Holy Week Hurdles

First, my friend A. bought me this shawl that Mat Anna made

and gave it to me before I left for CA+ AZ.  And yes, that's me 

in the picture...anyway... back to the shawl! 

I love it and did not have time before now to show it to you all! 

Mat Anna makes beautiful things!

Including this beautiful baby blanket - perfect for a baptism gift!

(I should know, we gave one to our last 2 godchildren!!!)

***

OK. Soooooo... Holy Week has what we Orthodox Christians like to call

'temptations'.... they are often an unexpected challenge - from things breaking,

to interpersonal conflict, to super stressful things, accidents, injury or even

tragedy.  They come, sometimes, in spades. And of course

there are years in one's life that are heavy on these things.

Hard....

***

I am very blessed in that we are right now in good health - my cold seems to be gone -

we don't have the flu - but .... I too have been a bit blindsided by things.

***

My Aunt Karen, who I visited in early March, is dying.

They tried a medical procedure, it was not effective.

It is clear that she has good care, she's just very ill and 

there's no much more that can be done.

She is in ICU still I believe and we are going to lose her,

probably this week but only God knows. 

So that's super HARD.

She is a very beloved Wife, Mother, Aunt, Grandmother...

She's super special to me personally.

I am SO VERY GLAD I got to see her 2x in MI in early March.

Grief and loss is hard.

***

And our ongoing unbloggable stress just ramped up to another new level.

Lots of unknowns. I can't really talk about it other than to say that

and that thank God it is not an issue in our marriage or family and not 

a health concern as much as a stress-concern in other areas. 

***

But, I know that many are having huge struggles, 

we are by no means alone or having the worst of them.

Of course it is best to not compare to others right?

Rather, look to Christ and for His mercy.

***

The thing that temptations also entail is that they can shift/throw off one's focus

on Christ completely... it's Holy Week...

I just pray that God can help me be present to the services as much as 

I can be able to and that He will carry us all to HIS glorious Pascha. 

Our Warden is Dying and We Are Praying

I got word late last night,

just before I posted the prayer request,

that our elderly Church Warden had suddenly 

fallen very ill and was taken by ambulance to hospital. 

Already yesterday morning I was asking 

St Nicholas to be with him

(I know first-witness in person stories of him coming to those who are dying

to help them) and was asking Christ to give him a good Christian death.

I prayed, late last night/early in the morning hours

the Akathist to the Protection of Mother of God that my

Romanian friend prayed as her own father was dying a few years ago.

I prayed the version that is in this book...

***

Our priest and his Matuska (a priest's wife) are with our Warden, as are others.

My friend, one of the priest's beloved daughters, called me in the early 

afternoon and put the phone to the Warden's ear so I could say my goodbyes.

As I wrote my friend earlier today, and then told my Husband:

"So I was able to tell him that I loved him, that he reminds me of my Grandpa John the way he would talk to me and tease me, that I love him very much, that I prayed the Akathist to the Protection of the Mother of God for him and lit candles esp. by St Nicholas for him, that the Mother of God would be with him in this and St. Nicholas is near to the very ill.  And that we are talking about him a lot at home, thinking about him and that we love him very much."

I can't remember if I told him that I have the lampada to St. George lit for him,

but I had and have it lit for him, as well as one to St. Patrick, two of his 

personally very special Saints....

I am so very glad I had this blessing,

to say my goodbyes to him.

Later, I was having a new pot of tea.

 I realized how bewildered I was as

  I knew I need sugar for my tea but 

forgot that the sugar is in the sugar bowl, next to the creamer.

I thought I had to get up to get the sugar, not realizing it was 

right there in front of me...

I still have all the lampadas lit.

Mr. Husband is still in NYC.

He is going back to work with possible

doctor's appointment for later if he relapses.

He has known our Warden since 1991 and for years lived in

the same town as he did; with a few others, 

they founded their (and now mine also) church

together, so they have been working together for a very long time

and we just love him very much.

My Husband got to give his goodbyes over the phone;

when I did my goodbyes I started to cry; my Husband told me 

he nearly cried, which is really saying something.

I learned to cry freely years ago, but everyone grieves differently

and I know my Husband and others are going to miss the Warden very much.

***

I was going to make our Warden a special chicken dinner...

I even had a list of what he wanted... but we just never were able to...

two years ago we were all set to do it over Canadian Thanksgiving,

but I got sick... it was so disappointing...

so I never got to make him the dinner I promised him a few years ago...

This is what he wanted:

Roast chicken 
Mashed potatoes little butter
Corn
Cherry vanilla ice cream 
Vanilla cookies

***

I hope to do this dinner one day in his honour...

***

Meanwhile, we are praying.