A dear family is need of our help, our prayers

Joy and James have been valiantly struggling 

for some years with 2 beloved sick children.

Their vehicles + oven both went out at the same time.

Please read more here, pray for them please

and if you can help, please do!

First Tuesday in Lent

Lent Day 2.

I managed to take a small walk and

went to our 1 local coffee shop... 

I got a tea to go, ginger...

I don't stay at the shop as the music

just does not work for me,

but it's a nice space in itself...

I got groceries delivered,

had a great talk on the phone,

made vegan vegetable broth, 

and I cooked up brown rice, and cooked

(seared) dry scallops for dinner,

these instructions helped a lot for this!

We went again to our local church for the 

Canon of St Andrew of Crete, part 2.

My Husband, who is still regaining his

strength from being ill, has a lot of work stress right now... 

more than he has ever hard, I think...

and the loss of Patrick and the work that he has to do in this regard...

It just feels like everything is piling up on him, on us

and it's really hard.

***

I wrote this to a friend the other day:

 It's been a real learning curve for me, like a new class: 

101 for Wives with Sick and Stressed Husbands ~ Survival Techniques and More! 

... but of course it is also this class, that I am re-enrolled in often:  

101,102 & 103: Trusting God in Troubled Waters and Remembering His Love 

and Almighty Arm that Shelters You. 

***

My Husband is trying his best to handle all of these things and 

I find him very valiant.  

***

Lord have mercy on us and save us!

Yarn Along ~ with love to Ginny that we all share~and what we can do

As many others are noting,

Ginny had a tragic loss in her community this week.

We are praying for the newly departed Sarah and her child unborn in her womb

and for her family who are devastated by their loss. 

*

It is totally understandable that Ginny

will not be able to do the link up today;

but I thought it best to do one

if only to offer my support to Ginny's work and in 

memory and honour of her friend Sarah.

What a deep and difficult loss.

*

Ginny has a FB page for her blog and 

linked to a support page to give to Sarah's family.

(I don't feel right linking to this for some reason but you

can find it via a simple Google search).
*
UPDATED to add this new post by Ginny with a way to support.

*

I have candles lit for the newly departed Sarah&child in her womb

and for her husband and four living children... and for Ginny.

*

So I am still working on my surprise knitting.

All I can say is that I am almost done

with sewing it together.

*

More on it later. 

I am quite pleased with it,

another 'Elizabeth original' that will

never be repeated in exact form. :)

*

I am still reading the same two books

as last week

but added a newly purchased one

to my reading:

It's been a very well written

engrossing read.

*

Being Orthodox means being concerned with 

world events, esp. those of Orthodox countries;

 and my husband and I are praying

daily for Russia and Ukraine. 

My husband has a set of tapes of a class on Russian history 

and one of the things he remembers most is the American

teacher saying to a Russian, asking if he was hated as an American 

by the Russian and the Russian said to effect:

what people are responsible for their government?

and I find so far that Serge's Schmemann's book 

to have this sort of insight.

The book deals with many things that Russia suffered from

and it shows not only the horrors but the beauty of a people

who underwent them.

*

It helped me get me thinking about the following...

*

My husband and I were talking the other day

about the many families devastated by the many horrors of war

and how their homes were destroyed.

We are still making our home and have various

things to put up yet and a few more boxes to unpack.

We often talk of our culture being in utter decline and the many

worrisome things that are happening in our world.

Like organic local farmers and homesteaders in Michigan being shut down ~

I can't tell you how much this worries me.

Freedom is crumbling in ways that are deeply troubling.

It's like I now understand what a pious Catholic woman once told me

...we are powerless but we have God.

Not meaning we don't have responsibility or some control at least over 

our own reactions to things

but that there is so much that we can't do anything about.

But here is what I said to my beloved Subdeacon Husband:

if we had a son and raised him right, true, with beauty that comes 

from God, in harmony with all virtue,

and he went to fight in a war that was a good just war 

and he died,

would it still not of been worth raising him to be good, right and true?

YES! It would of been worth it all.

It is like that for our lives and our homes.

