Today, Yesterday and later...

Whew, just a minute to catch my breath here.

Been busy since Sunday.

We had our first Sunday School event to celebrate the year we had

with our Sunday School Kids,

and, well, it was a learning experience as what we had 

envisioned for it did not take place.

I am still processing what we can do differently and 

of future changes that our class will need,

due to spanning age groups.

I am still thinking and pondering.

***

Elizabeth recommended a book lately that sounded so good,

that I plunged in and bought a nice used copy:

Dinner with Edward...

It's nice so far, introducing me to more about NYC

than I know of so far, and is an absorbing read.

Funny though, is that I know that reading this book

will not turn me into one that will cook like Edward does,

or at least not now - he does things very elaborately.

***

I have so much on the go, 

that I made 2 pies that I like just as well

with store-bought crust and a simple recipe.

***

I talked to my Grandmother (Ruth) today.

She is still recovering from a terrible cold, sinus infection and cough.

Like me, but worse, she had more than 1 time last week

that the cough was so hard that she was near to vomiting.

I went through that this year, it is so difficult.

To feel this sick, with such a cough is really shattering.

Please pray for her, she has a long way to go yet in healing from

the various infections she has had lately.

***

I told her I was baking Strawberry Rhubarb pie. 

She always is baking - thinking of my Dad on his birthday in August,

she will bake him a blueberry pie, his favourite.

For all of us, she spends hours and days baking and freezing baked goods to give 

to us at Christmas, something that is always the best and most enjoyable gift,

her baking of goodies.  I treasure and savour them.

***

My Grandma has a very strong influence on my life, we are very close.

I love to bake like she does - it's one of the reasons I don't do 

other crafts as often as I want to as well, because I am busy baking something.

I still want to get back to baking bread.

***

Well, I am working on various things, but am finding,

as always, that things take much longer than one wishes they would.

But I thank God. 

And I pray for His mercy. 

Worse but Better?

Whew, after much time on the telephone...

Here's what we know now:

~the close is one day worse than we thought 

(as in more time before we close, making it over half a month's

difference than our original close date).

~Our mover was able reschedule our move for after

Memorial Day instead of before Memorial Day.

All we know is what we are promised:

that God is good and that He will work it out.

Please pray for us as we try to 

make new plans...

So many things all in one day

 

As many in the Orthodox community know,
Fr. Peter Gillquist departed this life
yesterday evening.
I especially appreciated this blog post
and listened to this podcast
on Ancient Faith Radio
last night
as I knew that Fr. Peter
was quickly declining...
Already there is a podcast about
Fr. Peter's departure.
I heard Fr. Peter speak in Southwest Ontario
some years back;
I remember being struck by how gracious he was
to all the questions asked afterwards.
He is going to be greatly missed.
May God remember him in His Kingdom!
*
I spent time with my dear sister-friend
and my godson and his two older brothers today.
Wave pool, potato chips, sandwhiches and
sorbet.
It was really nice.
*
Today is also St. John's Day.
This post by Mat. Anna
really blessed me today.
*
I have been thinking of Fr. Peter's passing
often today.
*
So much going on.
Grief
sunshine
loss
processing
praying
lighting candles.
*
The wedding invites are
 printed and arrived.
My Grandma is slowly gaining strength
and just today told me she hopes
to make the trip with my Aunt and Uncle to
my and Orthoman's wedding.
I really hope this can happen.
*
A lot of my good friends
are in a lot of transition and some
of them are in great grief.
*
I know that I already had one of my final confessions
with my own spiritual father.
My last month's rent is paid and notice has been given.
I have booked movers.
I found my clip board and am preparing to move.
I changed my phone plan so that I can
use voice over IP and keep an Ottawa phone number.
Orthoman has booked his ticket for when he will come
before the wedding.
*
Tomorrow I go back to work.
I have Friday off.
Cleo is to going to the vet
tomorrow night
with me.
*
I am very tired.
But God is merciful and good.
May He help us all in our times of need.

