Tuesday and Wednesday ~ sunny, hints of Spring, beautiful services and another new lenten dish

2 cloves garlic sliced thin, fried in oil + 4 tomatoes,

 sliced and fried after the garlic is caramelizing,

 + dried basil, oregano and thyme.... 

cook the pasta, beginning before garlic, 

at end add half a pound of scallops sliced into 1/4 inch to the tomatoes 

and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes. 

Toss with drained hot pasta and enjoy!

 Ps: I used sunflower oil for this dish but olive, vegetable oil would work fine.... 

The original recipe and cooking instructions I got from 

this cookbook by William-Sonoma: Italian Favorites 

This vegan banana bread with cherries is so good!

I am meaning to ask my friend for the recipe... 

I am trying to walk more, I am on day two now... 

Presanctifed Liturgy tonight, such a blessing!

We played a game of Dominion afterwards at home,

my Husband won by 2 points!

***

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for my Aunt:

She did not need surgery for her broken bone and has been 

transferred to a larger hospital to see if she needs any surgical procedure

for her heart; she has a more involved test for this tomorrow, Lord willing. 

***

Well, that is all for tonight. I pray that each of you has

blessings from God in this day 

and that He is protecting and carrying you.

May God have mercy on us and save us! 

Monday, Oh Monday (a warm comforting curry, books and continued prayer request)

Sometimes I get all ready to get Cleo's treat, bowl out, spoon, 

and then something distracts me. Cleo will find me,

go on her 2 back feet with her 2 front paws on my leg, 

meow either piteously or vehemently to tell me that I forgot her promised treat. 

I apologize and make haste to the fridge.....

Cleo has been training me for years in a more direct fashion as time has marched on....

I bought a new white and a new black apron in January. 

The black one needed a lint brush to get all of the stray Cleo fur off. 

I had just cleaned it and put it in the new laundry bag I just got today.

 (The long apron straps get tangled up if I don't put it in a laundry bag).

 I had put it with the towels I plan on washing on the hallway floor 

outside of the small laundry room. 

So of course Cleo decides to sit right on top of 

the new laundry bag with black apron inside.

I love this sticky rice. 

It was not the cheapest of rices but is really nice.

I did 2 cups water and 1.5 cups rice.

I pour rice in the pot and then the water,

so I can use one measuring cup and not have the rice stick to 

water in the cup by not having the water poured in beforehand.

It was lovely, brought to a boil and simmered for about 15 minutes and it was done,

warm, sticky, steaming hot...just perfect!

This pot is one of my Mom's pots and pans that

 she used for decades before giving them to me,

other than the tallest pot, which she gave to my sister...

all years ago... 

I used the red curry sauce and coconut milk from Trader Joes; 

a bit bland and sweet so I added the whole can of green chilies also from Trader Joes; 

it added a slightly chill pepper vinegar acidic taste...

I sauteed in coconut oil 2 smaller yellow onions, 1 clove garlic sliced and maybe a 2 Tbs of

sliced fresh ginger... then added the coconut milk and curry sauce, then 

the whole can of chilies, a bunch of the lime leaves...with some chopped small broccoli

heads and kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed. 

I added organic baby spinach about 2 minutes from plating the food.

The rice was still steaming hot under the curry

and that made it perfect!

The sticky rice kept the curry from making it a thin water rice stew

and instead something comforting, warm and soft... 

I want to try a different curry sauce; this one was too bland and then with 

a hint of pickled chilies but it was good enough to eat and the rice

combo with it was delightful! 

The rice really held it together in an enjoyable way for this curry!

I am a lot easier on myself (at least in my good / better days) 

in terms of what I can accomplish in a day. 

I am reading this lovely devotional/book of meditations 

(as in the author is thinking about a specific quotation every day) as I can. 

I am still in January but am currently reading 

a few a day over breakfast or lunch.... 

I am enjoying this book! 

Thoughtful writing that either shares a struggle 

that I can relate to or encourages me in ways I needed to hear. 

***

Prayer request continued for my Aunt.

It was determined that the broke bone will not need surgery 

but an air cast only.

We hope to find out tomorrow about possible heart surgery.

I still feel a somber concern for the seriousness of her condition.

But lots of family is nearby and I am very comforted to know

that so many are praying for her.

Thank you so much.

***

May God bless, save and comfort us all!

Busy Beautiful Day + Prayer Request Continued

We were at our far away church for the morning and I did

a book sale... :)

This afternoon we drove from this church to our local church

for Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers with lots of clergy and the Bishop.