We need to make them as good, peaceful, beautiful and God-pleasing.

We need to seek to be Christians and grow in 

likeness of Christ.  

We need to keep asking God to have mercy and protect our lands

and our family lines.

Every night I pray with Mr. Husband to the Mother of God 

to protect and save our families,

including all those born to our family lines in the future.

*

What we are doing matters.

What Ginny does matters.

Her making the best for her family, her love of the outdoors,

her family's going to church and seeking to grow

in Christ;

my life as small as it is with Mr. Husband, matters;

our pursuit of beauty, how we both listen only to three things:

~silence, Orthodox music, classical music~

matters.

I hear horrible 'rap music' played in our neighbourhood in 

the cars and homes of others; 

if you listened to the words alone you would understand

how far our culture has declined.

*

Our lives matter and making a home

that is a place of rest, beauty and for the honour of God,

a home unworthy as it is, to be a place where God is invited

and icons grace the walls.

Creating harmony in life with God matters.

Farming and local choices matter.

*

Perhaps this is not my usual yarn along post

but my goal today was to support Ginny and all of us

in doing what we can do:

pray, grieve, making the best homes we can and 

just remember that we are loved by God,

our lives matter, our families, our prayer corners

any order and beauty we can bring

is something worth creating.

*

Prayer Request for One who Many of Us Care About

 

I have loved for a long time
the blog world and the many women I have
met here.
*
One of these Orthodox woman is Alana and she
and her husband greatly need our prayers. 
*
Please join me in praying daily for her, her husband
and children.

Urgent Prayer Request for Noah

 

From Kate's Blog:

Noah's new central line is red, swollen, bleeding, and oozing pus. He's being admitted to Columbia (Palmetto Children's Hospital). The line will be removed and he'll be without it for at LEAST 3 days before he has surgery again to place a new line. They will need to try to get a PICC line in him so he can get TPN. If they can't get a PICC, it will be very difficult and tricky to manage him. They will be consulting with Infectious Disease to try to figure this out. He is on the highest-level antibiotic he can take (multiple antibiotic allergies) but sometimes I.D. can come up with great ideas.

This is very serious. Please pray.

Prayer Requests

This morning as I was enjoying
the sunshine, washing up yesterday's dinner glasses,
listening to CS Lewis' Perelandra via audible,
my phone blinked it's small green light
that tells me that I have a new email:
A dear friend asking for prayers for her sister L.
who is very sick overseas.
Praying, I light a thick candle and prayed
instead of listening to the book...

 

So tonight I got news of another person God loves to pray for:
Please pray for Mat. Emily's new brother-in-law
Alex, who she writes:
 He was commuting home from work yesterday on his bicycle 
and was hit by a car.
He has a skull fracture and 
had been admitted to the neurosurgery icu.
*
Please I ask your prayers for sister of my dear friend L. and for Alex!
*


Tonight is already liturgically
the feast day of the Archangel Micheal.
He is a great and powerful intercessor for us!
Please join me in asking prayers for the
health for servant of God Alex!
*
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, 
 we who are unworthy beseech you, 
by your prayers encompass us 
beneath the wings of your immaterial glory,
 and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you: 
 “Deliver us from all harm, 
for you are the commanders of the powers on high!”
~Troparion for Synaxis of the Archangel Michael...
*
Akathist to St. Micheal the Archangel here.
*
Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy,
Lord have mercy! 

Remembering in times of trouble

Mr. Husband and I talk often
about the state of the world
and the many troubling things.



I am more and more convinced that we need
to be praying daily
even if it is only small prayers
for mercy from God for our world,
our countries, our towns, our homes, our families. 

 

I read this from the Prologue of Ochrid
the other day and it was so appropriate that I had to share it here:

HOMILY

About revenge and the Avenger

"Say not, I will repay evil! Trust in the Lord and He will help you" (Proverbs 20:22).

Do not be vengeful; do not return evil for evil. The evil from your neighbor is sufficient. If you return evil for evil to him, you will double the evil in the world. If you do not return evil for evil to him, he can still burn out his evil through repentance. Thus, you will reduce evil in the world through patience and forgiveness.

