Tamara's Camera

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

Memories...

2011-01-21T11:41:00.001-05:00

Going through documents as a part of our preparation-for-moving-clean-up, we found one of my favorite messages from Cade ever. This is from the beginning of our relationship, before we were engaged.

"Dear Tamara,
I have compiled a list of things that I don't love more than I love you. They are as follows in no particular order.

Any kind of insect bites
Meat loaf
Anything written by e.e. cummings
The board game chutes and ladders
After dinner mints
Anything made out of silk i.e. shirts and boxer shorts
Cliff diving
Riding in the car with Chris and Tracy listening to Star Wars music
Homework
And anything else I can think of your the best I LOVE YOU very much"

_____________________________________

And from our first Christmas together:

Card text: "I don't have any wishes left for Christmas. You already came true."

Cade's message: "Here would be the place in the card to write sappy things about loving you and first Christmas's together. However you will show the card to everyone and we can't have that. Thank you for your understanding. Love, Cade."

_____________________________________

A silly card from shortly after we got married. I went to El Salvador with my dad, and Cade stayed home and broke his foot, so sometime in January 2001. The picture of the card is a rooster with a guitar on a cat's back.

Cade's message:

"Tamara,

I am so lost without you. I missed you so much. All I could think to do was give the chicken a guitar have him climb on the cat's back and sing. I am so glad you are back the chicken doesn't have a good voice. Welcome home, I love you so very much.

Cade."

Dogs: An unusual guide to school reform

2010-08-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

Publication Date: 2010-08-13

By Marion Brady

This column was a guest appearance on Valerie Strauss' Answer Sheet

at the Washington Post

, August 12, 2010.

Marion Brady is a veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer

and author. Don't miss his website

.

Driving the country roads of Scotland, Ireland and Wales, I have

sometimes been lucky enough to be blocked by sheep being moved from

one pasture to another.

I say 'lucky' because it allows me to watch an impressive performance

by a dog -- usually a Border Collie.

What a show! A single, mid-sized dog herding two or three hundred

sheep, keeping them moving in the right direction, rounding up strays,

knowing how to intimidate but not cause panic, funneling them all

through a gate, and obviously enjoying the challenge.

Why a Border Collie? Why not an Akita or Xoloitzcuintli or another of

about 400 breeds listed on the Internet?

Because, among the people for whom herding sheep is serious business,

there is general agreement that Border Collies are better at doing

what needs to be done than any other dog. They have 'the knack.'

That knack is so important that those who care most about Border

Collies even oppose their being entered in dog shows. That, they say,

would lead to the Border Collie being bred to look good, and looking

good isn't the point. Brains, innate ability, performance -- that's

the point.

Other breeds are no less impressive in other ways. If you're lost in a

snowstorm in the Alps, you don't need a Border Collie. You need a big,

strong dog with a really good nose, lots of fur, wide feet that don't

sink too deeply into snow, and an unerring sense of direction for

returning with help. You need a Saint Bernard.

If varmints are sneaking into your hen house, killing your chickens,

and escaping down holes in a nearby field, you don't need a Border

Collie or a Saint Bernard, you need a Fox Terrier.

It isn't that many different breeds can't be taught to herd, lead

high-altitude rescue efforts, or kill foxes. They can. It's just that

teaching all dogs to do things which one particular breed can do

better than any other doesn't make much sense.

We accept the reasonableness of that argument for dogs. We reject it

for kids.

The non-educators now running the education show say American kids are

lagging ever-farther behind in science and math, and that the

consequences of that for America's economic well-being could be

catastrophic.

So, what is this rich, advantaged country of ours doing to try to beat

out the competition?

Mainly, we put in place the No Child Left Behind program, now replaced

by Race to the Top and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. If

that fact makes you optimistic about the future of education in

America, think again about dogs.

There are all kinds of things they can do besides herd, rescue, and

engage foxes. They can sniff luggage for bombs. Chase felons. Stand

guard duty. Retrieve downed game birds. Guide the blind. Detect

certain diseases. Locate earthquake survivors. Entertain audiences.

Play nice with little kids. Go for help if Little Nell falls down a

well.

So, with No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top as models, let's set

performance standards for these and all other canine capabilities and

train all dogs to meet them. All 400 breeds. All skills. Leave No Dog

Behind!

Two-hundred-pound Mastiffs may have a little trouble with the

chase-the-fox-down-the-hole standard, and Chihuahuas will probably

have difficulty with the tackle-the-felon-and-pin-him-to-the-ground

standard. But, hey, no excuses! Standards are standards! Leave No Dog

Behind.

Think there's something wrong with a

same-standards-and-tests-for-everybody approach to educating? Think a

math whiz shouldn't be held back just because he can't write a good

five-paragraph essay? Think a gifted writer shouldn't be refused a

diploma because she can't solve a quadratic equation? Think a

promising trumpet player shouldn't be kept out of the school orchestra

or pushed out on the street because he can't remember the date of the

Boxer Rebellion?

If you think there's something fundamentally, dangerously wrong with

an educational reform effort that's actually designed to standardize,

designed to ignore human variation, designed to penalize individual

differences, designed to produce a generation of clones, photocopy

this column.

If you think it's stupid to require every kid to read the same books,

think the same thoughts, parrot the same answers, make several

photocopies. And in the margin at the top of each, write, in longhand,

something like, "Please explain why the standards and accountability

fad isn’t a criminal waste of brains," or, "Why are you trashing

America's hope for the future?" or just, "Does this make sense?"

Send the copies to your senators and representatives before they sell

their vote to the publishing and testing corporations intent on

getting an ever-bigger slice of that half-trillion dollars a year

America spends on educating.

Missions in Orthodoxy: My friend James

2010-04-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

A while ago, an anonymous poster asked if there are any missions in Orthodoxy. Now, I have a current example of this being the case. My friend James has been traveling the US, seeking support both prayerful and financial, and now he's making final preparations to travel to Africa. Here's his latest update. I especially like the reflections on the commissioning service at the very end.

Dear Friends,
Safiri salama!
This phrase, which translates as "May you travel in peace" is what I
ask each of you to wish me on Wednesday, April 14th of this year 2010.
That date is the answer to the question many of you have asked over
these past two years-- a question that I've often asked myself. That
is the date of my departure for Tanzania!
Exactly one month before departure, on Sunday March 14th, I was
commissioned to serve as a long-term OCMC missionary at my home parish
of St Elizabeth Greek Orthodox Church in Gainesville, Florida. I was
commissioned by my priest, Father Nikitas Theodosion, as well as
Father David Rucker of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. As a PS
to this email I'll reflect a little on the prayers of commissioning,
and on what this new stage in my life will mean.
Thank you.
Here's what the next few months may look like:
April 4th: I hope to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ with the
faithful of St. Elizabeth Greek Orthodox Church at home in Gainesville.
April 14th: Departure for Africa from Washington, DC
April 16th: Arrival in Mwanza
May 3rd: Language school begins in Dar es Salaam, on Tanzania's east
coast.
July: By this time, if God wills, missionaries Felice Stewart and
Katie Wilcoxson may join me in Dar es Salaam. They hope to start
beginning language courses as I continue my Swahili study at an
intermediate level.
August: I hope to finish advanced-level Swahili courses by the end of
this month as missionary Michael Pagedas (and possibly Maria Roeber)
join Katie and Felice in language school. As my colleagues continue
language study, God willing I will be able to move to Mwanza and begin
my assignment with the local Church there.
There is much more than this to say, and I'll say more in the PS. God
is good. By your prayers and faithfulness, I'm on track to receive all
the financial support necessary to keep me on the field long-term.
Most of this comes from a team of about fifty supporters, each giving
roughly $50 monthly through 2012. A few supporters are giving a little
more, and many are giving $10 - $15 per month. It is humbling and
exciting to watch God multiply these offerings as He did the loaves
and fishes to provide for his servants. Thank you for your
participation in this work.
Please stay in touch. I look forward to reporting from the field
shortly!
By your prayers,
James
PS
There is a service used by Eastern Orthodox Christians of every
diocese and background in the United States for the commissioning of a
new missionary to long-term overseas work. It's short-- litanies, the
hymn for Pentecost and the hymn for Ss Cyril & Methodius, Scripture
reading, and the prayer of commissioning itself. As Fr. David and Fr.
Nikitas placed their stoles over my head, here is the assignment that
was given me:
O God, our God, Who Sent Your only-begotten Son for our salvation, and
at His bidding gave to His disciples the Holy Spirit, send down Your
Holy Spirit upon this your servant James and commission him for this
present ministry of proclaiming Your Good News and sharing Your love.
Travel with him as You traveled with Your servant Joseph and deliver
him from all agitation and slander and all devices of the evil one.
Keep him strong in body and soul so that he may be light to those
still in darkness. And grant that he may fulfill in all righteousness
Your command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and
teaching them to observe all that You have commanded. May his service
be pleasing in Your sight that he may praise and glorify Your most
Holy and magnificent Name, of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, now and forevermore.
This is also the assignment that was given to the faithful present at
my commissioning, and it is what I ask each of you to join in as you
are able. Over the past year, I have met many of you face-to-face, and
bear witness to the great love and faith that you practice in your
parishes and communities throughout North America. As I bear witness
to the glory of God being proclaimed here on American soil, I am able
to carry to Africa this message and faith that God has shown me
through you. It is by your prayers, friendship, encouragement and
material support that I am sent to participate in the apostolic work
of the Orthodox Church in Tanzania. In a very real way, my assignment
is only to be a vehicle of your love and faith, faithfully
transmitting to Africa what you have given me here.
As I learn to participate locally in God's glory, it is each of you
who will be proclaiming the glory of God in Mwanza and throughout
Tanzania. So I ask for your continued involvement in this work. Please
keep giving. Please keep writing. Please keep calling (I'll have
Skype). Keep me accountable. And most of all, please keep me before
the face of God in your holy prayers. Through your prayers, I have
already been borne along over the past year. God's grace has been
abundant. The challenges of adjusting to a new language and culture in
this next year will call for a continued abundance of that grace.
Please also be patient. In order to meaningfully participate in the
life of the Church, I have to listen to people. In order to listen to
people, I have to learn their language and their culture. This takes
years.The very first line in my job description states that my
"primary responsibility the first year will be language acquisition
and enculturation." And a year is just the tip of the iceberg. So you
won't be hearing dramatic stories of my impact on Tanzania any time
soon. You might just hear some stories about Tanzania's impact on me.
By your prayers and if God wills, in the next five to ten years I
should have begun to learn the language and culture well enough to
play a role in what might be called "meaningful results." This
vocation as a missionary is a long-term commitment, and I'm grateful
for your patience and friendship as the process begins.
Tutaonana baadaye! Seeya later!
In Christ,
James
Yonder are the crowns, yonder the punishments.
-- St. John Chrysostom

If you're interested in offering financial support to James through this venture, please contact him at the address below. I know he'd appreciate any prayers.
James Hargrave
c/o OCMC
220 Mason Manatee Way
St. Augustine, FL
32086 239 464-6515 (cell)

Aunt Beth's Pics of Mara

2010-03-30T21:27:00.000-04:00

Aunt Beth's Pics of Mara

2010-03-30T21:26:00.000-04:00

Proving two things: Aunt Beth is an amazing photographer, and Mara is a beautiful subject. (I'm so proud of the ladies in my life!)

