I knocked over our Christmas tree today. It was an accident. I was bringing the storage box in form the garage, with intentions of putting it all away, when I bumped the tree with the box and CRASH! all went down. A blown glass ornament was shattered, and a few more had pieces broken that I can super glue, so over all the damage was not too great. And I'd been just about to pull the tree apart anyways,so it wasn't that big of a deal.
The tree wasn't the only thing that seemed crashed and broken today, though. A rough day here at the Mousenest Monastery. I'm emotionally drained from care taking.
So I brought our table back into the living room, and put a pretty light blue table cloth with a lace table cloth over it on it...in the place where the tree was. Re-hung the icons that happen to be on the wall there, and decided I'd do something decorative for Theophany. I got down the icon of the Baptism of our Lord, and propped it up against the wall, surrounded with cut holly leaves. A green glass plate with three white votive candles complete the picture. It's quite pretty. If I hadn't left my camera battery recharger in Nashville I could take a picture...but alas!
Today is also my nameday. St. Juliana of Lazarevo. I just remember that I usually pray her Akathist on this day, but so far have not done it. I was so busy taking care.
I did manage to sneak out for some back porch time...it's really really cold out there but my Coleman sleeping bag and a mug of hot cocoa got me through some belated ninth hour prayers. I so needed that. I feel less drained for having done that.
Pancakes for supper, I guess. And then I have to go grocery shopping. God have mercy!
I'm so glad this life is not the end of it all....it's been an OK day, but I think what's really kept me going is knowing that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world and that there is a love and a hope and an eternity that is not like this. This has me filled with joy.
The tree wasn't the only thing that seemed crashed and broken today, though. A rough day here at the Mousenest Monastery. I'm emotionally drained from care taking.
So I brought our table back into the living room, and put a pretty light blue table cloth with a lace table cloth over it on it...in the place where the tree was. Re-hung the icons that happen to be on the wall there, and decided I'd do something decorative for Theophany. I got down the icon of the Baptism of our Lord, and propped it up against the wall, surrounded with cut holly leaves. A green glass plate with three white votive candles complete the picture. It's quite pretty. If I hadn't left my camera battery recharger in Nashville I could take a picture...but alas!
Today is also my nameday. St. Juliana of Lazarevo. I just remember that I usually pray her Akathist on this day, but so far have not done it. I was so busy taking care.
I did manage to sneak out for some back porch time...it's really really cold out there but my Coleman sleeping bag and a mug of hot cocoa got me through some belated ninth hour prayers. I so needed that. I feel less drained for having done that.
Pancakes for supper, I guess. And then I have to go grocery shopping. God have mercy!
I'm so glad this life is not the end of it all....it's been an OK day, but I think what's really kept me going is knowing that the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world and that there is a love and a hope and an eternity that is not like this. This has me filled with joy.
Comments
Happy Names Day! Many Years!
I noticed your comment that this life is not the end of things, and I was reminded of a sort of corollary: so much Orthodox writing and literature teach us that while this life is not the end of things, it is very much the beginning of things. As you ask, "Is there anything too small to be illumined by God?" Dostoyevsky says in Brothers that this life is paradise when our spiritual eyes are opened. This life is where we learn to love God. I've been thinking about this a lot lately: to die is gain only for those to whom to live is Christ. This is sounding preachy, and I don't mean it to sound that way at all. All that I want to say is may we all find joy and love and the un-created light that is all around us and permeates all things. I rarely see clearly, so I have no right to write these words, but the ideas seem to be good ideas.
God bless