St. George's Day

Byzantine icon of St. George.

Athens, Greece

We celebrated this great saint and martyr today, the patron of our parish. St. George is known & honored in many nations outside the USA including Egypt, the British Isles, Georgia, Russia, Sweden, Serbia, Romania, Greece, Lebanon, Canada, and Portugal to name a few. I found it interesting to learn that St. George is also venerated in Islam, even though their writings about his life differ from Christian accounts.

St. George lived in the 3rd century and was a Christian Roman soldier under Emperor Diocletian. George’s courage and bravery in battle was noted and he swiftly ascended military ranks, becoming a member of the personal guard surrounding the Emperor. When Diocletian issued an edict to destroy the Christians of his empire, reportedly, George refused to participate and confessed to worshipping Jesus Christ. This enraged the Emperor, who then considered George to be a traitor deserving of execution.

After days of enduring tortures, George would not renounce his faith and as a consequence, many witnesses were converted to Christ. Among those converts was Empress Alexandra, Diocletian’s wife. She is said to have pleaded for George’s life, although unsuccessfully, and died a martyrs death. George was beheaded after days of torture.

His body was returned to Lydda, in Palestine for burial and he was soon honored as a Christian martyr. Today, St. George’s tomb and sarcophagus is located in the Church of Saint George, Lod, Israel.

We sing this troparion (a short hymn) to St. George each Sunday:

As the deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm and champion of kings, victorious great martyr George intercede with Christ our God for our souls salvation.

St. George is often depicted in later icons on a white horse (such as the icon above, 17th century Greek and at left in my banner, 15th century Russian) with spear or sword in hand and a dragon underfoot. This image is born of a legend in which details vary according to locale. Most Christians view the legend as symbolic, depicting the on-going battle between good & evil.

Today, after Divine Liturgy, a luncheon was held and the children’s choir performed several pieces relating to St. George and the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ. We listened to a few speakers & enjoyed a delicious meal of kibbe without the wheat (cannot remember what the Lebanese term is), rice, potatoes, peas & fattoush; an excellent morning and afternoon.

St. George's Monument in Tbilisi, Georgia

May we always remember the sacrifices of the saints;

their example points us toward

God eternal †

Bright Smiles, Bright Friday

Prince William & Catherine Middleton / AP photo

May the Lord bless thee & keep thee

May the Lord make His face shine upon thee & be gracious unto thee

May the Lord grant you

perseverance, patience and love always in your union

May your marriage be blessed

May this sacrament draw you ever closer to our

Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ

and

May God grant you many joyful years!

We love you in rural West Virginia!

Art Enriches Our Lives

Art is so enriching, so therapeutic, so joyful! My new job has transported me in ways I didn't imagine, such as being surrounded daily by colorful paper, markers, books, glitter, sequins...listening to children tell you about what they're thinking & helping them to get it on paper. Seeing those smiles ...observing the ones who are diligent and detail oriented and those who always seem to exude a creative flow. Children are amazing; I am very thankful to share this small part of their lives.

These are Rhythm Collages made by 3rd & 5th graders. I got the idea from a wonderful art teacher, Holly V., who readily shares her talents via her vibrant & informative blog, Lines, Dots, and Doodles. Thank you Holly! For this project, I brought instrumental music on cd into the classroom & asked the students to write down the instruments they heard. They had to draw some of these instruments and arrange them into a collage. We then talked about how to show movement & festivity in their artwork, using angles, lines and shapes. Aren't they jubilant? I love how they turned out.

Notice the hands drawn to hold the maracas above...

I love all the colors in the hallway!! The students had fun with these; their creativity makes my heart smile.

As I bring new art projects to the students, my life is enriched too because I research the lesson, thus giving me an opportunity to discover new artists that I can learn from. Fabulous artists such as Joni James, who makes amazing calligrams!

One student told me they had seen a calligram of the Lord's Prayer, arranged in a way to form our Lord's hands clasped together as if in prayer.

