Tomorrow is the feast of the Annunciation, and I'm having trouble deciding what to do. "Go to Church, of course!" Well, yes, but that's the problem. There is much collegiality between the various parishes in our area, as many folks who attend my home parish work in Lexington, and some of us live here, too. So, we pretty much have a blessing to go and worship at any of the parishes we want to for the weekday/lenten services, as long as it means we are keeping the feast somewhere.
So, should I go to Vespers at the OCA parish (my home parish, which through rush hour traffic means an hour long drive to get there), or at the Greek Church (nice and close), or Vesepral Liturgy at the Antiochian parish (not quite so close as the Greek parish, but not as far as my home parish) tonight?
If I decide not to go to vesperal liturgy at the Antiochian parish tonight, then should I go to Divine Liturgy tomorrow at my home parish, or at the Greek parish (unless of course, I've gone to vesperal Liturgy tonight with the Antiochians)? I could drive down to my home parish tonight, and go to the Greek parish in the morning. Or I could go to the Greek parish tonight and drive down to the OCA parish tomorrow. Or I could do both services at the Greek Church, or both services at my home parish. Or I could go back to square one and just do vesperal liturgy with the Antiochians tonight.
Ei-yei-yei! I shake my hands to the heavens, roll my eyeballs and sigh.
One could ask, why, as Orthodox Christians, we don't just be members at the nearest parish...well, at this point its about relationships.
I love my fellow parishioners so very dearly and can't take the thought of leaving them at this point. Relationships that go back 20 years, or so. It's a novel thing in this day and age, but there's a depth and a goodness to sticking around through thick and thin with people for the long haul, who have loved us warts and all, and in whose eyes we have looked at Forgiveness Vespers for all these years. So we continue to make the drive.
And then throw in the prospects of going to a "play date/craft time" this afternoon with some new friends, and the decision just gets more and more complicated.
At least I know what to wear when I do go to Church. Now, if only I could decide where to go....
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