Towards the Weekend

Cleo showing us her balancing skills;

she has figured out how to stand on top of this chair;

the top is less than 2 inches wide, so I'd say she is

pretty balanced and nimble!

Yesterday morning was incredibly beautiful;

I have been having insomnia so I

was taking a walk a bit after 6 AM;

the summery morning of dreams!

The canal water glistened in the sun;

it was still in the cool of the day

and the flowers,

sigh, oh the flowers!

Late Spring and Summer has such precious fleeting beauty!

There is a path I walk that is a bit hidden,

the picture above is from this.

I feel like I have entered a little taste of a place of

magical beauty, like my own secret garden

in the middle of the city.

*

I have been struggling to have time to do a review

of my old (first two classes) French text book;

since I am in two classes that always have new homework and exams

it has been a challenge.

**

However,

I need to take a 90 minute online test to rank where

I am in my French knowledge

for the French BA.

If I rank really low, I would have to take classes

that I do not have time or money to take to

get me to the level needed for the BA.

***

I realized last night,

after struggling to fall and stay asleep,

that this was really stressing me out -

especially as if I do not do this BA I don't know what I will do

(i.e. to stay here and get a job when library jobs and many others

are bilingual).

So. I am going to the library soon.

I am also going to study tomorrow.

I hope to do this test on Saturday during the day.

*

Would appreciate prayers for this;

sometimes I feel like I am making progress in French

but other times I get overwhelmed by how much

I have to learn...

*

BTW, I can retest at the end of the summer,

and do the 90 minute test again.

Monday

I really appreciate it that my blog community

appreciates and sees the beauty

I seek to create in my teas.

*

It is a learning curve for me,

to put together a good tea

and be a good hostess.

**

In time I may read up on the etiquette of hosting dinner parties

and teas, from how to prepare the food,

the table;

am also interested in learning more about conversations

and engaging everyone in the party according to who they are.

***

Meanwhile the tea yesterday was lovely

and I am already dreaming up

other tea / lunch / dinner

party ideas.

At least I am not shy

and certainly not of showing my tea party pictures!

:)

**

In other news, I got an A+ on my quiz!

(I got two wrong verb endings wrong

but still a grade of A+,

I'll take it!!)

*

The test today was a bit more difficult

but I know I passed and did

fairly well.

*

Much more studying to be done this week!

*

Today is the beginning of the Apostles' Fast.

Wishing everyone a good beginning.

Life is a balancing act

I know I am not alone in seeking to have

enough time to do everything:

pray

eat well

study or work or tend one's family

(some do all three at once)

and

sleep enough for one's needs.

***

I have been mulling over a section in Frederica Matthewes-Green's

book on the Canon of St. Andrew...

about the prayer of the heart...

I asked my spiritual father about this

and he explained that both the heart

and the nous (the Greek word for where one's spiritual intellect / perception is)

are both damaged and need to be purified.

And that we seek everything to find rest and do not realize that

it is only when the heart and the nous

are back where they were always meant to be

that we will recieve this rest,

this fullfillment.

I now understand a little more why

we are like U2's song,

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

or

With or Without you.

We are so insatiable.

I know I am guilty of it;

so easy to be excited about the new toy

(for me the cell phone I got to save money

and be able to have a mp3 player to listen to

French CDs).

My spiritual father's explanation of how

the heart is searching everywhere

to be filled

has been with me ever since we had that conversation.

Is this what I have been waiting for!?!

All this time...

To learn to live in the presence of God

with a purified and realigned heart and mind...

O to continue on the road towards this!

(note I am not pretending to have it already...)

The weekend I was sick and missed church

I read the rest of the book

The Saint of our Century: The Life of St. Nektarios

that Sylvia also mentioned loving

a while back.

I was impressed with the humble family that

St. Nektarios lived with

and how they always kept their lampada lit.

I think of this now,

when looking at my lampada.

I read (do not remember where)

how a lit lampada (icon lamp) helps rise our soul to prayer.

Sometimes we just have to stop

and look up at our icons

the lit candles or lampada

and realize we need to pray,

that we need to remember God.

In other news,
Cleo invites others to come play with her.
Apparently I am not sufficing for her playful habits.
***
Personally, I was delighted to read my sister Rebecca's latest blog post
as God is blessing her and her husband's work in Romania.
I really miss my sister!
She and my brother-in-law are dear friends of my heart.
The other day my Mom and I were on speaker-phone together
while facebook-chatting with Rebecca,
teasing each other and just talking.
We have not really had that kind of family banter and conversation
for over a year,
(since I was not able to go home before they left for Romania)
so it was really refreshing.
***
Meanwhile,
how to remember God while studying French....
***
I have been thinking about Fr. Thomas Hopko's
very special podcast
Does God Play Favourites
and how we struggling Orthodox Christians
can have God's mercy and receive a "Saint's reward"...
so much of Pascha and the understanding of
God letting people come at the 11th hour
permeated this podcast.
I highly recommend it.
***
We have hope that the Lord will help us
and have mercy.

***this is re-posted as my pictures disappeared. I hope they stay this time; if they do not I am afraid I do not have time to redo this a third time...