Do not be vengeful; do not return evil for evil. "But wait on the Lord," He sees and remembers and, in your time, even you and your evil doer will know that God sees and remembers. You ask yourself: What have I done in that I have not returned evil for evil? You have done the wisest deed that you could do in the given situation, i.e.; you have relinquished your struggle to the One Stronger than yourself and the Stronger will victoriously fight for you. If you enter into battle with the evil doer you might be defeated. But God cannot be defeated. Therefore, relinquish your struggle to the Victorious and Undefeated One and patiently wait.

Learn from a small child. If someone attacks a child in the presence of his parents, the child does not return the attack by attacking but rather looks at his parents and cries. The child knows that his parents will protect him. How is it that you do not know what a little child knows? Your heavenly Parent is constantly beside you. That is why, do not be vengeful; do not return evil for evil rather look at your Parent and cry. Only in this way will you guarantee victory for yourself in conflict with evil men.

O Almighty Lord Who said: "Vengeance is Mine" (Romans 12:19 Hebrews 10:30), protect us from the unrighteous ones by Your almighty hand and restrain us from vengeance. Counsel us by Your Holy Spirit that the greater heroism is to endure rather than to avenge.

Prayers Needed for Christians in Syria (seen on FB)

Prayers requested for abducted Syrian hierarchs

In a portion of a letter dated April 22, 2013 and signed by His Grace, Bishop Basil, Secretary of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America to all member hierarchs, prayers were requested for two Syrian hierarchs who had been abducted earlier that day.

The text of the letter reads as follows.

“Metropolitan Paul Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo (brother of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of the Great City-of-God Antioch and all the East), and Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, were both abducted this morning, Monday, April 22nd, while they were traveling together on the road between Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) and the north Syrian city of Aleppo. The driver of the vehicle in which they were traveling was killed in the attack. Your prayers are requested.”

Prayers requested for Noah's family

 

Mr. Husband and I are still

recovering from a 

wonderful Thanksgiving time.

*

Meanwhile, 

can I ask you to pray for Noah's family?

Noah's dad Jeff is trying to find work

and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them

financially and it is so hard 

with Noah so sick as well.

*

They really need a miracle in terms of 

getting money/getting a new Job for Jeff.

Please pray for them.

Prayer Request

 

The storm today is predicted to have up to 30 mph winds.
Mr. Husband is out trying to get the car fixed
and perhaps going to the office.
Please pray for our safety and that
we do not lose power and Internet again...
Like everyone here,
we just want our lives to begin to be
normal again...

Home and waiting for the Hurricane

Oh the drama.
NYC.
I took this picture a few weeks ago
when at lunch with my husband.
We live in a commuter town to NYC
as do millions of others.
*
I was feeling a bit fearful about the hurricane
and after we saw the
state of emergency
sign on the highway
my husband saw my concern mounting
and we went to a more local church
for liturgy this morning.
The priest at the local priest
said a prayer after liturgy
for the storm and
then asked for some strong men
to help with sandbags.
*
Some people were getting sand bags to put by doors
to try to deter flooding.
We are on the second floor and should be fine.
There was no flooding and power was
out for only a few hours.
*
We have everything prepared that we can have prepared.
1.5 working flashlights
(stores were sold out of D batteries)
tons of juice and food
water
and are watching the hourly news reports.
*
Meanwhile,
I have a feeling I am coming down with a cold.
Overtired, sore throat...
*
Asking your prayers.

Thursday in Lent

St. Ephraim the Syrian.
I love his words.
Here is one of the Psalms
from his Psalter...
I remember hearing these on
Ancient Faith Radio...
*
Cold continues.
Life continues (blogged about here).
*
May God help us.

Tuesday 3rd week of Lent

 

Still have a cold.
It's really warm here.
Work went well.
It does not feel like lent;
I feel a bit disoriented
though
so far so good on terms of
nothing tragic during lent...
hoping this continues...

Prayers for this evening

Such a blessing I have been given in a quiet day.