These are a few calligrams from the imagination of 4th graders:

Paschal Flash Mob - Lebanon

... I just love flash mobs... especially when they're singing about Christ!

Thanks for posting this one, Anastasia!

Oh, and this one has closed captioning... just click on the cc to see English subtitles.

Hristos voskrse!

People rejoice, all nations listen:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Dance all ye stars and sing all ye mountains:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Whisper ye woods and blow all ye winds:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

O seas proclaim and roar all ye beasts:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Buzz all ye bees and sing all ye birds:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

O little lambs rejoice and be merry:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Nightengales joyous, lending your song:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Ring, O ye bells, let everyone hear:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

All angels join us, singing this song:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Come down ye heavens, draw near the earth:

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Glory to Thee, God Almighty!

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Glory to Thee, God Almighty!

Christ God is risen! Let us rejoice!

Holy Week...and Jumping off the FB Wheel

I might lament the fact that so many of my brethren are being blessed by church services during Holy Week since I cannot go due to distance and time factors, but such is not the case. God’s blessings & grace come to us in a variety of ways and I am thankful for each of them.

This Lenten season has brought my family closer in many ways; we have strived to keep the fast, to be prayerful and disciplined in asking for spiritual growth and guidance. My husband brought to the dinner table one evening a book he had put together from pages found online -- a study of Proverbs. What a great opportunity this has been for us to use our short time together around the table to delve into God’s Word, to bring our children an understanding of wisdom, knowledge & God’s guidance for our lives.

I will admit that I find keeping the fast quite difficult and so, I do what I can in giving up those things I love to eat or indulge in. One evening recently I was reminded in a profound way of how fasting strengthens our spirit: I had experienced a challenging day, been the recipient of cruel words and struggled to maintain my composure. I felt hurt and emotionally drained. By evening, when I arrived home, I wanted nothing more than to unwind by relaxing on the couch with a good book and glass of wine. But with hubby out-of-town and school the next day, there were chores to do, children who needed help with home-work and bath time and, and.... no time for self-indulgence.

Forsaking my comfortable indulgences, I went to our prayer corner and prayed: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. God help me...I feel drained and angry and hurt. I give all this as a sacrifice to you ...for I know that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Please help me through this evening... I am tired and have so much else to do. Help me to be a good mother, a peaceful woman... help me to shut the door on anger and walk the high road. Guide me to Thy peace. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.”

It may seem trivial, as we all have such days, but it’s no small thing that God restored my spirit in those evening hours. I was given the energy to do all the necessary chores and most blessedly, I was given peace - the kind that passes all understanding - which resulted in reconciliation from the earlier conflict that day. Nothing less than amazing, given my quick temper. It was the grace of God.

† † †

I never consciously decided to give up Facebook. I still have my account and receive messages, but I’ve learned that the longer I stay away, the less inclination I have to return. I view it now more like a Rolodex rather than a social meeting place; it was becoming to me something akin to a personal National Enquirer, a gauntlet to run in order to find the few tid-bits I really wanted to read. I really don’t need the chaos of ads, games, and other voices screaming in the marketplace...I want quiet, mindful stuff. I want to live purposefully and as unplugged as possible. I don’t want to miss the quiet voice of God each day.

That’s what I’m working toward..and by the grace of God, that is what this Lenten season has brought to me. As my life reflects more of the light of Christ, by His mercy, that light will reach others.

Praise God for all things †

A blessed Pascha to all of you dear readers!

The Creativity of Children

Just a quick post to show you what I've been up to with my art classes for the 3rd - 5th graders. The 3rd & 4th grade made "Explosion Flowers" and learned how to make a 3-dimensional flowers. We talked about the signs of spring, renewal and the beauty & diversity of God's creation. They all had fun making these projects. The 6th graders are still working on their projects... more on that one later.

I learned that they LOVE glitter...

and, also to use it outside!

I love the detail added to the leaves!

The 5th graders made "Loopy Birds". I love how these turned out! What expressions on the faces of the birds...I am inspired by their imaginations! We discussed spring, the habits of birds, rebirth and beauty in the natural world.