Sunday of Forgiveness

2010-02-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

http://lent.goarch.org/forgiveness/learn/

Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another.... We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.

The Sunday of Forgiveness also directs us to see that Great Lent is a journey of liberation from our enslavement to sin. The Gospel lesson sets the conditions for this liberation. The first one is fasting—the refusal to accept the desires and urges of our fallen nature as normal, the effort to free ourselves from the dictatorship of the flesh and matter over the spirit....

The second condition is forgiveness—“If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you” (vv. 14-15). The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness—the return to unity, solidarity, love. To forgive is to put between me and my “enemy” the radiant forgiveness of God Himself. To forgive is to reject the hopeless “dead-ends” of human relations and to refer them to Christ. Forgiveness is truly a “breakthrough” of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world.

_____________________________

Forgive me, a sinner.

Mara's New School

2010-02-13T11:22:00.000-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how much we're all enjoying Mara's new school. As an arts-based school, arts education is seamlessly integrated with core curriculum, offering multiple ways to explore and absorb new concepts. The school suits Mara perfectly, and I haven't seen her this relaxed about school since Kindergarten.

One of the best things about the school is the concept of publishing student work. As a teacher, I know this last step of the writing process is important, and we teachers are expected to post samples of student work regularly. I think most schools do that. However, Mara's new school goes beyond this rudimentary requirement. Each grade level has a big project each year. Maybe more than one, but we haven't been there long enough for me to know that for sure. When completed, all the students in the grade will present their project to the rest of the school during the school day, and then later in the evening, to the parents and community. When Mara came home from watching the 3rd grade presentation, she described to me in detail what she saw and why she was so impressed. "They made these big puppets for the show. It must have taken them years to make the puppets!"

During science fair week, the same reaction happened. Mara didn't enter, as we didn't have time to create a project and put it together after joining the school. After seeing all the other projects, Mara was so disappointed to miss it, but even more profound to me is that she sat down and started mapping out science fair projects she could put together for next year.

So, the concept of publishing the student work for the entire school, in performances and displays that the other students get to see and enjoy, becomes a motivator for the other children. Mara thinks of how she'll be involved next year, envisions herself in her place, proudly demonstrating her project or participating in the class effort. We haven't seen this level of excitement for learning come from a school in so long. What I'm witnessing is what I've wanted to see in Mara's schooling all along. The new school is a place that gives Mara the freedom and the opportunity to pursue her own interests, directing her towards learning objectives that expand her horizons.

I couldn't be happier!

Mara's Christmas Wish List--2009

2009-12-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

LPS and LPSO stuff
Furel pet
Siens and craft stuff, crayola
webkinz
my littel pony
building stuff
amaraken girl stuff
books
camra
tinker bell and the lost tresher move/dvd

Mara's Prayers

2009-11-23T22:44:00.001-05:00

Mara has been writing out prayers for her new prayer journal and she let me read them the other day. I wanted to share a few. (I've corrected grammar and spelling--couldn't help myself.)

Daily Prayer

Lord please help me know the difference of right and wrong. Help me do what is right, O Lord. Please help me and my classmates from fighting in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord please help me concentrate in school and at home an everywhere I go. Amen.

Holy God Holy Mighty Holy Immortal have mercy on us (three times).

Our Father please help those who need help and travel with those who travel in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord have mercy on me and forgive me of all my sins. Amen.

Bless this to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord please help me through each and every day. Amen.

To Do Prayer List
Morning prayer
mid-day prayer
evening prayer
my prayers
Lord's prayer
Daily prayer
Prayer journal
Thanksgiving prayers

Jim Wallis / James Dobson

2008-11-01T00:31:00.000-04:00

I was actually quite disturbed by the letter from Dobson. I have to say, it was very much the same rhetoric that I heard him speak before the 2004 election when he came to Raleigh and I won tickets to hear him. And, for a bit of back story, that was also the election when a man in the church I was attending attacked me verbally and publically for daring to say that I hadn't yet decided for whom I'd vote that year. That was a horrible Sunday, when no one in the Sunday School class could defend my right to thoughtfully consider my vote, and my only recourse from that attack was to leave. Four years later, and I'm still shocked that I could have been in that situation in a place that should be safe from that sort of attack--in a church.

So, back to Dobsson's letter. He just confirmed for me that he is a fear-monger who has a very limited view of what it means to be a believer in this world. It's his way or nothing. Dobson's political communications aren't that different from the hellfire and damnation sermons I grew up on--the ones where the preacher says that if you can't see reason and get saved just because he thinks you should, then at least get saved to avoid hell. And of course, that also reminds me of how he tells people to parent their children--as if they are dogs to be beaten into submission. All in all, my respect for Dobson is tenuous, at best, but at least I can say it's stronger than the respect that man in Sunday School showed me four years ago.

And that is why I'm adding this letter from Jim Wallis (a name I do not know, so don't take this as an endorsement) to my political musings here. In demanding an apology from Dobson, he's also offering a defense—an apologetic, if you will—for Christians who believe we are doing the best we can to vote differently than Dobson would like us to.

One final thought. When I voted today for Obama, I voted out of hope, not out of fear. If my hope is not realized, my faith will hold me. However, I do not trust that same resolve had I voted out of fear.

Come now, let us reason together.

James Dobson’s ‘Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America’

by Jim Wallis 10-29-2008

James Dobson, you owe America an apology. The fictional letter released through your Focus on the Family Action organization, titled “Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America”, crosses all lines of decent public discourse. In a time of utter political incivility, it shows the kind of negative Christian leadership that has become so embarrassing to so many of your fellow Christians in America. We are weary of this kind of Christian leadership, and that is why so many are forsaking the Religious Right in this election.

This letter offers nothing but fear. It apocalyptically depicts terrorist attacks in American cities, churches losing their tax exempt status for not allowing gay marriages, pornography pushed in front of our children, doctors and nurses forced to perform abortions, euthanasia as commonplace, inner-city crime gone wild because of lack of gun ownership, home schooling banned, restricted religious speech, liberal censorship shutting down conservative talk shows, Christian publishers forced out of business, Israel nuked, power blackouts because of environmental restrictions, brave Christian resisters jailed by a liberal Supreme court, and finally, good Christian families emigrating to Australia and New Zealand.

It is shocking how thoroughly biblical teachings against slander—misrepresentations that damage another’s reputation—are ignored (Ephesians 4:29-31, Colossians 3:8, Titus 3:2). Such outrageous predictions not only damage your credibility, they slander Barack Obama who, you should remember, is a brother in Christ, and they insult any Christian who might choose to vote for him.

Let me make this clear: Christians will be voting both ways in this election, informed by their good faith, and based on their views of what are the best public policies and direction for America. But in utter disrespect for the prayerful discernment of your fellow Christians, this letter stirs their ugliest fears, appealing to their worst impulses instead of their best.

Fear is the clear motivator in the letter; especially fear that evangelical Christians might vote for Barack Obama. The letter was very revealing when it suggested that “younger Evangelicals” became the “swing vote” that elected Obama and the results were catastrophic.

You make a mistake when you assume that younger Christians don’t care as much as you about the sanctity of life. They do care—very much—but they have a more consistent ethic of life. Both broader and deeper, it is inclusive of abortion, but also of the many other assaults on human life and dignity. For the new generation, poverty, hunger, and disease are also life issues; creation care is a life issue; genocide, torture, the death penalty, and human rights are life issues; war is a life issue. What happens to poor children after they are born is also a life issue.

The America you helped vote into power has lost its moral standing in the world, and even here at home. The America you told Christians to vote for in past elections is now an embarrassment to Christians around the globe, and to the children of your generation of evangelicals. And the vision of America that you still tell Christians to vote for is not the one that many in a new generation of Christians believes expresses their best values and convictions.

Christians should be committed to the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of America, and the church is to live an alternative existence of love and justice, offering a prophetic witness to politics. Elections are full of imperfect choices where we all seek to what is best for the “common good” by applying the values of our faith as best we can.

Dr. Dobson, you of course have the same right as every Christian and every American to vote your own convictions on the issues you most care about, but you have chosen to insult the convictions of millions of other Christians, whose own deeply held faith convictions might motivate them to vote differently than you. This epistle of fear is perhaps the dying gasp of a discredited heterodoxy of conservative religion and conservative politics. But out of that death, a resurrection of biblical politics more faithful to the whole gospel—one that is truly good news—might indeed be coming to life.

http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=3283

Trippin'

2008-10-17T00:02:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving tomorrow morning to go see my godson, by way of a conference on Hispanic Achievement put on by the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals. I was invited to speak about my experiences in helping to get a SIOP program running at out high school. I'll also enjoy some sight-seeing, which is to say, I'm going to be able to visit some of my favorite friends--a rare treat indeed.

