Another Day

Pictures of my favourite tree.

Today is a day that I had to slog to get through.

But the point is that I am getting through.

Learned tonight of a dear friend's father being sick.

Cancer - we knew about it - but he is

more ill from it again.

Learned horrible news of a very old Orthodox church

being turned into a Mosque

(h/t).

*

We must take courage

and put our trust in Christ...

Lord help us!

Edging towards the week's end

Update on Noah -

he is still in the hospital and he and his mother are

far from home, please keep praying for them.

*

I am in grief about a friend's struggles.

*

I saw my job coach today.

It was good.

But I can see that this may take a long time.

And I will be gone for the first half of December and then the second half is

n.c. Christmas etc so really

it is very possible that it will be in January before something job-wise lines up.

Of course we never know.

I am okay for money for now.

Lots of continued lessons in trusting God.

*

For the first time I am listening to the music that

I listened to a lot when I was working in my

last job.

*

I am grateful to God for His salvation and

for prayer.

Without our Heavenly Father,

the Saints and our church families,

I can't imagine

making it through.

Quiet and Lovely Saturday

Cleo's been hanging out while I baked cookies today.

6 dozen baked and cooling.

Listened to this Akathist while baking

to try to focus on what is important -

raising our children and godchildren

through the prayers of the Theotokos.

Then I listened to Fr. Thomas Hopko

on the book

Path to Sanity

by Dee M. Pennock

*

I have been thinking on what I wrote yesterday

and how hard it is to be willing to suffer

and to not fear the storms of life...

*

My blog is fairly peaceful if not eclectic.

However,

I cannot ignore a growing trend and the

very troubling implications.

First I read a jointly written article between two faiths about

chastity at Universities and that

Christian and Muslim students are together on this.

It is more of a 'feel good' article over all but

the overt danger and troubling implications came soon after.

A lawsuit by Muslims against the Catholic University

for Human Rights violations.

To say I am not concerned would be lying.

Actually I am quite concerned but at a loss as

to what to do.

Most Orthodox Christians know that Muslims are

still killing us overseas,

for example in Egypt.

If people in North America do not think that

we are in danger in the future

of being taken over,

I would say you are ignoring history

and current events.

I hear more and more from legitimate sources

on troubles for us that are coming.

What do we do? How do we prepare? How do we prepare

our children and godchildren

to be Christians in increasingly hostile and godless

environments?

Mat. Anna blogs about these topics more

and I often learn first about these troubling events

through her blog.

*

I know the first things we need to do;

Repent. Pray. Fight the Passions.

Learn to live according the true

Path to Sanity.

Teach our children to value and love God

and the Church.

Frankly we need to learn to be more ascetical.

To have a better witness - a martyeria.

*

Well.

I first thing for me is to pray.

To go soon to vespers.

To continue reading books to teach me how to live

a Christian life.

One I don't own yet is the path to salvation

but for now I can start with what I have

and pray.

For now, I will walk to vespers

and bring my cookies to church

as I was asked to do.

*

Lord help, teach and save us!

Good news on a Wednesday

Just found out I will have a second round

interview in mid-August.

I liked this place...

*

So I have at least two more interviews to go...

plus my contract work that I am still doing.

*

Had insomnia the last days;

last night was better.

I am still tired though...

*

To all who pray for me - thank you.

*

Have you had any good news? struggles?

would love to hear.

Leave Taking of Pascha in June

After a terrifically muggy hot day yesterday

today is warm but with a constant breeze / wind.

Nice to be home.

But I can also tell that I've been home a little too much.

Ever get that way?

Sigh.

I am writing yet another cover letter.

Almost done with the first edit.

Switched fonts for cover letter and resume.

Trying to keep putting energy into the cover letters,

to communicate professionalism and ready to take on this

new greatest ever position

while still being sober enough in the writing to show

I am a professional.

Hard balance.

Are not these two trees something?
Talk about endurance, adaptability and God's miracles.
Not sure yet how to try to get a part time job

while needing so much time to write cover letters and resumes

for various positions I have found online.

I find that all of this is still fairly overwhelming.

But am trying to just focus on the job application at hand.

No emails or phone calls yet from the ones I've sent out lately.

One of my neighbours on my floor moved out this week.

Gave her apartment to a friend, putting her stuff

in storage, took off work for two months

and living at another friends.

"In transition" she said. I liked her. Wish I knew her name.

We did not know each other well but she suffered the most

last year when the small earthquake happened.

She had lots of things fall off the walls and

started talking then already about moving out.

Many people, when they move,

leave a lot of things behind in the basement.

That's where I got this small two step ladder pictured

above. It smelled like perfume when I first got it;

it reminds me of my Dad since he paints houses

and always has ladders about.

It is always strange to see what used to be in some one's belongings

now given away;

she left dishes, a tea pot, vacuums, and other things.

I took two small mason jars, two IKEA glass containers,

and the ladder.

Since I have lots of tea pots, I did not take that.

*

Today is the leave taking of Pascha.

Somehow it seems that today is a special day,

as if Pascha is strong with us again.

I have purposely had my two Resurrection icons lit

with candles today.

I will move my Pascha icon from my buffet tomorrow

and will have St. Spyridon back;

I think a friend is giving me a copy of the icon

of the Ladder, as we are reading

this book over the summer.

I am constantly surprised by this book.

Pleasantly.

Yes, it is really strong and hardcore

with deep repentance and asking God for mercy,

remembering that we will die and face judgement.

But we need to remember this.

As a friend said to me yesterday

(and she is younger than I am)

that we need all of our lives just to prepare for our death.

Yes.

And so books like the Ladder are so full of life

because it squarely deals with how reality is

how we need to prepare;

but with this is the understand that even mourning,

which I have yet to experience like it is described,

I know it will bring the light and hope we seek.

The icon of Ladder is one that I resisted for years,

afraid of seeing the warfare so clearly pictured.

But this is only my wrong understanding about things,

to fear what is actually true.

Instead I have to begin see what

and who the Ladder is going towards:

Christ:

the Giver of Life, the Light of the World,

the one that Ascends so that the Holy Spirit can come.

The Ladder is the stairway to life itself.

Praying that as we go towards Christ's Ascension we can

have courage to stay on the Ladder.