no, more that I am weak and constantly need assurance

and reminders of God's mercy

and of the presence of the Saints.

*

I am grateful that in God's mercy He

has allowed me to be in places,

churches, houses, monasteries,

where prayer is more continual and where

Icons are filling the space.

*

A holy monastic once talked to me about icons

and how empty she finds houses

where there are no icons.

*

I am grateful that my own family lets me keep some Icons

year round in my bedroom in my family's house.

*

May God strengthen us as we seek to seek Him.

*

Today I need work on more job applications.

Prayers, as always, requested.

Thoughts on this Brightest of Wednesdays

Today (old calendar) is the

Feast of the Annunciation.

Bright Wednesday

and

the Feasts that signifies the beginning of our salvation.

A friend of one of my dear friends was in town

and prayed with us in church.

A very special day, for which I am so thankful for.

I have been thinking about what it means to grow up;

I am 33 now; some think this is young, some not as young.

All I know is that I need to continue to grow up.

It is confusing - what does it mean to be an adult,

what does it mean to be single and a professional and female?

I see all around me so many of my friends married,

bearing children; to them this is what growing up means,

becoming a Mother.

But what does it mean to grow up

as a single professional female with a masters

(library science for me)

who will, Lord willing, be a working professional.

Who may or may not marry,

who may or may not have children.

What does it mean to learn to leave home

to not cleave to one's parents

but still have no husband to go to?

***

I am slowly learning how to navigate this,

but the road is not easy,

straightforward or

clear cut.

***

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you feel it means

to mature into adulthood,

in whatever situation life has given you.

***

Blessed Bright Week to all!

***

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!!!

The size of one's cross

The other day I was with some friends

who helped me practice my French...

They told me of a cartoon that one of them had gotten...

Here is how they told it to me:

Everyone had a cross to bear on their shoulders;

one man in particular found his cross to be very heavy, very big.

So he asked for his cross to be made smaller

and it was,

by having part of the end of it cut off.

So he kept walking...

But he still found it to be too big, too heavy

so more of it, from the bottom,

was cut off.

And he kept waking...

But he still found it to be too much,

too heavy, too big.

So more of it was cut off for him.

He was finally happy.

Then he and the others came to a deep valley

that they had to cross.

The cliffs were so strait and deep;

there were no stairs

or ropes across,

no bridge at all.

The man with the lightest cross watched everyone else

put their crosses strait across between the

two walls of the valley and

the cross became their bridge.

But when the man with his lightened cross

was unable to go across,

as the length of his cross was too short.

May God comfort our hearts

in all things as we struggle through life with

what He gives us for our salvation.

As for the man in the story,

thank God for His mercy...

that the man

could still pray for mercy,

that his cross be restored to him.