None of this is to say that you'll miss me much. First of all, I rarely post here, so if you'd miss me at all, it'd be at another venue. And secondly, my hostess for the weekend is none other than super-Internet-woman herself! I'm sure she'll share her laptop long enough for me to drop in my favorite haunts.

But, please feel free to rejoice with me that I'll be taking my godson to communion (he hardly needs "help" getting to the chalice!) and visiting with some of the best people I know.

Horray!

Register and Vote!

2008-10-05T19:09:00.002-04:00

The voter registration deadline in North Carolina is this Friday, October 10th.

Are you registered? Are your friends and family?

If you only forward one email to your friends, family, and neighbors today -- make it this one.

Visit VoteForChange.com, our one-stop voter registration website, and register before the North Carolina deadline.

This election is too important to leave anything to chance. Make sure your voice is heard -- and forward this email to all the North Carolinians you know.

Thanks!

P.S. -- If you don't register to vote by October 10th, don't forget that one-stop early voting begins on Thursday, October 16th. Make sure your voice, and the voices of your friends and family, are heard.

First Grade

2008-10-01T19:20:00.001-04:00

Wow! It's amazing what a trip to the classroom can do!

I took the entire day off today. I found coverage for my own classes and I paid a sub $50 for an entire day, even though the sub only really worked with one class. And I went to Mara's school for the whole day.

Mara sang, "You're going to be a first grader!" over and over and over again, on the way in the door. I think she was pretty excited, though.

I took extensive notes, updating on the classroom status and Mara's attention/productivity every few minutes. Overall, what I noted was that the teachers were really great at making transitions from one part of class to the next. There was floor time, seat work, floor time in front of the Smart Board, and reading groups. There was also time for teachers to work with students one-on-one. It's definitely a teacher-led class, and it's obviously curriculum driven ("No, I'm not going to show anymore cursive, since that's what you'll learn in 2nd grade."), but Mara did not seem like she was suffering or falling behind. Any time she had the chance to read, she seemed to enjoy reading, which is important to me. And I know she's doing fine on the math, even if I think manipulatives would be a much better way to teach math than worksheets.

On the way out the door, I spoke with another parent who is a big player in the educational system, and he said that this teacher has a reputation of being really good with the kids and really bad with the parents. Well, now I believe it.

I didn't even leave to go look at another class. I no longer think it's even worth considering a class change. I no longer want to pull the principal into it. I (whew!) no longer have to consider pulling her out of school and jumping through hoops to homeschool and work full time.

When I get a chance to type up my notes, I'll might post them, or at least some more thoughts on them. But for now, it's sufficient to finally feel at ease with Mara's teacher this year.

Pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Transfiguration

2008-09-13T11:22:00.004-04:00

I took a trip to Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, PA, met up with some of the women who have been most influential on my journey to Orthodoxy, and prayed with the sisters at the monastery.

Here are some pictures of the trip up, the grounds, and the icons there.

Pilgrimage Pictures, September 2008

When I get the other participants' pictures added to my album, I'll update.

Beth and I drove up together, and met Emily and Pres. Lisa there. We arrived just a few seconds before Emily, which was great timing! Pres. Lisa joined us on Saturday.

Friday night, we attended the vespers service, during which they sing an akathist and focus prayers for young people. I added Mara, Emma, and Jake to the list. We also were able to participate in praying for actual names listed. If you could see the huge stack of names they had to pray for every Friday night, you'd wonder how they get it done. The burden, responsibility, and joy of praying for the world is just one of the amazing things Orthodox monastics undertake. Another is hospitality, and we really felt welcomed and at home at the monastery. We were comfortable and well-fed, and our interactions with the sisters were so sweet. Oh, we also stayed in the house that was Mother Alexandra's house for the last two years of her life.

Saturday, we all slept in, missing the morning prayer services. But later on that day, we had a chance to share our journeys and lives with Mother B. We also had plenty of time to roam the grounds, take pictures, and absorb the prayerful surroundings. That night, there was another vespers/vigil service. It was very long!

Sunday morning, we went to matins and Divine Liturgy, which Father Thomas Hopko served. He gave a very inspiring sermon, and we had a chance to speak with him later on at the generous coffee hour. One of the most meaningful experiences for me that weekend was being able to take communion with these women who have joined with me and helped me on my journey towards Orthodoxy. It's one thing to know that all Orthodox Christians participate in the same Divine Liturgy and the same Mystical Supper, and another thing to be in the same chapel at the same time. I was in tears quite often over the weekend. As Mother B. put it, most pilgrims comes to weep and to pray, but mostly to weep.

That afternoon, we spoke with Mother C. and she told us about her journey to becoming a nun at the monastery. She said she asked herself at age 40, "What have you done for Christ," and when she evaluated her life and decided she hadn't done much, she began to look for ways to start doing more. She found this monastery, founded by Princess Ileana of Romania, and when she first stepped on the grounds, she knew she was home. She also told another story that illustrated for her personally--and for us vicariously--just why petty arguments and disagreements don't matter. Her humility is an inspiration, and I know I fall short of her example. She also read for us the story of St. Euphrosynos, a saint I have long admired. He reminds me so much of Cade. Later that evening, we had the vespers for the feast day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, which was really beautiful.

Monday morning, Emily left for her 12 hour journey home. Beth, Pres. Lisa, and I drove an hour to another monastery, Nativity of the Theotokos, where we celebrated their feast day with them. One of the sisters there, a friend of Pres. Lisa, showed us around the grounds and spent a long time talking with us. After that, Beth and I had the rest of the day to drive home and enjoy our time together.

The entire trip was lovely, and now our online community is planning other upcoming pilgrimages together. I can't wait!

First day of first grade

2008-08-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

Mara rode the bus to my school for the first time ever today. It was a scary time for me, but she seemed to handle it just fine.

It turns out that one of the "friends" (daughter of another teacher at my school) will be attending a different magnet school. That leaves just three of "our kids" to ride the bus together. We originally had six.

I asked Mara if she was scared on the bus. She said, "Well, I was really worried that I'd get on the wrong bus. Then, I saw the number and I got on it anyway, but I was scared that maybe it was the wrong bus." But, she also said she felt better because one other kid from her class and another, younger friend were on the bus with her. Yeah, I said, they're all kids of people I work with! "Oh."

The bus was much later than we expected, and there was a hold up in the high school bus lot, on a humid day, and then it started to drizzle. Terrible conditions! But the kiddos disembarked without much notice of the buzzing tensions amongst the high schoolers. I hope the bus schedules start to run more smoothly, as they generally tend to do after the first few days. If not, though, we have a back up plan: One of the parents will go pick up the three kids and bring them back to our campus.

Mara says she had a good day. It's a bit sad to us that she doesn't have any friends from her kindergarten class in her new class, but I think for sure she'll make new friends soon. And her other good friends from last year have recess with her, at least. I asked her about the people at her table, and she said, "Well, these two boys were yammering. Wait. What does yammering mean?" I said, "Talk, talk, talk." She said, "Yeah, they were yammering and I just couldn't concentrate!"

Too funny!

Kayaking with Mara

2008-08-23T21:09:00.004-04:00

(not me or my kid)

I was able to take Mara kayaking on a very mild river, thanks to a friend from work. It's the kind of thing I would never do alone and also the kind of thing that Cade doesn't really enjoy. (Ask him, sometime, to tell you the story of our canoe trip in Florida. The best part about it, according to him, is the name of the river--Withlacoochee!)

This trip was a 6 mile ride, and I'm now convinced that kayaks are much easier to navigate than canoes. Even though the river was very low, we sailed over some areas a canoe never would have conquered. Of course, the river was low enough that even the kayaks needed a push or a pull now and then.

I took a camera for Mara to use, but she was too scared at the beginning, and once we put it away, we never got it back out again. It's too bad, because there were some really pretty passes, especially the ones where the rock cliff hangs out over the water and the sun reflects off the water onto the rock surface. Next time I go (which I hope will be soon), I plan to take a disposable waterproof camera I can hang around my neck for quick access.

The trip reminded me of how much I enjoy activities like that. It's the kind of thing I think I would have been doing all along, if only I had someone to do it with. I thought about all the canoeing and white water rafting I've done in the past and mulled over some fond memories of camping along the French Broad River and at Rand Pond. I daydreamed about taking Mara out again, developing her love of nature and deepening her respect for its beauty, all the while showing her that she's a capable person. (I also daydreamed about going again without her, and soaking up the river and its journey for myself!) I hope for the chance to go out again soon, before it gets too chilly to be on the water.

My arms and back are stiff and sore, but there's something satisfying about that pain. Our river guide says that kayaking is one of the least strenuous exercises in terms of burning calories, but I surely feel that I got a work out. It just goes to show that there are indeed certain things that I will gladly wake up early to be able to do.

(not me or my kid)

In the end, Mara had a wonderful time, and coming down the last little ripple, I heard her laugh her deep belly laugh and knew that it had been a grand adventure.

Pictures of Mara's Birthday Party

2008-08-17T13:48:00.003-04:00

Mara's Groovy Party

You can see pics of Mara's party here.

We started with my sister helping to get the girls "groovy," with a bit of nail polish, lip gloss, glitter spray, smell goods, and hair clips.

Then, the kids got to play in the living room with all Mara's Groovy Girls and accessories. Only one other kid had GG's, and it was my niece and the GG's we had gifted her.

After that, we made candy jewelry, which didn't work out very well, but which was fun anyway.

Finally, we spent time coloring in wooden cutouts of GGs (not brand name, though) and trains.

Then, cake and presents. It was a 3 hour party. I really didn't anticipate it taking so long.

Oh, and our menu centered around a tropical smoothie sporting dainty umbrellas and fun, curvy straws. We also served up PB&J and turkey/cheese sandwiches cut out in the shapes of hearts, flowers, and butterflies. There were grapes and other salty snacks.

Many Years, Mara! Happy Name Day!

