Times of Retreat

 

It was wonderful to be away for one
evening at a local Greek monastery.
To be able to light candles there
in prayer for others
and for one's own needs.
I am so thankful for this opportunity! 

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! 

Tuesday - cloudy but good

My yarn and needles came!
Mr. Husband saw the box when he came home:
that looks like the orange one wears when hunting.
Mrs. Wife thinks...
oh, perfect for a few nephews of mine....
hmmm...
in truth though,
this orange is already taken for my
three Ottawa munchkins.
My sister-friend's boys, the youngest of which
is my godson.
They have links to Holland and Holland's
soccer team has orange as a colour.
So clearly scarves with orange are
in order.
I am thinking orange and cream, with perhaps
some bright blue...
*
I got a size 8 circular needle
and size 29,
which is gloriously large, for a blanket
I hope to knit in the future.
*
Oh, I got the cutest colours... :)
I told Mr. Husband that we call one's
collection of yarn
one's stash
and he of course said,
hmm, sounds like when one is on drugs and
they have a stash.
Are you telling me something Mr. Husband?
I asked.
He nodded.
Ok, I had to agree, knitting can be seen as
an addiction of sorts.
But I love it in part because it makes me feel
like I am doing something useful with my time.

So I was knitting by the dining room table
after dinner as
Mr. Husband is still doing cleanup
after dinner so I can rest.
Cleo is very fascinated by the yarn.

So she took it for a bit of  a ride last night,
of course I had to take pictures
instead of stopping her...

it was rather amusing.

This morning I was sitting by the couch and
suddenly looked at this lampada and realized
it was still burning from yesterday
and I ran over and
whew, it had not cracked or run dry.
I added more oil...
and am thankful that the new wick holders are coming soon.
The floating kind make me nervous as I
like to leave them burning and
the wick holders I am getting will only let
it burn so long before it will
naturally be snuffed out,
ensuring that it will not run dry or
break...

Mr. Husband loves this cereal.
I do too,
I admit it. I try not to have too much processed
food around the house,
but somehow with Mr. Husband's penchant for
this cereal,
it stays with us...

Candle burning bright for the
newly departed...

These flowers bring me so much cheer.
I can tell that as long as the blooms last,
I will be wanting to photograph them.
I miss my Ottawa flower photograph walks.
Hopefully when I get better
from this mono I can
go on walks again
and find some flowers waiting to be photographed...

So we ordered this cheesecake
for Butter Week.
I'd never heard of this brand,
a restaurant in upper Brooklyn. 

Mr. Husband cut us a piece
each last night.
Oh my.

For once I believe what the box says.
Melt-in-mouth good-enough-for-Pascha-morning-breakfast
Wowzah!!
*
I joked with Mr. Husband that I should
eat some more when he is gone
(Mr. Husband loves, loooovveees, cheesecake)
and then he goes and surprises me and says
I need the calories to get better
and to go ahead and eat more than my share.
I assured him I would not
but how generous can my
Mr. Husband be?
Apparently very.
(shhhh, don't tell him,
since it's almost lent and we are supposed to work
on humility... :) ) 

 

Delft hidden in the kitchen.
I love it.
*
Thanks to those who left comments recently...
I changed my comment settings to open it
up for more to comment...
we will see what happens...
*
I am so thankful for my blog community.
This whole
recovering-from-mono and being-in-house-all-week
can be a bit lonely at times.
*
I am blessed to have Mr. Husband.
It could be so so much worse.
*
What are you thankful for today?

Sunday

I am really weary.

This week will be interview #8 or more

since June.

I seek to trust in the protection and help of

Mother of God.

Monday after Bright Week

It is rainy today.

I find I have to redirect my thoughts continually

to thankfulness amidst my

job search that feels slow arduous and diffuse.

But when I think on this,

I think of how I read recently that God tests the soul

according to it's strength.

I must remember that I am one of the weak and

while my trials are hard for me

there are much harder ones.

*

Meanwhile I am needing lots of light for the grey days.

Candles lit, prayers, crossing oneself,

are ways to get through the day.

Now that Lent and Holy Week and Bright Week

are done, I have more time on my hands;

it can get a bit lonely.

I keep wanting to do more - find somewhere to volunteer,

figure out where a part-time job is,

but my days get full and are gone before I know it.

Today I voted (today is election day once again in Canada),

finished and submitted my taxes, did errands and

did a networking email and other job searching emails.

Cleo's been hanging out with me

as per usual.

My little furball of blessings.

I must keep my candles lit

as it seems that this

is at times

all I can do.

*

And keep striving to be thankful.

