Highlights

Today I finally found (it was lost!) a beautiful book on praying the rosary that a friend had given me for Pascha. I only used it once, and after that it just disappeared. Turns out, the couch had swallowed it. I'd slid the couch out from the wall, but apparently it had gotten kicked down to the other end, where I only sort of swiveled the couch when I was looking for it. Today I was inspired to ask for help, and my dh actually lifted the thing (too heavy for me) and there it was...along with lots of pencils, an alarm clock that kept going off every morning at 7:45 am, and some rather large dust bunnies.

I was so happy to have found it. It has the appropriate icons on the page opposite of the prayers for each of the mysteries...most of them from St. Catherine's monastery on Mt. Sinai. (An aside: My Sunday School students were so cute a few weeks ago, when we were learning about Moses going up the mountain to receive the law from God, and I mentioned that now there is an Orthodox monastery on the very same mountain. Their little eyes sort of got big and round and they were in awe. Continuity is a beautiful thing!) So, my precious new book is found, and I'm glad.

Another nice thing that happened today is that I went down to Vespers BY MYSELF! It was so nice not to have to ride herd on the kiddos. And then I had an actual conversation with an actual adult person afterwards. That was cool. Vespers was beautiful. After the litany, we did an akathist. I love singing the melody for the akathists. The only way I know the music is because I have one on CD. So, I was able to sing along and the music is so ethereal, and just hits the right spot in my brain to make me happy. Finally, this week, the dry spell I've been in is lifting. Finally a little bit of Paschal joy is seeping in to my withered soul. I don't think I'll ever take such joy for granted. This year has been weird that way. Everyone around me all happy and me just feeling like a dishrag.

Christ is Risen!