2008-08-15T14:07:00.002-04:00

I took Mara to DL today for her name day. I thought we were about 40 minutes late, but as it turns out, we were there for the first sets of "Agios." We did pretty good!

I thought the parking lot was unusually full for a weekday DL, but once we were inside, I saw why. The Metropolitan Alexios was there celebrating the liturgy with our two priests and one retired priest in our community. It was a truly beautiful liturgy.

Mara did as well as she could. Honestly. I made her fast this morning, which probably wasn't my best idea, but I thought, "Hey, she's almost 6! It's time!" I also thought it would be a short liturgy and that we would have missed some of it.

A yia-yia behind us offered Mara some candy, but when I said she was going for communion, she told Mara to hold it until after communion. Mara did well, and it helped her to stop whining about being hungry when she had food in her hands--even if a little piece of candy. But you should have seen her wolf down her blessed bread! I split mine in half and gave her most of mine, as well. Then, thank God! Another yia-yia, one of my favorites, came and took Mara by the hand and let her eat goodies from coffee hour (Coffee Hour? On a weekday liturgy?) during the Artoklasia (blessing of the loaves). She was a very happy girl! I love taking Mara to church on her name day. It just seems like a way to make it a special day for her.

Here's the Metropolitan:

The Great Entrance:

Mara, trying to play quietly in the pews:

Mara's name day communion, Fr. Dennis:

Metropolitan giving communion:

Artoklasia:

Mara, a much happier girl after eating something:

What a special picture with the Metopolitan!

Mom's Birthday

2008-08-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Today is my mom's 60th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

May God grant you many happy years!

Dormition of the Theotkos

2008-08-14T23:57:00.003-04:00

Xronia Polla, Mara!

May God grant you many years!

On August 15, the Orthodox Church (new calendar) commemorates the Dormition (falling asleep) of the Most Holy Mother of God. The feast is considered to be one of the 12 Great Feasts of the year and thus an integral part of the proclamation of gospel of Jesus Christ.

Many who are not familiar with Orthodoxy, or its manner of understanding saints, easily see feast days and the veneration of saints as distractions from the gospel. The thought is: “If it’s not about Jesus, then somehow the gospel is not being preached.”

I am willing to grant the point - but to quickly add that the veneration of the Mother of God is inherently about Jesus and that without paying proper attention to Mary, Christ is being short-changed and not fully understood.

In the history of the Church the first dogmatic proclamation concerning Mary was the use of the title, Theotokos, meaning “the one who gave birth to God.” Nestorius, for whom the heresy of Nestorianism is named, objected to the use of the term saying that she should be called Christotokos instead. This would mean that she was the mother of Christ, but not properly called Mother of God. The Church condemned Nestorius’ teaching and affirmed the use of this title for Mary, for Christ is not properly divided into a schizophrenic being (God and Man but not united), but is instead but one Person, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Eventually the Church would declare that He was one Person with two natures (Divine and Human) but never sought to contemplate Him in a manner that divided His person.

Thus the title given to Mary was and is about Jesus and was solemnly defined in order to protect the proper understanding of His incarnation.

The Scriptures themselves bear ample witness to her unique position. “All generations will call me blessed,” are words spoken by Mary in her dialog with her cousin, Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist). To refuse this honor to Mary is to violate the clear word of Scripture.

At the Wedding at Cana, where St. John records Christ worked his first miracle, we have a story of an encounter between Christ and His mother. For what reason we do not know, the problem of the wine shortage is brought to Mary. She takes the problem to Christ who responds: “What is this to me and you, woman? My hour has not yet come.”

Idiomatically the statement means, “What concern is that of ours?” Addressing her as “woman” is not derogatory as some claim (why would Jesus fail to honor his mother in violation of the law?). Her response to His statement is interesting. She turns to the servants and tells them to “do whatever He tells you.” At her intercession Christ works His first miracle. Argue with it if you will, but on the plain face of the story that is what happens. Why does St. John record the story? It is certainly a story that points towards the great wedding feast at the end of the age, but Mary plays a central role.

This same role is played throughout Scripture in the lives of the righteous. They intercede before God for others and God hears them. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah; Moses interceded many times for Israel and God heard him; the stories of these righteous men and women can be multiplied many times over (Read Hebrews 11).

This same communion of saints has continued through the ages adding to its list those who have followed Christ and in union with Him offered intercession for the world. Those who have known the communion of the saints and their fervent prayer before God on our behalf have known something of the fullness of the Church. For it is they (and us) whom St. Paul has in mind when he says that the Old Testament saints awaited a promise which is now ours, that, together with them, we are made complete (Hebrews 11:40). That promise, of course, is Christ, born of the Holy Spirit and the Most Holy Virgin Mary who is blessed through the ages.

Eternal life is to know God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent (John 17:3). But the Christ we are called to know is to be known in His fullness. That fullness includes His incarnation and the communion of saints He established when He united Himself to our flesh in the Virgin.

Glory to God for All Things

Apolytikion in the First Tone

In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Neither the grave nor death could contain the Theotokos, the unshakable hope, ever vigilant in intercession and protection. As Mother of life, He who dwelt in the ever-virginal womb transposed her to life.

Important Letter to Barack Obama

2008-07-05T13:54:00.002-04:00

Please read and consider signing this letter about the state of education addressed to Barack Obama.

http://www.avwebnet.com/EducationReformLetter.asp

I signed it.

I contributed! You can, too!

2008-06-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

My Orthodox Testimony

2008-06-24T10:22:00.005-04:00

I was raised in an Assemblies of God (Evangelical Pentecostal) church and family. I was very aware of differing opinions on certain topics, and that many people on both sides loved God, read their Bibles, and still came to different final conclusions.

Pre-/Mid-/Post-Tribulation Rapture
Once Saved Always Saved vs. being able to backslide
Speaking in Tongues vs. Gifts of the Spirit are dead

I went to an A/G college to become a missionary, but changed my major after taking most of my theology and missions classes. I feel that I have a pretty good grasp of what the A/G believes and teaches its up and coming new preachers, missionaries, evangelists, and such. Basically, I realized I don't agree with the Assemblies of God on two of their major distinctives: I don't believe that anyone can know whether there will be a pre- or post-tribulation rapture, but the A/G requires pastors and missionaries and such to say they believe in and teach about a pre-trib rapture. I also don't believe that the only visible sign that someone has been filled/baptized with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. It is one gift of the Holy Spirit, and evidence of any gifts in a person's life indicates to me that they have the Holy Spirit. Again, however, in the A/G people are told they do not have a baptism of the HS if they haven't spoken in tongues. I disagree with that undue pressure on people to perform in a certain way in order to reach the "higher level" of their faith that's touted before them as what everyone should reach. :(

We stayed in an A/G church, however, because we were pregnant and then raising our daughter, and we didn't know where else to go. So for about 3 years or so, we were in church, but not terribly comfortable, even though I can honestly say that we tried to fit in and do what was being taught at our church.

I found out about the Eastern Orthodox Church through ladies who were at one time on a message board for Christian mothers who wanted to parent gently. In talking about grace shown to our kids and how that was influenced by the theological leanings of our churches, I was amazed at what the Orthodox ladies were saying about grace in their churches. I was also very impressed with the humility I was in those ladies, who would often ask for forgiveness *just in case* someone was offended. There was more, but I think it's hard for me to put into words--just that their overall presentation of themselves was with deep humility.

I started asking questions, but then there was the "Great Crash." For whatever reason, a lot of the Orthodox (and Catholic?) mamas were asked to leave or at the very least made to feel so uncomfortable that they left, feeling driven out. Then the whole board crashed and had to be rebuilt. When it came back, I couldn't find those ladies, and I had to figure out a way to contact them. I searched blogs and started sending e-mails and people started responding to me. Eventually, after many conversations, one of the ladies helped me find the church close to me, and I went and visited.

Around this time, my family was going through the crisis of my father's Alzheimer's diagnosis....

More than ever before, I felt the need to have a ruler or guide for figuring out just what the Bible says. There's no way that the Bible really says one thing to one person and a completely opposite thing to another person, or if it does, then it's not what I ever thought it was. How are we supposed to read the Bible and find out for ourselves what it means, when we're fallible human beings and we all mess up?

As I was investigating the Eastern Orthodox Church and the doctrines that seemed "out there" based on my upbringing, I started to find what I was looking for. I found that ruler.

Because the EOC is 2000 years old, goes back to the original Apostles, and has an unbroken line traceable back to the Apostles (my priest was ordained by a priest who was ordained by a priest who was ordained by a priest....who was ordained by one of the original Twelve), there is more than just what someone teaches is doctrine. There a continuity in consensus of faith. The EOC doesn't teach new things--it only teaches what the Church has always believed. It's comforting for me to know that the Early Church believed something, because then I can believe it, too. Also, I found out that the Church predates the Bible as we know it. That made a big difference in how I understand Scripture. Being released from Sola Scriptura, which includes by default that I have to read and figure it out for myself or trust my preacher or teacher who has done the reading and the figuring out, made all the difference. That doesn't mean that I'm not still supposed to read my own Bible, but it does mean that when I do, I'm not supposed to be looking for some new interpretation of it. I don't have to figure it out for myself, and it shouldn't say anything to me that it didn't already say to the Early Church. (Something I just read recently that explains the process of canonization can be found here: The Three Old Testaments.)

I continued to research Orthodox theology and doctrine, and at first I was comparing everything to the A/G statement of faith to see where it differed. I knew that I found Christ in the A/G, so it was a good place for me to start. But eventually, I started going to the Nicene Creed, because that’s a summary of what the Early Church believed and what the Eastern Orthodox Church of today still believes…has always believed. When I realized that I had made the switch from using the A/G statement of faith as the measuring stick to using the EOC Nicene Creed as the measuring stick, I realized that I was ready. I still had some issues, but I was at the point to where I could discuss those with my priest or with my Orthodox friends and figure them out.