How I need thankfulness.

*

How are you spending your day? Any struggles, any ways you are

keeping light around you? How are you seeking to

remember the Lord's Pascha

which is to change our life completely?

Monday: a cold but sunny day

Asking the Mother of God for her intercessions;

for Noah, for Mara, for those in Egypt,

for us all.

Looking for help from God and

through the intercessions of the Saints,

including Saint Menas!

*

I am hoping for a goodnight sleep and a

good interview tomorrow.

*

My first night of my new French class was

pretty good,

even though I was a bit lost at times.

I am happy to be starting this again!

St. Irene of Chrysovalantou

My special patron Saint ...

I ask her prayers especially for peace,

which is what Irene means.

(My name's saint is St. Elizabeth Mother of the St. John the Baptist

and St. Herman's icon is next to my icon of St. Irene

so I believe I have more than one patron!)

*

If only I would remember more to just trust in God's care

and in the care of the Saints...

May we all be comforted and sense God's care this evening

and coming day.

Noah Needs Prayer Now

Noah woke today very sick and has been rushed to hospital.

Please Pray.

Prayers on a Sunday

Still praying for my dear friend.

For privacy purposes, I will call her Mara,

from Naomi in Ruth 1.20

where she says her way has become bitter, broken, confused.

*

Mara and I have been dear friends for over ten years.

*

She is struggling against a very big battle right now.

*

Please pray for her and her parents and siblings

as they try to support her through this.

*

I am many many miles away

and so ask your prayers.

You will never meet a sweeter Christian woman

than Mara,

let us pray that her way returns to that of Naomi,

that which is pleasant and good.

*

God is with us

and I look to him for mercy;

to the Theotokos and her veil for protection

and the Angels to keep Mara in their care.

Memory Eternal!

With tears and a heavy heart,

I must tell you that

Kh. Ramia and Fr. Anthony's

beautiful daughter Lucia

has joined the Saints and Angels

with our Heavenly Father.

*

Memory Eternal!

*

Let us keep Kh. Ramia and Fr. Anthony

in our prayers especially at this time.

*

Lucia touched all of us

and truly is a child of light.

Happy Canada Day

The Queen will be here in Ottawa tomorrow.

Though I like the Queen,

I really don't like crowds.

So I will be happy that she is here,

but I will stay home with Cleo and study.

*

A dear friend learned of an illness of a family member.

This is always hard.

*

I am studying French but have to keep working at it.

Need much mercy from God.

*

I may have the test in just over two weeks.

*

Wishing everyone in North America either a

happy and safe Canada day

or a happy and safe 4th.

*

Christ is in our midst!

Prayer Request

Please pray for a newly born baby boy who is in NICU due to not breathing for the first 45 minutes of life.

(The mother is a friend of a friend and is loved by many)

Icon Light

I love St. John of Kronstadt.

I got this icon over Christmas and New Years holidays when

I was at the monastery.

My lampada, at my old apartment,

was lit in front of a paper copy

of this icon.

When I got the icon of Rublev's Trinity,

the lampada became the light for the icon of the Holy Trinity.

Finally, this past weekend, I had time to put up my small shelf

and now have a light by St. John of Kronstadt again.

When ever I enter this room, I am deeply encouraged to see

the bright light by St. John.

Glory to God!

Icons Blessing My Small Home

St. Boris and St. Gleb
When I saw this icon for sale,
by a Mother and Sister of the Convent of St. Elisabeth in Minsk

who were fundraising for their work,
I was drawn to it.
I asked my spiritual father who they were,
as I had not seen their icon before.

He explained that they were Passion Bearers.
I asked what this means,

and he said, ones who bear sorrow in a godly way.
Godly sorrow.

I knew I needed them, to help me when I was sad.
The icon first went to some friends who I felt needed them first.
I have had the icon back, since January of this year.
It did not have a way to be hung,
so I had to go to the hardware store before I could put it up.

On Tuesday I hung this Icon up for the first time.

Rublev's Trinity.
The centre of this part of my Icon Corner.

A few months back, during a sleepless night,

I sat on my floor and just looked at this Icon,

with the lampada lit.

I was consoled, comforted and at last, able to sleep again.

The lampada was a gift from a friend,

a few years ago.

It is one of most beautiful things I have.

Lighting candles for and in prayer

is an abiding sign and experience of hope.

My special small Icon of the Theotokos.
I bought this Icon when I first went to
Holy Dormition Monastery
The first Sunday after my chrismation.
This Icon has been with me for almost 5 years now.
It is the centre of my Icon shelf,
And is the one candle that I light day and night in
my icon corner.