Laundry

Gratitude taps on my shoulder unexpectedly sometimes. I mean, there are times when it naturally accompanies me - or the family - such as prayer before a meal or when the power finally comes back on. Or the times when the children demonstrate they really have been listening and use their manners unprompted. Such moments bring an easy smile and appreciation.

When Gratitude sneaks up on me and squeezes my heart till I think it’s going to burst... well, those are times worth remembering because it brings the perspective I should have every day.

Such was the case on Friday while doing laundry. I had just hung my son’s jeans on the clothesline when an unbidden wave of emotion swiftly crashed over me. My mind shifted gears and went from the never ending to-do list to ...this, this simple chore is a gift...she might love to be doing this now..for her family...to behold the clean scent of freshly laundered clothes...and think of the child who will be wearing them.

The preceding day, my husband had told me about a colleague whose wife was in need of much prayer...of a miracle. She has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain cancer. When a radical surgery was about to take place, it was discovered the cancer had spread beyond the initial assessment ..and so the surgery was halted immediately. Now she faces exploratory procedures and chemotherapy. They have two small children and will be away from them at least a month during this next phase. Even though I don’t know her personally, the news was sad & shocking and we’ve been praying for Calah ever since.

I should never complain about the cross I bear, for many others carry so much more. There is joy at the heart of life... in living simply and being thankful for all things. The seemingly ordinary events of the day are made magnificent by gaining the right perspective... and walking humbly with Gratitude.

*Photo by lifecreations

New Revolution

"The seed of revolution is repression"

Woodrow Wilson

As a christian conservative often lamenting the state of our national political landscape, perhaps this is one of the greatest, most promising aspects of our out-of-control liberalism and immorality:

It makes the face of revolution decidedly conservative.

Could it be...

that the generation who acknowledges that 1/3 of them have been

destroyed by abortion, will be the generation to

abolish it?

Return of Green

I am so thankful for spring this year. It’s not that I dislike winter, as I find much to love about the snow & ice... the laughter in building a snowman with the children.. the cozy fires in evening. I even enjoy being snowed in on occasion, making hot chocolate and reading. But this winter has brought personal challenges, too. The warm spring sunshine feels good on my soul.

Just a week and a half ago I noticed the tiny green shoots of mint peeping out from under a mess of dead, crispy stems. As I removed all the dead stuff to clear the way, a wonderful fragrance was released in the air and lingered on my hands. I must add more mint to the garden this year; it’s such a happy and uplifting little herb. Not fussy at all -- just the kind I like to grow.

The shamrock plant (pictured above) survives the winter indoors and when the time is right, finds a home on the porch to catch gentle rains. Our grass now needs mowed, the birds are busy and , oh! we have a new couple at our feeder this year. A male and female towhee have been regularly stopping by since late January.

I love the return of green and watching the trees wake up...the season of renewal and rebirth. A season that I feel internally, too. I’ve also had some changes in the last few weeks, a new direction and focus which I am enjoying very much.

I began a new part-time job last Monday, teaching art to 3rd-6th graders and am loving every minute of it! The job is only 3 hours per day, which fits in nicely with my photography business. The best part? I get to spend those hours near our children and two nieces. The job opportunity came as a surprise and as soon as I knew the school wanted me on board, I began researching art projects. What fun! I feel like I did as a third grader and a brand-new box of Crayola® crayons was given to me --the 64 count that is. Full explosive color with sharpened tips just waiting for the fuse of imagination to create something spectacular on that clean sheet of paper.

The first week went well. I’m still finding my bearings, but am encouraged at every turn by faculty as well as the students. I actually laughed out loud during my first class with the third graders. When I asked, “Does anyone know why this week is so special?” A young man raised his hand and said, “Because it’s your first week of work?” ha! Thankfully, the next young lady had the answer I was looking for...”Because it’s the first week of spring?” Yes, indeed. It is spring, glorious spring...my spirit is being renewed. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. †

Locks of Love

I did it! I finally did it. I gave 10” of my hair to the charitable organization, Locks of Love. I’ve been thinking of doing this for a while... ever since my 6 year old niece donated her hair last year.