I fought against converting pretty hard, just because of all the negative sentiment from family and church growing up, all the anti-Catholic stuff that I knew would be the same for the EOC, if only anyone knew it existed. I wanted to find the secret doctrine that would allow me to discount the whole thing. Finally, I talked with one friend about it, and he reminded me that the EOC doesn’t have secret doctrines. Everything is summed up in the Nicene Creed, which is still held on to by other Protestant churches as a symbol of faith, and which is not secret. Moder authors publish, the original works by the Early Church Fathers (theologians who fought for fundamental doctrines like the Trinity and the Dual Nature of Christ) are reprinted regularly, and there are blogs and websites and Q/A sites for people to ask questions and receive answers. Just because the EOC isn’t out knocking on doors trying to convert people doesn’t mean they’re not open to anyone who wants to find out more.

Finally, I felt that I had reached the end of my search. I might not have a grasp of everything that the EOC teaches, but I did trust that the Church has been guided and protected by the Holy Spirit. I trust that the consensus of faith won’t lead me into dangerous false gospels, but rather, will keep me in the center of truth. The last step was figuring out whether my husband agreed. His journey was different than mine, and it’s also not mine to tell, but the summary is that he also found peace in the Orthodox Church, and so our little family all converted together, our daughter being baptized and my husband and I being chrismated (because we’d already been baptized). You can find out about that process by going to Tamara's Camera, and in the top right corner, clicking on “Chrismation/Baptism.” The fact that we were in unity on the decision to join the Orthodox Church meant so much towards confirming my conviction.

I have never been more sure of anything regarding my faith than I am that the Eastern Orthodox Church is the right place for me.

(This in response to a private message asking me what led me to Orthodoxy.)

Wow!

2008-06-23T02:03:00.000-04:00

I feel loved!

It's great to be married to someone who knows how to do that well.

Update on my dad

2008-05-15T20:18:00.001-04:00

Mom posted about the recent hospice visit for my dad at his blog, These Things We Must Never Forget.

We covet your prayers.

Prom 2008

2008-05-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

Pascha (Easter) from Prison

2008-05-04T18:19:00.001-04:00

This is worth repeating:
(Stolen without too much shame from a blog I've just started reading.)

A Letter from Butyrskaya Prison - Pascha 1928

from Glory to God for All Things by fatherstephen

Serge Schmemann, son of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in his wonderful little book, Echoes of a Native Land, records a letter written from one of his family members of an earlier generation, who spent several years in the prisons of the Soviets and died there. The letter, written on the night of Pascha in 1928 is to a family member, “Uncle Grishanchik” (This was Grigory Trubetskoi who had managed to emigrate to Paris). This letter should become a classic of Orthodox writing and witness to the faith that sustained so many and is today being resurrected in so many places. The triumph of the Resurrection so transcends his prison cell it’s a wonder that the walls remained. The entire book is a wonderful read. I recommend it without reservation.

30 March/ 12 April 1928

Dear Uncle Grishanchik, I greet you and Aunt Masha with the impending Holy Day, and I wish you all the very best. For a long, long time I have wanted to write to you, dear Uncle Grishanchik; you always showed such concern for me, you helped me so generously in a difficult moment of my life, and, mainly, your entire image is so inseparably linked for each of us, your nephews, with such wonderful memories; you always are, were, and will be our dearest, most beloved uncle.

I am approaching the fourth Easter that I will spend behind these walls, separated from my family, but the feelings for these holy days which were infused in me from earliest childhood do not fail me now; from the beginning of Holy Week I have felt the approach of the Feast, I follow the life of the Church, I repeat to myself the hymns of the Holy Week services, and in my soul there arise those feelings of tender reverence that I used to feel as a child going to confession or communion. At 35 those feelings are as strong and as deep as in those childhood years.

My dear Uncle Grishanchik, going over past Easters in my memory, I remember our last Easter at Sergiyevskoye, which we spent with you and Aunt Masha, and I felt the immediate need to write you. If you have not forgotten, Easter in 1918 was rather late, and spring was early and very warm, so when in the last weeks of Lent I had to take Aunt Masha to Ferzikovo, the roads were impassable. I remember that trip as now; it was a warm, heavy, and humid day, which consumed the last snow in the forests and gullies faster than the hottest sun; wherever you looked, water, water, and more water, and all the sounds seemed to rise from it, from the burbling and rushing of the streams on all sides to the ceaseless ring of countless larks. We had to go by sleigh - not on the road, which wound through the half-naked fields in a single muddy ridge, but alongside, carefully choosing the route. Each hoofprint, each track left by the runners, immediately turned into a small muddy stream, busily rushing off somewhere. We drove forever, exhausting the poor horse, and, finally, after successfully eluding the Polivanovo field, one of the most difficult places, I became too bold and got Aunt Masha so mired that I nearly drowned the horse and the sleigh; we had to unharness to pull it out and got wet to the eyebrows; in a word, total “local color.”

I remember the feeling I had that spring of growing strength, but that entire happy springtime din, for all the beauty and joy of awakening nature, could not muffle the sense of alarm that squeezed the heart in each of us. Either some hand rose in senseless fury to profane our Sergiyevskoye, or there was the troubling sense that our loving and closely welded family was being broken up: Sonia far off somewhere with a pile of kids, alone, separated from her husband; Seryozha, just married, we don’t know where or how, and you, my dear Uncle Grisha and Auht Masha, separated from your young ones, in constant worry over them. It was a hard and difficult time. But I believe that beyond these specific problems, this spiritual fog had a deeper common source: we all, old and young, stood then at a critical turning point: unaware of it, we were bidding farewell to a past filled with beloved memories, while ahead there loomed some hostile utterly unknown future.

And in the midst of all this came Holy Week. the spring was in that stage when nature, after a big shove to cast off winter’s shackles, suddenly grows quiet, as if resting from the first victory. But below this apparent calm there is always the sense of a complex, hidden process taking place somewhere deep in the earth, which is preparing to open up in all its force, in all the beauty of growth and flowering. Plowing and seeding the earth rasied rich scents, and, following the plow on the sweaty, softly turning furrow, you were enveloped in the marvelous smell of moist earth. I always became intoxicated by that smell, because in it one senses the limitless creative power of nature.

I don’t know how you all felt at the time, because I lived a totally separate life and worked from morning to night in the fields, not seeing, and, yes, not wanting to see, anything else. It was too painful to think, and only total physical exhaustion gave one a chance, if not to forget, then at least to forget oneself. But with Holy Week began the services in church and at home, I had to lead the choir in rehearsal and in church; on Holy Wednesday I finished the sowing of oats and, putting away the plow and harrow, gave myself entirely over to the tuning fork. And here began that which I will never forget!

Dear Uncle Grishanchik! Do you remember the service of the Twelve Gospels in our Sergiyevskoye church? Do you remember that marvelous, inimitable manner of our little parson? This spring will be nine years that he passed away during the midnight Easter service, but even now, when I hear certain litanies or certain Gospel readings, I can hear the exhilarated voice of our kind parson, his intonations piercing to the very soul. I remember that you were taken by this service, that it had a large impact on you. I see now the huge crucifix rising in the midst of the church, with figures of the Mother of God on one side and the Apostle John on the other, framed by multicolored votive lights, the waving flame of many candles, and, among the thoroughly familiar throng of Sergiyevskoye peasants, your figure by the right wall in front of the candle counter, with a contemplative expression on your face. If you only knew what was happening in my soul at that time! It was an entire turnover, some huge, healing revelation!

Don’t be surprised that I’m writing this way; I don’t think I’m exaggerating anything, it’s just that I feel great emotion remembering all these things, because I am continuously breaking off to go to the window and listen. A quiet, starry night hangs over Moscow, and I can hear first one, then another church mark the successive Gospels with slow, measured strikes of the bell. I think of my Lina and our Marinochka, of Papa, Mama, my sisters, brothers, of all of you, feeling the sadness of expatriation in these days, all so dear and close. However painful, especially at this time, the awareness of our separation, I firmly, unshakably believe all the same that the hour will come when we will all gather together, just as you are all gathered now in my thoughts.

1/14 April - They’ve allowed me to finish writing letters, and I deliberately sat down to finish it this night. Any minute now the Easter matins will start; in our cell everything is clean, and on our large common table stand kulichi and paskha, a huge “X.B.” [Christos Voskrese "Christ is risen"] from fresh watercress is beautifully arranged on a white table cloth with brightly colored eggs all around. It’s unusually quiet in the cell; in order not to arouse the guards, we all lay down on lowered cots (there are 24 of us) in anticipation of the bells, and I sat down to write to you again.

I remember I walked out of the Sergiyevskoye church at that time overwhelmed by a mass of feelings and sensations, and my earlier spiritual fog seemed a trifle, deserving of no attention. In the great images of the Holy Week services, the horror of man’s sin and the suffering of the Creator leading to the great triumph of the resurrection, I suddenly discovered that eternal, indestructible beginning, which was also in that temporarily quiet spring, hiding in itself the seed of a total renewal of all that lives. The services continued in their stern, rich order; images replaced images, and when, on Holy Saturday, after the singing of “Arise, O Lord,” the deacon, having changed into a white robe, walked into the center of the church to the burial cloth to read the gospel about the resurrection, it seemed to me that we are all equally shaken, that we all feel and pray as one.

In the meantime, spring went on the offensive. When we walked to the Easter matins, the night was humid, heavy clouds covered the sky, and walking through the dark alleys of the linden park, I imagined a motion in the ground, as if innumerable invisible plants were pushing through the earth toward air and light.

I don’t know if our midnight Easter matins made any impression on you then. For me there never was, and never will be, anything better than Easter at Seriyevskoye. We are all too organically tied to Sergiyevskoye for anything to transcend it, to evoke so much good. This is not blind patriotism, because for all of us Seriyevskoye was that spiritual cradle in which everything by which each of us lives and breathes was born and raised.