Peaceful Beautiful Friday Evening

Old picture of the time during the Dormition Fast.
Well, I am so relieved to finally be able to have
announced how my life is changing.
Just a note -
I realized tonight that I forgot to change the RSS
feeds for my new blog
and I have fixed this and it is now
subscribable via google reader.
You're all invited there;
I am going to keep comments off on it
for a while
to give myself some time to adjust to everything,
but comments will stay on this blog
and I,
as you can see,
am not forsaking my beloved first Orthoblog! :)
Hard to imagine that God willing
my life will be different after next
Dormition Fast,
Lord Willing.
*
I spent the evening with my close dear friend
who is really my
sister-friend
and we talked about my plans and we
both can't imagine me leaving.
*
I don't even want to think about that part sometimes.
I mean really,
Cleo is the cutest cat of all of Canada
but what if there is a cat in the States who is cuter?
The disappointment may be quite overwhelming
for my dear Cleo Cat
darling of all she surveys.
*
 Still waiting to hear about the contract job.
Last heard is that the paperwork is now in process
but still don't know the outcome of the
process. 
So that means I don't have to go to work on Monday.
Somehow,
given the amount of laundry I need to do,
that I have to go grocery shopping
and that I need to do paperwork
not starting this Monday is not bad.
Besides being the first fully day of Lent.
*
With everything that is going on for me
it is going to be a challenge to
do Lent properly.
How does one do Lent, a potential new job
and continued moving and wedding logistics?
It's not like I am waiting to the last minute to do either.
Anyway,
one thing at a time
and I am going to try to really treasure this last Lent
that God willing I have in Ottawa
with my church family and spiritual father.
I can't wait DV to stand in church with my spiritual father
and our Deacon and all my church family
for the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.
Lord have mercy and help our Lent to be fruitful!

Short Term Contract

Much to my surprise I just got word

that I have a short term contract for

1.5 months

and it is only a 5 minute walk from my home.

The contract may continue after March

but it is yet to be determined.

I start God willing February 16th.

Have lots to do to get ready...

I of course called my Mom

to tell her the good news

and said how happy Oma would be to hear

of my new work contract

and I told my Mom I would ask God to tell her in heaven...

small update

It looks like I may have an interview

at the end of this month

as well as the one this Friday.

*

I have really changed my reading habits over

the last two years;

have been thinking about this change for about

three or four years.

Some changes I run headlong into

others take a bit longer.

Everyone is different and every one's journey

and spiritual life is unique;

that is why there are so many Saints and they are all

individuals too.

I have been wanting to do more and more to gain

the peace that I know Christ offers

but that I have a hard time guarding.

It came to be that I became more open to radical

(or to me radical) steps to gain peace.

I am also someone who is easily impacted by outward happenings;

I blogged years ago about realizing that even listening to Amy Grant

(a childhood favourite)

would disturb my sense of inward peace.

I am what is written in the book

highly sensitive person

a book that I have never read all the words of

as I would find myself reading it too fast and get overwhelmed.

Which is kind of funny... :)

*

If I was a really spiritually strong person outward events

would not disturb me as they do;

I see this from my reading that I am slowly doing

on Saints and on prayer

(btw I am LOVING the wisdom I am seeing in

the book on Elder Leonid;

it's tying into the Ladder that I am reading;

will have to blog about that later).

*

I have been slowly trying to do more to gain peace

since I declared war on anxiety over year ago;

can't say I am always winning this one.

I sure felt overwhelmed again this morning!

*

Actually I don't know that I can say I gained anything yet.

But I believe that with God gain is possible.

That is something I am slowly seeing.

*

So what is the radical thing that I have changed?

After all this prefacing of it,

the change may seem minor :)

Anyway.

After thoughts, discussions with appropriate persons,

I decided that I should forgo reading mystery books.

Which for me was a HUGE change!

I read mystery books for years.

Even blogged about them.

I was like a 'mini-specialist' on them,

I read them so much.

And I am NOT at ALL saying that this is what others should do.

It's just that I have felt that if it will help me gain peace

than it is more than worth it.

Guess I will have to get back to you on whether it helps or not;

give me another ten years or so,

if God grants them to us all.

*

So I am selling my Agatha Christie collection.

I put it online about a month ago or so and a buyer has been found

and seems excited to be getting them - for her husband as a gift.

Which is really sweet and lovely.

So that makes me feel a bit better about giving them away.

Not getting tons for it, but I did not buy it for that much either.

I do have two biographies of her that I think I will keep,

but other than that,

I am saying goodbye to them.

It is bittersweet.

I hope to get a job so I can keep that money

and buy something special with it;

I already have a few books in mind...

*

If it can help me gain Christ though,

it is more than worth it.

*

Meanwhile,

I feel really run down

and in danger of falling prey to the flu.

Any suggestions?

What do you do to rejuvenate?

*

I am already doing some interview preparation

but I guess the selling of books was such a big thing

to me that I wanted to write about it.

*

Am thinking of MamaJuliana who had surgery today.

Let us remember her in prayer.

*

God is with us.