If she can part with her waist-length locks, then I can too, I finally determined. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the USA and Canada who suffer long-term hair loss due to medical reasons such as alopecia areata or chemotherapy. Their hair prosthetics are custom made from donated ponytails and tailored specifically for each child. It’s hard for me to imagine what a child must go through when they have lost their hair, knowing the trials of peer pressure & ridicule. My sister has told me that through Izzy’s challenges with cancer, of all the chemo, radiation, blood transfusions and surgeries, it was losing her hair that was most difficult to bear. Our hair is so much a part of our identity and self-confidence.

These custom made wigs return a sense of normalcy and help to build self-esteem in these children. Just check out the donor and recipient galleries at Locks of Love and see if it doesn’t bring a smile to your face today = ‘ )

Thanks to Corrie at Calabria Salon for educating me about the program and making it easy to donate. Thanks, too, for giving me a smart cut and easing that momentary pang I felt when seeing my new short hair in the mirror. You’re a gem!

Smile at a Clerk Day

I don't know about your shopping experiences, but mine are typically dull and involve crossing paths with a store clerk who seems to hate their job. This is evidenced by their avoiding eye-contact and keeping their mouth shut as they go about the job. That is typical.

What is atypical is what happened to me yesterday when I was grocery shopping. At check-out, I was pleasantly greeted by a smiling face and asked how I was doing. This brought a smile to me too and we continued a pleasant, light conversation while she was checking out my groceries & I was putting the bags into my buggy.

As she was nearly finished, a voice spoke from the woman behind me in line saying, "Could you discontinue the personal visit? I wouldn't normally say anything, but this is too much. I would like to get through here today."

I could see the surprise and embarrassment on the store clerk's face and was kind of stunned myself -- as it was just pleasant chit-chat while she was scanning my things. It wasn't like the clerk was stopping her job to engage in some deep personal drama. Far from it.

I turned around and calmly said, "Well, I appreciate the friendliness, as what I usually see is someone who won't look me in the face or say anything at all."

The lady replied, "Well, the conversation slows you down and I would like to get through here today."

The clerk said nothing more, just totaled my bill and accepted my payment. Her spirit was crushed, that I could see. It made me angry that in just a brief moment, harsh words served to humiliate a person who was being pleasant and carrying out her job just fine.

Before leaving, I said to the clerk, "Thanks. I appreciate you."

Proverbs 15 talks about the harm done with the tongue and how words can crush a spirit. Let's smile today and encourage others who show simple kindness.

To God be the glory for all things †

* image found at fanpop.com

Lenten Companion

I mentioned previously about the Life of St. Mary of Egypt being conveniently located in the back of Frederica Mathewes-Green’s book, First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew. I enjoy this book more every year, working my way through it during Great Lent. My Orthodox friends are most likely familiar with the Canon of St. Andrew, but the great thing about Frederica’s style is that she often appeals to a wider audience, from the reference of her Protestant background.

She writes about the history of the Canon in her introduction and goes on to differentiate between an Eastern view of Christianity and our Western one. She addresses concepts such as sin, theosis (sanctification in the Protestant realm) , the evil one, monasticism, and prayers to the saints -- something very misunderstood to Protestants.

If you are unfamiliar, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is a prayerful hymn.... a very lengthy one. St. Andrew was born in Damascus and spent many years as a monk in Jerusalem. Later he spent his time caring for orphans and the elderly in Constantinople and toward the end of his years, was made Bishop of Crete. He died in 740 A.D. St. Andrew was inspired to write this hymn during close examination of the Scriptures; many researchers believe this work was originally intended for his personal use. He presents a very intimate look at repentance as a pathway toward healing and wholeness, drawing much encouragment from passages in the Old Testament. As the early Church became aware of this Canon, it began a wide circulation and eventually became used during Lent each year.