My dear Uncle Grishanchik, as I’ve been writing to you the scattered ringing around Moscow has become a mighty festive peal. Processions have begun, the sounds of firecrackers reach us, one church after another joins the growing din of bells. The wave of sound swells. There! Somewhere entirely nearby, a small church breaks brightly through the common chord with such a joyous, exultant little voice. Sometimes it seems that the tumult has begun to wane, and suddenly a new wave rushes in with unexpected strength, a grand hymn between heaven and earth.

I cannot write any more! That which I now hear is too overwhelming, too good, to try to convey in words. The incontrovertible sermon of the Resurrection seems to rise from this mighty peal of praise. My dear uncle Grishanchik, it is so good in my soul that the only way I can express my spirit is to say to you once again, Christ is Risen!

Georgy

Greek Festival! Come Join Us!

2008-05-02T23:11:00.002-04:00

Greek Festival, May 16, 17, 18

I voted!

2008-05-02T23:06:00.003-04:00

One stop early voting is a breeze!

Now, you go vote, too!

For an update on my dad...

2008-04-30T23:18:00.001-04:00

See These Things We Must Never Forget.

And please pray for my mom especially, and for all of us.

Thank you.

Touchdown!

2008-04-20T23:04:00.000-04:00

Mara and Grandy in Italy

2008-04-20T23:03:00.000-04:00

2008-04-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

This is not a smile.

Neither is this.

2008-04-20T22:57:00.000-04:00

Too cute not to post

2008-04-20T22:56:00.000-04:00

This was December in Florida.

Gabriel's Baptism

2008-04-10T23:41:00.001-04:00

Meet my godson, Gabriel!

Here he is, getting ready to get baptized.

After the baptism, Cade and I helped Gabriel put on his new, white clothes, which symbolize new life in Christ. Our job was to hold up a towel so he had some privacy. Being a godmother is easy, with such a self-sufficient little guy.

The procession after the baptism, a sort of dance for joy for the new Christian.

Gabriel playing with his cross.

Gabriel's baptism, continued.

2008-04-10T23:40:00.000-04:00

Beth's godmother, Beth, Fr. Nicholas, Gabriel, and me

Me and my godson!
I'm very proud of him. Can you tell?

Co-Sleeping!

2008-04-10T22:56:00.000-04:00

Mara and her two babies, Apollonia (L) and Mary (R).

Mara's First Greek Dance!

2008-04-10T22:53:00.000-04:00

The Sunday before the Feast of the Annunciation and Greek Independence Day.

Florida, December 2007

2008-04-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

Slava!

2008-04-06T13:06:00.004-04:00

Today, the Sunday of St. John Climacus, marks our second anniversary of being Orthodox.

St. John Climacus, please pray for us as we continue our journey on the Ladder of Divine Ascent.

All without Facebook!

2008-03-31T23:43:00.002-04:00

I've been blogging for a couple of years now. All of a sudden, I've started following friends' links to other friends' blogs, and I'm reading about the lives of people I went to college with years ago. (1999--so...last millennium!) Some of the blogs I've found are people I knew as friends back then, and others are friends of friends. Either way, it's nice to connect again, if only in cyberspace. The people made that place great and my best memories of college have to do with the people and the friends I made there.

It's also nice to know I've still been able to avoid the Facebook/MySpace pages. Now that my mom's gone to the dark side, however, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out.

Sunday of Orthodoxy

2008-03-16T14:53:00.000-04:00

As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach, honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord, and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and serve him, and making to them relative veneration.

This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world.

For more information on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, read here.

For the doubters out there (another Obama post)

2008-02-20T20:27:00.002-05:00

So one Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life.

Read the whole thing here.

Image source here.

On being a godmother

2008-02-18T13:50:00.001-05:00

I'm beginning to think that this whole godparent thing isn't just for the child (or convert). For me, the responsibility to pray for my godchild everyday has helped me take my daily prayers that much more seriously. I find I'm praying even more regularly for my own family, for my extended family, as well as for my godson (to be) and for his family.

Mara and I went to the Orthodox bookstore and she was looking at the prayer ropes. I tried to get her to say the Jesus Prayer for the knots, but she didn't want to. Then, Mr. P, one of the proprietors, modeled it for her (and also for me). He prayed, "Lord have mercy on me, Lord have mercy on Tamara, Lord have mercy on Mara." And just as I've been impacted by the overall simplicity and depth of the Jesus Prayer and all it means, I was touched at the simplicity and depth of that short (demonstration of a) prayer on behalf of me and my daughter.

I was raised with these huge elaborate prayers that had to be off the cuff--intercessory prayers. The Jesus Prayer, and the Jesus Prayer for someone else, is such a departure from the pressure of praying for others and for myself. It gives me a pattern, a model, and a feasible means of including all the people on my list. I don't mean to compare my little prayers to a true intercessor's, but I do not feel myself to be an actual intercessor (in the way it was taught as I was growing up). So, maybe my little prayers aren't nearly as powerful as those of an intercessor, but I do think that regularly praying the little prayers is a step up from trying to pray intercessory-type prayers (in the way I was taught as I was growing up) only every once in a while, when I could muster up the courage to try again.

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord have mercy on Cade and Mara.
Lord have mercy on my family and Cade's family.
Lord have mercy on Mara's godparents and godsiblings.
Lord have mercy on my godson (to be) and on his parents.

Interesting article

2008-02-13T20:12:00.002-05:00

You know, this issue is one I like to tread gently around, but for some, it's the biggest issue, the one they hold dearest to their hearts, and the one that defines them politically. Given that some of my readers (hello? hello?) are staunchly pro-life, and given that I've already turned this into a platform of sorts for Obama, I think I'll just post a link to an interesting perspective of a pro-lifer on supporting Obama.

Pro-Life and Pro-Obama

(This link should not be taken as an endorsement of the author. I really don't know anything about him. I just like that he likes Obama.)

I'm going to be a godmother!

2008-02-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

My friend honored me by asking me to sponsor her son at his baptism as they join the Eastern Orthodox Church.

My family is also a recent convert family, having joined in April 2006. (Scroll down to posts beginning April 3, 2006 to see the write up and pictures.)

Please pray for B, G, and me as we prepare for this step on our spiritual journeys.

Lord have mercy on all of us!

Education in Politics

2008-01-22T19:36:00.000-05:00

James Crawford wrote this blog post about the topic, in which he linked this page of quotes from candidates about education and this page linking candidates to their advisors for education policy.

And because I'm most interested in Obama right now, I read this statement by his advisor, Linda Darling-Hammond.

As a teacher, I can assure anyone who wants to know that NCLB isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing. There are teachers in my school who openly confess to teaching to the test and simultaneously bemoan the fact that they can't cover everything the students need to know about the subject matter. This semester will be my first teaching an End of Course Test class, English I, and I'm not so sure I'll be able to hold out against the pressure. I mean, it's not just whether or not I plan my lessons around the test itself. The entire county has "streamlined" unit plans and lesson plans to make sure all the teachers teach to the test. I just heard an assistant principal say that if he goes from one English I teacher's room to another, he should be able to see the same things being taught at the same time. Good God! Where's teacher autonomy these days? What happened to trusting well-trained and highly qualified teachers to do what's right for the kids? To return to my point, teaching to tests isn't making sure no kid gets left behind; it's making sure they're all getting sub-par education. Expensive standardized testing will never be able to show what teacher grading can about a student's progress through the year. (And here I'll plug FairTest.Org.) What current NCLB legislation overlooks is that it takes more than one type of measurement to really determine a student's growth.

So, if you care about what a teacher thinks should matter in the upcoming election, then be sure to focus on what the candidates are saying and promising about education. NCLB doesn't need just reform and funding. It need a complete overhaul.

Some thoughts on Obama

2008-01-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

(Xpost)

I keep hearing and reading rumors about Obama. Lots of people will believe whatever they hear, and it's especially easy when the subject of the rumor is different, in appearance, history, and in name, than any other president we've had before; different than most of the people I hear spreading (and believing) the rumors.

The thing is, when people spread (or believe) rumors about Obama being Muslim, even though he says he is not, it's fear-mongering. The rumors are there to make it easy for some people to simply discount Obama as a viable candidate. I think it's unfortunate to be so convinced by rumors about someone's suitability for office that he's not worth another look.

And I really think it goes beyond the scope of what the Bible says we're able to do when judging whether or not someone is a Christian. If I say I'm a Christian, but because I'm Eastern Orthodox and not whatever other brand of Christianity anyone else is, and that person decides for me that I'm not Christian because our expressions of faith don't match up, well...that's just plain offensive. Because, when I put myself in that situation, I have to think, "How does anyone else get to tell me whether or not I'm a Christian?"

So, if Barack Obama says he's a Christian, and he discusses his faith and how it has influenced his life and the way he approaches social and political issues, then it would be beyond the pale for me to say he's not a True Christian (TM) just because it's a different brand than my own. That really is a matter of the heart, and IIRC, it's God who looks at the heart!

And, just to carry my pov a little bit further, if we are allowed to consider the fruit to determine whether or not someone is a Christian, then it seems to me the best thing we can do in the case of any of our candidates--or current/past presidents, for that matter--is to consider what they say they believe and then what they do about it. Look at real records, and not at rumors.

That's being a conscientious voter.

We won the piano!

2007-10-09T00:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks for helping with your votes! We're all so excited!

Vote to give a piano to Parkland High School!

2007-09-26T19:25:00.000-04:00

http://www.wxii12.com/sponsors/4925789/detail.html

Please go to this website today through Friday and vote for my high school (Parkland High School) to get the piano. The voting ends on Friday, so there's only a little bit of time left. Our school could really use this type of donation.

It only takes a few seconds and it's free! If you are sure to uncheck the two boxes at the bottom of the form, you'll never be bothered by sales information in your inbox, either. All you're doing is letting the sponsors know you think Parkland High School deserves a piano! And we do!

Oh, and if you want to post on your blog to see if we can get even more votes, that'd be great!

Thank you,

Tamara

Great song!

2007-09-18T18:31:00.000-04:00

The Family Routine set to Pachabel's Cannon in D

Mara's Going to Kindergarten Tomorrow!

2007-08-26T20:44:00.000-04:00

Prayer for School Children

It's that time of year again ...

