Beauty, Sunshine and a Short Trip to the Edge

Three new wash clothes, 1 green square for my 

many coloured blanket,

and a sunny morning here!
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I hope to sew more squares together soon on my blanket!

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I have started Scott Cairn's Short Trip to the Edge.

It's about his realization that his inner life

is not at all what he wishes and he goes off

to Mt Athos in hope of help....

it is an interesting as it come after he is

finally more where he wants to be in his career 

(he has one of the enviable positions as an English Professor)

and realizes, now that the dust has settled, that

inwardly he is in utter shambles and not at all 

where he thought he would be, spiritually, by the time he was

40 years old; I believe it is when he is 50 that he begins his actual pilgrimage

to Mt. Athos, where he has been now over 20 times.

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I will be turning 40 in December and can relate to his struggle 

for inward growth.

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Will relate back what I think of the book when I have read more.

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I am still reading Ware's The Orthodox Way and have decided it is a book

that needs to be on my 

books-I-need-to-remember-that-are-sources-of-solace list. 

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What are you creating and reading?

Yarn Along with us! 

Making Gifts and a special book on Papa-Dimitri

Finished this book on Papa-Dimitri that I got at the monastery last Friday.
It's good and I need to read it again... 

Making and giving away washcloths as gifts for family and dear friends!

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I am in Michigan for 1 more full day and DV

fly back to NJ on Thursday.

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What are you making and reading?

Yarn Along with us!

All things pile up

Stack of wash clothes knitted over the last months

Growing amount of squares for my many coloured blanket 

My treasure trunk is bursting with them...

I've been reading a lot:

Jan Karon books

Home to Holly Springs

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good

Come Rain or Come Shine

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I've also re-read and read

Homecoming

Dicey's Song

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I've had a lot pile up on me, so much

that I did not even realize that it was a week since I blogged here.

I've not been able to keep up with my blog reading,

so sorry about that.

Just busy, I've been still feeling a bit under the weather, but

I've been taking walks almost daily,

am back to sewing and am trying to focus on this beautiful simple verse:

in everything give thanks.

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What are you reading and creating?

Yarn Along with us!

Beauty in Squares and Papa's Wife

I am still stitching away at wash clothes 

and also making more squares for my second 

many coloured blanket. 

I savoured my first reading of 

Papa's Wife,

such a lovely book about a family

with a deep Christian family

and many adventures,

and a very spunky wife and a very strong loving Papa!

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I also recently read 

another fun family book,

Cheaper by the Dozen.

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What are you reading and creating?

Yarn Along with us!

The Young Unicorns + Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia

We've not been on the road

much these last weeks,

so knitting is still

the lovely white wash clothes.

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Re-read L'Engle's The Young Unicorns.

Loved it as usual; it's one of my all-time favourites of hers. 

What hit me a lot this time

is what Vicky is supposed to be learning: 

it's OK to just be Vicky, as in herself,

she does not need a fancy title/profession/beauty 

to have purpose.

Her purpose is to be herself.

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I've been thinking a lot over the last many months about

what my life is about.

It's quite different than when I was in Ottawa and single.

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So I found this book really helpful.

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I am about halfway through 

Grand Duchess of Russian: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke.

Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr is a favourite Saint

of many people, including those like myself

joined the Orthodox Church as an adult.

as Saint Elizabeth made the same decision...

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She is another example of how the upper classes, some of them at least,

noblesse oblige, as my husband will say...

She was raised in a home that was deeply Christian 

and her growth as an adult in her Christian life is

astounding....

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I am comforted at how she, like many Saints,

did not require the sisters under her charge

to have the same incredible austerity that she practiced.

Between being married and continuing to

seek to be open to who I am at this point,

I am very glad that Orthodoxy, and indeed

Christianity at large, has room for those

who labour at a weaker strength...

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 I hope to get back to my second many coloured blanket soon!

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What are you reading and creating? 

Yarn Along with us! 

Bright Wednesday Yarn Along

Holy Week as too busy to begin with to

work on my beautiful blanket.

It's still at section two of it being almost finished.

I did make about 4 or more washcloths,

not all pictured here.

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As many of you know,

my beloved Mr. Husband and I are still

dealing with the sudden loss of Mr. Husband's 

adult godson, 

so everything is a bit of a blur.

I had gotten this lovely small icon of

Christ's Resurrection

at the Monastery I was at 

just a few weekends ago with my dear friend

and her sister.

I was going to use it in my Pascha basket

but with the extreme lack of sleep

and inward disorganization that hovers in grief,

I forgot. So next year, God willing.

But at least it is out now in our home 

and it is offering much beauty and consolation.

The hope in Christ and in His 

Resurrection is huge, esp in this unexpected time.

Thank God I had the house clean and set up for Bright Week

before I left.

And my friend gave me some beautiful Pascha eggs

that I have put around the house;

I hope to do a blog post about our Bright Paschal decorations

in our home.

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I have not read books lately other than Holy Week Services.

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I am going to be getting these two books though:

I read the one above years ago and 

it will be good to read it again.

I read the first edition of this years ago

when I was grieving the loss of a woman

who was like my first spiritual mother

who died when I was 21.

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I am 38 now and I feel, with the 

grief I have worked through in the past and

with the prayers for the departed that we do as 

Orthodox Christians,

that I am better prepared to grieve in ways

that are more life-giving than

debilitating. 

That said, it's still a long road and I know that.

But the prayers alone have great healing power.

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So about the yarn along button -

I can't seem to get it to work.

I have seen others use it but it just shows up as a

little jpeg box icon that you see when a picture is not

working. 

Any suggestions?

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Do tell me what you are making and reading!

Yarn Along with us!