As we continue to pray for Noah,

can I please also ask prayers for my beloved

blog friend MamaJuliana?

She has had two surgeries this past year

and is to have another tomorrow

at 1:30 PM.

Asking your prayers.

Continuing prayers needed

Am on a train to Brampton.

Saw on FB that Noah's line is exposed

and he may have to go out of town to a hospital.

Given his situation, this could be very serious.

Asking your prayers.

Another Day Done

I am so glad to be home.

Thank you for the prayers.

First work conversation is done.

It well pretty well.

Today was more wet and grey.

I wish I could go to church more and work less!

Do I have to?

I guess I have to go to the interview tomorrow...

Sigh.

I think I am a bit ready to be not interviewing now.

This one and then one more;

then - we'll see.

*

Asking your prayers.

*

Interview is for two hours (1 hour written) in the early afternoon.

Another week draws to a close - A Cold Sunny Friday

I wish I could say I was somehow suprisingly perfect

or even that I could maintain a sense of peace

for a day.

I am working on seeking God's peace

but fail from the moment I open my eyes in the morning...

*

I looked at the wave of self-pity

and was sucked in for a bit today.

*

Thank God that He forgives

and that next week will at least be better

socially, which was one of the difficulties this week.

When I realize I have seen one person

who is an actual friend

all week

the self-pity swamp wants to mire me in for good.

*

Silly me,

just because I was not able to see my friends much in person this week

does not mean I don't have them!

*

It was sunny today.

I took a walk

and rephotographed some sites

to capture them in the sun.

Do you see the sun on the street?

*

I am still looking into seeing if there is a French course

I can take;

most of them seem to be too late;

too late too late

which means more of trusting God for His timing

in my life.

*

I am thinking perhaps that I should try for a French Conversation class

as my spoken French is really poor at this point.

*

The other option is trying to see if I am ready to take a

French class for the government tests.

The school is run on a shoe string and was

not able to give me any advice on what class I should do.

This is what 'affordable options' often look like.

Well at least it may be an option!

*

I am listening to French on my computer meanwhile...

Madeleine L' Engle writes

in one of her journals

how lonely she was before she married;

I think life just has a lot of this.

*

Part of it is just not being spiritual strong enough

to live in faith in the reality of Christ

and that He can fill the loneliness that is aching for Him.

A picture of my favourite tree.

I tried to capture a bit of how tall it is

and the looking into the heavens while standing on the ground.

*

Crazy that I have been so high in the sky

as they say

when flying in a plane.

*

I applied for a job today

that I am unsure about but submitted an application.

*

Another to work on over the weekend.

*

It feels painfully slow

this waiting

and I often feel that I am very inept at all this

job seeking.

Give us our daily bread.

How is it that I forget this prayer so soon?

*

I must say emotionally I am struggling a bit.

*

So glad that tomorrow

God willing

will be vespers and confession.

*

The battle in the mind

for peace

for faith

for humility

for letting the Holy Spirit inside

is the most worthy battle

but often a difficult one for us.

*

Let us not give up,

Let us cry for Christ to help us,

He promises to never leave us

and to intercede for us,

that He experienced every temptation and weakness...

*

As hard as Lent is,

yet I wish for it to come;

how much we need to fast

to try to give up our self will

to let God be in control

to learn to be humble.

*

Come Lord Jesus Come

and Save us.

Trust and Thankfulness

Trusting God and His Saints who

intercede for us

to help us all.

Well.

Suffice to say that I got unexpected news

and suddenly may have much less

savings than I thought.

(I don't live here; just liked the picture)

So.

God is with us.

This week is for Thanksgiving.

*

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2nd Chronicles 20: 12b NIV

*

We have a lot to be thankful for.

Job Interview in October

Okay.

It is official - I have a job interview

(from the phone interview)

on October 7th

in the late hours of the morning.

*

The job is in Ottawa.

*

I will be studying lots for this position.

*

Prayer requested!

*

Thank you also for your love and prayers for my

Aunt and Uncle.

I am hoping to hear more of how they are doing soon...