O God, our heavenly Father, Who lovest mankind, and art most merciful and compassionate, have mercy upon these your children, Thy servants, for whom we humbly pray Thee, and commend them to Thy gracious protection. Be Thou, O God, their guide and guardian in all their endeavors; lead them in the path of Thy truth, and draw them near to Thee, that they may lead a godly and righteous life in Thy love and fear; doing Thy will in all matters. Bless and strengthen their teachers. And, give them grace that they may be temperate, industrious, diligent, devout and charitable. Defend them against the assaults of the enemy, and grant them wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption of this life; and direct them in the way of salvation, for the merits of Thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the intercessions of His Holy Mother, and Thy blessed saints --
and their Guardian Angels!

Amen.

Linked from here.

Many Years!

2007-08-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Name Day to Mara and Happy Birthday to Mom!

May God grant you both many happy years!

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

August 15

Apolytikion in the First Tone
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the
world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life,
delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Neither the grave nor death could contain the Theotokos, the unshakable hope,
ever vigilant in intercession and protection. As Mother of life, He who dwelt
in the ever-virginal womb transposed her to life.

Reading:

Concerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received
from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh
that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared
unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from
this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with
haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to
God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her
burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles
from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and
brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of
the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their
affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the
peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with
seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God.

With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up
that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from
Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim.
But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed
and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those
daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked
forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called
Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the
Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial,
when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name,
as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to
them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos
into the Heavens.

These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who
have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our
God (see Oct. 3 and 4).

Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press
Icon courtesy of Theologic Systems

Give it a listen!

2007-07-12T18:37:00.000-04:00

Lafe Dutton: Am I Gone

Maybe I'm just biased because he's my first-cousin-once-removed, but I still think it's worth a listen, especially if you like folk music with an acoustic guitar.

You can listen to some samples of songs on his website, but I think singing along to the CD while driving down the road is a much better option.

Better yet, is singing together in my aunt's kitchen, watching my father's expression turn to pure joy and light as he claps to keep time.

Conversation with Mara

2007-07-08T20:12:00.000-04:00

Mara: Can we get a bomb?
Us: A bomb? No, I don't think so.
Mara: Oh, I really wanted a bomb!
Us: What are you going to do with a bomb? What do you need to blow up?
Mara: The bad guys.
Us: Oh, no, Mara. You can't take care of the bad guys all by yourself. That's why we have police. We have to let them do their job.
Mara (Crying)
Us: Why are you crying? We're not mad at you.
Mara: I just wanted to help!
Us: It's good you want to help. Maybe one day, you can be a police officer and help. Until then, we just need to let the police know if we see any bad guys.
Mara: But what if there's some bad guy or monster that so big, even the police can't stop him.
Us: Mara, if a bad guy is too big for the police, can you stop him by yourself? The best thing is to help the police by telling them if we see any bad guys.
Mara: Okay.

****

All this, after an afternoon of watching Batfink reruns on Boomerang.

Family Portraits

2007-05-21T18:03:00.000-04:00

Family Portraits

2007-05-21T18:01:00.000-04:00

The new New House

2007-03-28T23:42:00.000-04:00

This is the second new house we've almost bought in a month! The house I posted pictures of earlier (see below) wound up needing too much work. This house is more move-in ready, a tad bigger, and less money. It also has a nice flat, wooded yard, with a climber and slide already there.

Move in day is two weeks away. I'm so excited!

Mara playing in her new yard

2007-03-14T18:19:00.000-04:00

Craig Ferguson on Alcoholism: Must Watch!

2007-03-11T19:31:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Emily for the link.

Treehouse

2007-03-03T19:28:00.000-05:00

This is the tree house my cousins built for their kids/nieces/nephews. It boasts three levels, the top of which is a loft, which you can see best in the second and third pictures below. There's also a rock wall on the back. The windows bring in plenty of light, and there's enough room up there to imagine the space into anything a kid could think of. I know I like it, so now I just have to figure out how to get one built in our new yard. We're not very handy--Cade and I!

From left to right--Kelly, Mara, Katie, Emma, Nate. This is from our trip to VT last summer, stopping on the way home to visit my cousins in CT. My cousin has really great kids, and all of the girls had a wonderful time playing together. Kelly read to the girls, and the littles blew bubbles together. Nate helped them climb and pushed the swings. Mara just enjoyed the chance to run wild in the big yard without being told to be careful and watch out for something breakable!

This is the house we like!

2007-02-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

A view from the living room, through the dining room, into the kitchen, and out the door to the deck.

A view from the balcony, looking down over the living room. From here, you can really see the architechtural detail of the roofline, the arched window detail, and a glimpse of the fireplace below.

This is the window in the half bath/powder room.

I just love all the interesting details in this house!

2007-02-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

This is the front yard, to the side of the front bridge. You can see the driveway, and the walk up to the bridge. The house is on the corner of two cul-de-sacs, so the front of the house faces a different street than the entrance to the driveway.

A view of the same yard from the front porch/bridge. You can see the streets better from this view.

This is the back yard, fenced area. The fenced portion is just a tiny bit of the half acre lot. It's mostly wooded, so the current owner says she's had a hard time growing grass. We'll have to see if we can do any better.

2007-02-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

The bridge from the front door to the front street.

The bridge in the back yard, over the creek. This view is from the back deck, and really looks over the neighbor's back yard, as well. Apparantly, the bridge is on the border between the two properties.

This is the side yard, in front of the garage. If you walked to the back of the picture, you'd head down the bank towards the creek and bridge. The fence is visible in the back, as well.

2007-02-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

Front view of the house. Note the pretty arched window, the little front porch, and the bridge walkway to the front door.

The side view of the house from the drive way.

The back view of the house, from the other side of the creek. You can see the fenced in yard and the deck. The window above the deck steps is the master bedroom. The roofline is the line of the vaulted ceilings in the master.

Mara's growing up!

2007-02-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

Can you tell what's new? (Hint: The blue lips are from candy, but that's not it!)

Sunday of Forgiveness

2007-02-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

Please forgive me for any offense I have caused you. Pray for me, a sinner!

********************

From goarch.org:

The Sunday of Forgiveness, the last of the preparatory Sundays before Great Lent, has two themes: it commemorates Adam’s expulsion from Paradise, and it accentuates our need for forgiveness. There are obvious reasons why these two things should be brought to our attention as we stand on the threshold of Great Lent. One of the primary images in the Triodion is that of the return to Paradise. Lent is a time when we weep with Adam and Eve before the closed gate of Eden, repenting with them for the sins that have deprived us of our free communion with God. But Lent is also a time when we are preparing to celebrate the saving event of Christ’s death and rising, which has reopened Paradise to us once more (Luke 23:43). So sorrow for our exile in sin is tempered by hope of our re-entry into Paradise.

The second theme, that of forgiveness, is emphasized in the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Matthew 6:14-21) and in the special ceremony of mutual forgiveness at the end of the Vespers on Sunday evening. Before we enter the Lenten fast, we are reminded that there can be no true fast, no genuine repentance, no reconciliation with God, unless we are at the same time reconciled with one another. A fast without mutual love is the fast of demons. We do not travel the road of Lent as isolated individuals but as members of a family. Our asceticism and fasting should not separate us from others, but should link us to them with ever-stronger bonds.

****************

Today, the Sunday School sermon was about St. Moses the Black, and included this story about his reputation for and example of forgiveness towards others:

In another incident related in the sources, one of the brothers committed a fault. A council met and Moses was invited, but refused to attend. Someone came to him to let him know the others were waiting, at which Moses went to the meeting. He took a leaking jug filled with water and carried it on his shoulder (another version has him carrying a basket of sand with a hole in it). When he arrived, the others came out to meet him asking, "What is this?" Moses replied, "My sins run out behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another." Hearing that, they said no more to the erring brother, but forgave him.

Tamara Says:

2007-01-18T19:22:00.000-05:00

From the Winston Salem Journal:

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Free literacy program gets few takers in first few weeks

It's not just for people who can't read at all, resource teacher says

By Danielle Deaver

JOURNAL REPORTER

Improving literacy among adults in the community could also help students, Kessler said.

"If parents, aunts and uncles are literate and reading to children, they will be better when they get to us," she said. "It will make a difference."

(Read full article by clicking link.)

Mara says:

2006-12-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

Before Christmas, Mara was playing with Nana's nativity set. A friend was watching the play and reported the following to us.

Mara cries for Baby Jesus, "Wah! Wah!"

Friend asked why Jesus was crying. Mara said, "Oh, because he fell off a camel."

Then, Mara made Mary turn to Jesus and say, "Baby Jesus, quit your whining!"

*********************

At lunch out the other day, Mara said, "I wish I was eighteen!"

I asked, "Oh, really? What are you going to do when you're eighteen? Move out? Get a job and pay rent?"

Mara answered, "No!!! I can call."

I asked, "Oh? At eighteen, you'll be able to use the telephone?"

Mara replied, "No, silly! I can call FLOAM when I'm eighteen!"

Mara's Dance Skills; At Lowrey Park Zoo in Tampa, FL:

2006-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:00

This one's even better:

2006-12-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

This is at Cypress Gardens, a father and daughter dance with flourish ending:

2006-12-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

Baby Jake

2006-12-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

This picture is from my mother's camera at Thanksgiving. It's one of the best pictures I've seen so far of Baby Jake: open eyes, face towards the camera, contented look. He's a sweetie!

Christmas Decorations, 2006

2006-12-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

Here are our Christmas trees this year. The small one is in Mara's room. It's the tree we used as our only tree for three years while Mara was too young to be trusted to not pull a big one on top of herself. My friend Gina helped decorate the family tree with me this year. It was fun reminiscing with her about all the memories each ornament held. Of course, I was the only one with the memories, but Cade was off with her husband, John. Also, our new stockings, bought after Christmas last year, so I this will be our first year using them.

Merry Christmas!!

Links

2006-11-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

I was told my links were broken, so I've restored them all. Please let me know if they get broken again.