Then we had a walk...then second dinner, prayers...

***

I wrote this earlier and repeat it here:

Prayer Request: my second oldest Aunt in Canada is suddenly quite ill... 

she has a broken bone and may need heart surgery as well. Please pray for her! 

Ps: for reasons of family privacy I will not be expounding in more detail 

so I would appreciate not having questions but deeply covet your prayers! 📿☦💜🙏

***

A very intense time for my family...

I do ask prayers!

***

I pray that God helps you through whatever you are facing right now

and that His love upholds you....

Hello Sunshine! {and late night prayer request}

It was sunny with blue skies most of today, 

I took a walk in the early afternoon...

I used up the pasta sauce (store bought) that was in the fridge...

I added clams to it... Mr Husband wanted lots of clams so 

added 2 cans worth!

For lunch we had it with thin noodles, for dinner we had

bigger (fun!) macaroni noodles :) 

We went to vespers, I had a nice evening finishing the 

bookstore stuff (am going DV to have small sale at our far-away church tomorrow)

and had to price all the books.....

***

Later that night, I got a call from my Mom that my Aunt is ill and in hospital.

Please pray for her. 

I was a bit shook up about her situation but can't write about it here....

but she is in good hands and has family close by at present so that is a huge blessing.

***

I am hoping to make 2 meals this week,

the vegetarian (vegan) pizza and pasta with tomato and scallops. 

***

well, that's all for now.

God bless and keep you!

First Friday in Great Lent ~ full of reading, beauty, presanctifed and a rain storm on the way back home

I read more of the book by/about the Greek Abbess Makrina today

and wow, is it way beyond my spiritual level...

it's like a young child reading a graduate study book on physics....

but better!  I am really loving it! 

***

The book Spyridon's Shoes was so wonderful.

***

I am researching recipes and learning.

***

Presanctified liturgy was so beautiful.

***

I find the fast (no food/water from noon on until one has Holy Communion)

is not easy for me to do but it is so worth it at the same time.

***

I am trying to keep our house a bit more tidy, but it is not 

easy for me to do.

***

I pray each of you is being carried by Christ to His Holy Pascha (Easter)

and that He is with you...

First Thursday in Lent 2019 ~ wonderful box of books, service and sunlight

I finished my L'Engle re-read... it's not as deep as the Ring of Endless Light...

I remember reading this book years ago... L'Engle was very important to me esp.

in my 20's... before I was Orthodox or knew of the Orthodox Church, L'Engle was

one who helped me a lot in my growing up years which I see as my early 20s...

I remember feeling very Mothered by her books in that time in my life...

I had left home but I still went home for Christmas and had not yet had to support myself

by working full time and having my own place, etc... 

I find I often read L'Engle when I am in the midst of some type of change... 

I am trying to write more (though I don't think I will get back to this until next week)

and in general feel like I am in some sort of change... 

Anyway.

These books came today (I do my church bookstore for my far-away church):

The 2 books on the right are for the bookstore,

the two on the left I get a copy of as well :)

The above book, 

Words of the Heart is one that I was so excited to get!

Gerondissa means Abbess in Greek, FYI.  

Her life story, at the beginning of this book, is pretty 

mind-blowing.  Her spiritual experiences and desire to be a nun since age 7

are very beautiful and unusual for most of us, certainly myself

but it is wonderful to read of her; I can feel the Greek Woman's Monasteries

I have been to when I read this book... it's a real blessing and to have a book

about a female monastic and her homilies (teachings she told her nuns; an Abbess being 

the head of a group of nuns who make up the Monastery) are going to be such a joy to read!

I am really excited about this book!

***

So, about tonight and the last 3 nights of Lent before tonight...

The Canon of St Andrew of Crete is traditionally done for the

first 4 days of Lent, Clean Monday-Thursday.

I thought I would write a little bit about this Canon as I know a lot of my 

readers (or at least the ones who comment the most! (Hi dear friends!!!)) 

may not be familiar with these prayers.

Like a lot of my Orthodox memories, I can't really remember a lot about when 

I was first aware of the Canon of St Andrew of Crete.

I remember it most from my Ottawa years. 

As my priest here local to us in NJ explains,

the Canon of St Andrew of Crete was a text that St Andrew wrote

for himself, to urge himself to greater repentance. 

