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.

Icon Corners - my old and new apartments

My longtime (almost 11 years!) friend Tamie asked for pictures of my new place. I will try to do so sometime this week. First though I feel like I need to finish staying goodbye to my old apartment.

The picture above is from my Icon corner in my now former smaller cute apartment. I knew I would miss my former Icon corner and I do. It was this cute little room and I would light it with candles year round in the morning; it gave me a lot of hope, light and comfort during many hard and difficult times.

My new Icon corner is being assembled; the same shelf with the same Icons is up - a good friend of mine put it up for me the same afternoon that I moved. But it is different!

I picked the wall colour itself - a light blue - it almost seems too flat or dry looking. Perhaps I would of liked a glossier sheen, even though that is not what is typically done. And it looks so bare and empty still. And way to clean looking - by which I mean I do not yet have my prayers, lists and quotes up.

However, at least I have a start. And my Icon of my Patron Saint, Saint Irene of Chrysovalantou, is now up as well. Patron Saints are really important - they pray for us and can be Mothers and Fathers to us. Of course I do not know how to explain why or how this is, but I know it to be true. St. Irene is especially known for her prayers for peace; Irene means peace. I struggle to stay at peace, so she is a real gift to me.

About the Icon Shelf in the picture. The Icons from Left to Right are:

St. John of Rila, Patron Saint of Bulgaria

The Resurrection of Christ

The Crucifixion of Christ

St. Xenia of Petersberg

The Theotokos

Christ

St. Nicholas of Myra

St. John of Rila can teach us about prayer and the love of God.

St. Xenia prays a lot for provision of us - homes, jobs, families - and was a fool-for-Christ. This Icon was the first one I ever bought and is from St. Herman's.

The Theotokos is also referred to as the Mother of God - to understand Christ as Incarnate God and Man one has to understand that His Mother bore the Son of God and is His Mother. She can also be our Mother and prays mightily to Christ Her Son for us. I got this Icon from Holy Dormition Monastery shortly after I was chrismated.

The Icon of Christ was a gift from a fellow parishioner at St. Herman's. I remember looking at this Icon and the Icon of St. Xenia and wondering what I do with them. So I just looked at them a lot. To be honest, for a start, I think this was the best thing I personally could of done. I have a lot of tender memories of this beginning in my life. St. Herman's was the best place for me to have begun my journey into the Orthodox Church!

St. Nicholas of Myra - I was chrismated at his Church in Michigan and this Icon was a chrismation gift. St. Nicholas is also known for his prayers for financial provision and for protection. As a Bishop, spiritually he has been a Father to many through the centuries through the Holy Spirit and prayer.

I have been supported by so many over the past year in prayer - looking for work, the foot injury of this past summer, and starting a new job and moving. I hope I have been humbled by this, as I have seen how much others have interceded for me and I have struggled to do the same.

I know there are seasons in our lives and that we cannot always maintain things as we want to. I remember appreciating Fr. Thomas Hopko's comment about doing and praying as we can, not as we wish we could!

Thank God for His mercy and that there are Saints who can pray to Christ for us!