Christ is risen, and you are overthrown.

Praying with my feet - mostly in the hall, but a little in the narthex :)

Christ is risen! We celebrated our first Pascha here in Jackson. Thank God! Of course, I'm in my 40 days and have been home for most of Holy Week, but Father suggested I come sit in the hall or nursery during Pascha if I was up to it. So Mary and I came, and she slept, and I got all teary peeking in at every beautiful moment. I am overwhelmed with how richly this parish has grown, and how much beauty has been given to us.

Also this:

It is when I am concerned about the impingement of others or of circumstances upon my space, upon my desires, upon my preferences, that the fear of death overtakes me, and I am in bondage to my own desires. Ironic, isn’t it? We think that it’s freedom to be utterly unrestrained to pursue our desires, but we are actually enslaved to them, enslaved to every impingement. Every little impingement is a little death, a threat to my identity, a threat to the simulacrum I have incubated and grown in the vat of my expectations, that false self that I mistake for my actual self.
And so I lash out. Because this is not what I want. Because this is the death of that false self I hold so dear.
But resurrection changes everything. My false self can die a thousand deaths at the hands of time, circumstance, competition, and even outright enemies, but I will be raised.  Read the rest from Fr. Stephen Damick

Glory to God for all things!

Christ is risen! Our basket is on the bottom right of the photo. 

Our breakfast table

sweet sleeper and a little doll

And this video is the end of the procession. That's me sniffling at the end. :)

End of the procession during Paschal Matins. Christ is risen!

Posted by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church on Sunday, April 12, 2015

Be the Bee

I recently saw this video series from the GOYA via the Orthodox Children's Press, and am hoping to keep up with it! Such a nice simple metaphor from Elder Paisios, and presented in a fun way for kids. Can't wait to see what's next. 

 

Often when I teach the girls I draw a picture to help them understand. I'm not sure if this is more for my benefit or their's - but we all appreciate it, so it works! Here's what I drew to help explain the Bee vs. Fly idea (with some help on the coloring). We've been looking around all day for beautiful things!

And below is a quote from Elder Paisios about bees and flies:

"I know from experience that in this life people are divided in two categories.  A third category does not exist; people either belong to one of the other.  The first one resembles the fly.  The main characteristic of the fly is that it is attracted by dirt.  For example, when a fly is found in a garden full of flowers with beautiful fragrances, it will ignore them and will go sit on top of some dirt found on the ground.  It will start messing around with it and feel comfortable with the bad smell.  If the fly could talk, and you asked it it show you a rose in the garden, it would answer: "I don't even know what a rose looks like.  I only know where to find garbage, toilets, and dirt." There are some people who resemble the fly.  People belonging to this category have learned to think negatively, and always look for the bad things in life, ignoring and refusing the presence of good.

The other category is like the bee whose main characteristic is to always look for something sweet and nice to sit on.  When a bee is found in a room full of dirt and there is a small piece of sweet in a corner, it will ignore the dirt and will go to sit on top of the sweet.  Now, if we ask the bee to show us where the garbage is, it will answer: "I don't know.  I can only tell you where to find flowers, sweets, honey and sugar;" it only knows the good things in life and is ignorant of all evil.  This is the second category of people who have a positive way of thinking, and see only the good side of things.  They always try to cover up the evil in order to protect their fellow men; on the contrary, people in the first category try to expose the evil and bring it to the surface.

When someone comes to me and starts accusing other people, and puts me in a difficult situation, I tell him the above example.  Then, I ask him to decide to which category he wishes to belong, so he may find people of the same kind to socialize with."
From Elder Paisios on the Holy Mountain by PriestMonk Christodoulos, p.43-44