As my Husband was talking about last week, when he and I were talking to

some people who were searching but not yet Christians,

and were asking when one would know that they were a Saint,

we basically said they probably would not know this as much as they

would be deeply aware of their own sinfulness as the closer you are to God,

the more one see's one's own sin; my Husband quickly explained

that when you compare yourself to other people, 

you may think you are doing fine but when you compare yourself to God,

to Perfection, you cease to see yourself in the same light;

so the closer you are to God, the more one is aware of their own

sinfulness, how, like the parable of the Prodigal Son, they know they are

unworthy to be called a son or daughter of God; 

St Andrew of Crete wrote this beautiful canon (it's like praying exquisite poetry)

using TONS of Scripture from both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible,

to try to wake himself up to his own deep sinfulness, to bring himself

to greater repentance.  

There is a story (I can't remember who right now, Ortho-folk reading this,

I would LOVE to be reminded of who this was, so please chime in if you can/have time)...

back to the story, of a Saint, a Monk (?) who was dying and asked God for more

time because he felt he had not even begun to repent.... 

This understanding of repentance is really important to being able to 

understand the Canon of St Andrew of Crete...

why he would say he was worse than the worst sinners in the Bible,

that he had not even begun to repent...

it's a deep searing look at his soul, seeing his own spiritual poverty and

spiritual infirmity... and it is poetry that washes over one and brings, 

as my local priest said today, the spirit of Lent to us,

opens the door to our Lenten Journey... 

If you want to read the whole Canon of St Andrew of Crete, you can do so here or here.

A really wonderful book, that has the canon on one side and 

commentary/thoughts to ponder/deep insight on the other side,

is Fredrica Matthewes-Green's book 

The First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journal through the Canon of St. Andrew

which I own, have read and can highly recommend...

I still have fond memories of the Lent I read this in Ottawa and talking

with my dear Ottawa priest who was my spiritual father for 7 years before I 

married my Husband... what precious time that was! 

It's really a lovely book and I can recommend it to anyone,

Fredrica Matthewes-Green is a wonderful writer, very practical, clear, accessible! 

She has been a writer for many years and has been an Orthodox Christian for 

decades now and is a priest's wife as well, so she has lots of experience within the church...

and communicates in a way that you know you can be understood and can understand her...

Anyway, it's a great book, I recommend it!

***

Here are two bits of the Canon that I especially noticed tonight and wanted to share with you:

Venerable Mother Mary above is actually not the Mother of God but

of St Mary of Egypt, whose story (long story short)

is that she was a sin-loving prostitute who tried to go to church

to venerate the Cross of Christ and was not able to enter the church,

a invisible spiritual force would not allow her to enter; after she realized 

what was happening she begged the Mother of God for help and that she 

wanted to change her life; she could enter the church and was baptized and 

lived in the desert of Egypt weeping over her sins for decades and was taught by God

and found by a holy Monk who was overcome by her holiness and brought her Communion

the next Lent (he found her in the desert where he was practicing Lent as a Monk) and the 

Lent after this found her passed away and with the help of a Lion he buried her

and told the story of her life, as she had told him 2 Lents before.

Saint Mary of Egypt is such a beloved Saint that the 5th Sunday of Lent is dedicated to her.

****

Remember, we view the Saints as those in Heaven who can pray to Christ for us...

it's similar to how we would ask a Christian friend or a Christian Mother or Godmother

to pray for us.... those who have died are alive in Christ and are around His throne

and can intercede for us. 

It is all because of Christ's Resurrection and Ascension... 

****

This can be pretty odd sounding to those who are either not Christians or

who are Christians in one of the Protestant Christian traditions but it is 

a pretty organic normal way of seeing how in Christ we are always together

and that asking the Saints for their help, their prayers, has been happening since

the times of the very early church... 

And the prayers above show how it all comes back to Christ 

and asking for His mercy... His help, His salvation.... 

I love being in church for this first week of Lent...

A dear local friend dropped off some vegan banana bread with dries cherries

tonight! You know I am excited for this!! Hello wonderful Saturday morning

breakfast with Mr Husband! I am already dreaming of it!

So nice!  I am excited... 

***

Well, I better get going... I need to get up on time as DV (Lord willing) our

first presanctified liturgy is tomorrow night!!!

I LOVE these. 

But I will be fasting from noon on so I need to get up on time 

so I get enough food + liquid,

some who are spiritually (and physically) stronger fast from after breakfast

but that is not myself and that's fine.

***

Praying that God's love is experienced in your daily struggles

and that whatever may be going on right now,

you know of God's faithfulness to you, 

no matter how dark and difficult it may be.

Hold on, the Lord Jesus loves you and wants your salvation...