Halloween 2006

2006-11-08T16:43:00.000-05:00

Here's Mara with Emma, dressed as Little Mermaid.

Here are Mara's godsiblings, Mikey and Kassiani, Mara, and Emma at our church's costume party. Mara and Emma had fun, but they hardly played any of the games at all. We told them they had to play the games in order to get candy, but they just wanted to chase each other around, instead.

I'm not complaining. It's good for Mara to run out some of her energy rather than just eat more candy!

Halloween 2006

2006-11-08T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mara dressed as a Pretty Kitty, and she was cuter than I could have imagined. Our original plan was for Cade and me to go as pirates, with Mara as the parrot, but it never came together. We bought this costume the day before the church's costume party.

Mara and Julie on our stoop, beside the pumpkins they carved and decorated together. Julies a better substitute mom than I am a real one, I think!

Update to Mara's big girl room

2006-11-05T18:18:00.000-05:00

I couldn't find any fairy bedding I really liked, so this is what we did instead. I found these fairy ornaments at Pier 1 Kids and suspended them by the same ribbon I used on the butterflies across the room (see post below). Behind them are two sheer pannels, the cheapest I could find, hung from a tension rod. Before now, the only privacy Mara has had was from the canopy over the bed and because she's shorter than the bed.

This is the new window with the canopy. After researching on the internet, trying three different bedding solutions, and taking pictures of several other options, this is what we came up with. This bed-in-a-bag, called Chloe Plaid, was on sale for $40 at Linens 'nThings. (Haha! Isn't that the way of things? It's cheaper online!) It's not a fairy theme, but neither does it clash with the stripes on the wall. With the fairies in the background, I feel okay about it. As it turns out, Cade and Mara don't necessarily prefer fairies to butterflies/dragonflies, anyway. I'm just glad we found something that wasn't solely butterflies.

Here's Mara showing off her new room. She's really taken to posing for pictures lately.

So, compare this with below and tell me what you think. Did we improve?

Mara's Big Girl Room

2006-10-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

Hans came over and helped us by putting up Mara's new wall paper. The stripes are only on the wall behind Mara's bed, and the other three walls are pink on top, green on bottom.

We started out with a quilt from Cade's grandmother (possibly made by his great-grandmother), but I took it off the bed once I saw signs of wear in the fabrics. Now, she has an afghan made by his great-grandmother. It's pink and green, but the colors don't really go. We're still considering what to do for bedding, but I hate to not use the nice heirloom blanket, either.

We put three shelves back up to hold some of the nice toys and pictures. The big Raggedy Ann doll was a gift to me from my mother, handmade by a co-worker. The small Raggedy Ann doll is an antique from Cade's grandmother.

Here's Mara with her own mini Ikonostasi. We have a big family one down stairs. This one has our family's very first icon of the Theotokos, a gift from John and Tiffany; a gift to Mara from Father Dimitri of a guardian angel with a girl; an icon of St. Anna with the Theotokos, from Kh. Michelle; and an icon of the Nativity, which Mara received at her baptism. There are also four small icons I purchased for Mara when she began preschool: Archangels Gabriel and Michael, two of the Theotokos (in red and blue), and one of another saint I do not remember, but I think is St. Dimitri. There's also a plain old picture of a nativity and a cross Mara painted at my mother's church.
This is the wall opposite Mara's bed. We bought the two smaller flower pictures first, then got the blue butterfly and green dragonfly from Peir 1 Kids, later. I also bought the butterfly hooks from Peir 1 Kids. We put it all together and I'm very please with how it came together. On the first hook is an icon of the Theotokos mounted on a small stone, and on the last hook is Mara's baptismal cross, which I only allow her to wear on Sundays.

The room is supposed to be a pink and green fairy theme, but so far, it boasts more butterflys than fairies. When I finally find some fairy elements to bring in, I think I'll call it a fairy garden room.

Mara's Christmas Program #1

2006-10-15T20:14:00.000-04:00


Mara sings with gusto

Heirloom Rocking Chair

2006-08-13T13:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some before pictures, although I never thought to take one just before beginning the project. What you should be able to see in these pictures is that the chair was so uncomfortable, that it needed lots of blankets and pillows to make it bearable to sit in. Imagine sitting in this rocking chair just after giving birth. OUCH!

Here's the middle of the project, after a full day of demolition--taking off all the old leather (seat and front) and vinyl (back), pulling out the hay and hair stuffing, and ripping out the old burlap. It took a full trash bag to hold all the stuff we pulled from the chair.

2006-08-13T13:21:00.000-04:00

This is the chair with the new burlap (jute) on it.
Tiffany got the new covering on the back started.

Here's the finished product of the back.
After I finally completed the chair, here are some of the details.

2006-08-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite detail because I think the decorative ribbon and nails came out really good on this side. On the rest of the chair, there are all kinds of mistakes with the nails being uneven or not centered on the ribbon. But this side looks pretty good.

The finished project!

There are lots of marks in the wood from our efforts, but Tiffany thinks a wax pen will work to erase some of them. However, one thing Cade and I love on this chair is the natural aging. I have no idea how old this chair really is, but it's built well and is finally comfortable again.

I saved a bit of the materials from the original chair--the leather, straw, burlap, and a small note telling where it's from and who recovered it--in an envelope and wrapped it in the batting on the seat back. If it ever really needs to be dated, I hope that serves the purpose.

Today, we celebrate six years!

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Prayer of a Married Person

Lord Jesus Christ, by Your presence You blessed the wedding in Cana and showed us that You are the true priest of mystical and pure marriage. We thank You for the day on which by Your heavenly blessing You joined us in the sacrament of marriage. Lord, continue to bless and enrich our marriage in love companionship, mutual support, oneness of heart and progress in faith and life. Protect our Holy wedlock from sin, evil and danger. Nurture between us the spirit of understanding, the spirit of forgiveness and the spirit of peace, that no resentment, quarrel or other problem may cause us to stumble and fall. Grant us to see our own faults and not to judge each other. Keep our bond of love always new. Gladden our lives with the joys of marriage, that with one heart we may praise and glorify You. Amen.

Prayer of the Married

My bountiful God, I beseech Thee, listen to my humble prayer, that I may ever feel that the married state is holy and that I must keep it holy. Grant Thy grace that I may never sin against the faithfulness and love of this marriage. Foster between us the spirit of understanding and of peace, that no strife, quarrel or misunderstanding may arise between us. Grant us health and our daily bread, whereby we may serve Thee more. Amen.

Hot Springs, NC

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Cade and I took an extended weekend retreat to Hot Springs, NC, last weekend. Mara spent the weekend with Nana.

We stayed at the Bright Leaf Junction bed and breakfast. It's newly opened and under new management, but we loved it. The decor is great, with exposed brick walls partially covered with plaster, bright colors of teal, purple, and blue tones, oversized wood door and window frames, wood floors, tin ceilings at soaring heights, and a minimalist and inviting design. There are a few other Bed and Breakfasts in town, and many other lodging options, as well, but we would love to go back and stay in the exact same place!

Our room--a double bed, closed off full bath, a beautiful view, and, well, what more do you need?

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Our room was the last on the right.

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The skylight above the huge open hallway

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The painted tin ceiling was throughout the whole building and in several other buildings, as well.

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The restored wood floors seemed to be original to the building. We loved how the planks made right angles to turn with the hallway.

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The steps from the side entrance, showing the sky light in the ceiling.

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The gray section is the restaurant and the second floor of the red brick section is the hotel. The corner of the first floor is the police department.

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Our window

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Bright Leaf Junction Hotel and Restaurant main entrance

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Cade's caboose picture

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Hot Springs Welcome Center is inside an old red caboose.

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Cade pushing a huge log

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House on a Hill

Tamara's Camera

Merry Christmas!

Memories...

Dogs: An unusual guide to school reform

Missions in Orthodoxy: My friend James

Aunt Beth's Pics of Mara

Aunt Beth's Pics of Mara

Sunday of Forgiveness

Mara's New School

Mara's Christmas Wish List--2009

Mara's Prayers

Jim Wallis / James Dobson

One final thought. When I voted today for Obama, I voted out of hope, not out of fear. If my hope is not realized, my faith will hold me. However, I do not trust that same resolve had I voted out of fear.

Come now, let us reason together.

James Dobson’s ‘Letter From 2012 in Obama’s America’

Trippin'

Register and Vote!

First Grade

Pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Transfiguration

First day of first grade

Kayaking with Mara

Pictures of Mara's Birthday Party

Many Years, Mara! Happy Name Day!

Mom's Birthday

Dormition of the Theotkos

Important Letter to Barack Obama

I contributed! You can, too!

My Orthodox Testimony

Wow!

Update on my dad

Prom 2008

Pascha (Easter) from Prison

A Letter from Butyrskaya Prison - Pascha 1928

Greek Festival! Come Join Us!

I voted!

For an update on my dad...

Touchdown!

Mara and Grandy in Italy

Too cute not to post

Gabriel's Baptism

Gabriel's baptism, continued.

Co-Sleeping!

Mara's First Greek Dance!

Florida, December 2007

Slava!

All without Facebook!

Sunday of Orthodoxy

More Obama Articles

For the doubters out there (another Obama post)

On being a godmother

Interesting article

I'm going to be a godmother!

Education in Politics

Some thoughts on Obama

We won the piano!

Vote to give a piano to Parkland High School!

Great song!

Mara's Going to Kindergarten Tomorrow!

Prayer for School Children

Many Years!

Give it a listen!

Conversation with Mara

Family Portraits

Family Portraits

The new New House

Mara playing in her new yard

Craig Ferguson on Alcoholism: Must Watch!

Treehouse

This is the house we like!

Mara's growing up!

Sunday of Forgiveness

Tamara Says:

Mara says:

Mara's Dance Skills; At Lowrey Park Zoo in Tampa, FL:

This one's even better:

This is at Cypress Gardens, a father and daughter dance with flourish ending:

Baby Jake

Christmas Decorations, 2006

Links

Halloween 2006