I like this book primarily because it is to be ingested in small bits, with each page offering wisdom and insight. It’s perfect for reading after prayers, during a lunch break or just before going to sleep at night -- a healthy soul-food.

Izzy Update - March 2011

Our lil’ trooper continues to amaze! On Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Izzy had another surgery in order to remove tissue that had surrounded the recurring tumor back in October 2010. This is an area just behind her left knee. The surgery was recommended by Dr. Paul from Ruby Memorial not because he suspected a recurrence of cancer, but as a precautionary measure. The surgeon indicated that if a recurrence might happen, it would be in the tissue closest to the earlier tumor. She came through just fine and the surgeon was pleased at what had been accomplished. Izzy experienced some pain immediately afterwards, but yesterday I talked with her on the phone and she sounded her normal happy self -- telling me all about the “cast” (it’s really just a firm soft wrap) on her leg and that her daddy bought her a cane to help with walking. Jenny says the doctors want her to use the leg and put weight on it right away, even though she can’t bend her knee just yet.

Last night my dad visited with her at home and together they did the Cha Cha Slide ..! Cancer can’t keep this kid down. Just last week, prior to the surgery, she had her debut as mascot for the Mountain View Christian School Patriots (pictured above) and loved every minute of it. With such a warm and loving bunch of girls to cheer with, how could she not? Everyone at Mountain View cheers this girl on and remembers her regularly in prayer; we’re thankful for such a blessed environment at our school.

And thankful to ALL of You out there who remember Izzy and her family in your prayers. We know we’ve got a world of support out there with many prayer warriors lifting her up to our Heavenly Father daily. A mere thank you seems so little, but know that we remember you also in our prayers to God.

Izzy will be continuing her regularly scheduled chemo in two or three weeks, as the healing of her leg dictates. The doctors expect her to recover just fine from this recent surgery and have full use of her leg.

In other news, the Quigley’s, of charitable organization, Timmy’s Fund, have created a new page for Izzy; check it out here. The Quigley family and their incredible organization have been a tremendous help to Jenny and her family as well as many other children with cancer at Ruby Memorial Hospital. Their mission began through heartache, after losing their own son to medulla blastoma in December 2004. The Quigley’s radiate the love of God and represent everything good in the human heart, illustrating Romans 8:28 perfectly. May God continue to bless your efforts, Mr. & Mrs. Quigley; you are shining lights on this earth.

FYI American Taxpayer

Do you know who this man is?

It’s worth your time to get acquainted and read some world news about Fethullah Gülen. He is a Turkish imam who now resides in the United States (eastern PA) and is the mastermind behind a growing charter school system, fully funded by your tax dollars, in our nation that promotes Islam, subtly, but assuredly. And, did you know that while charter schools in the US are fully funded by the government, they are not subject to the same rules and restrictions of public schools? Interesting how any mention of God has been systematically removed from public schools, even to the point of infringing upon our freedom of speech and yet a very biased view of the Ottoman Empire and the culture of Islam has been steadily making inroads in our American schools for years. Just check out who is writing our childrens’ history & social studies textbooks.

The Gülen charter schools are promoted under such auspices as excellence in fields of science & math, while also promoting Turkish culture whose national identity is Islam. Of note, he is also known as a Muslim scholar and promoter of interfaith dialogue --most appropriate and intriguing terminology, considering the present cultural mindset in America and the fact that Islam is most often intolerant toward other faiths.

It may be curious for you to know that Gülen is in the US after he fled Turkey in 1998 in order to avoid prosecution charges, where he was accused of undermining Turkey’s secular government in order to promote a purely Islamic one.

It may also interest you to know that Russia, Uzbekistan & the Netherlands have either banned Gülen inspired schools or significantly reduced funding due to their aggressive promotion of Islam. Could it be that in the United States, Gülen has developed a finesse at incrementally pushing a pro-Islamic worldview via our stranglehold of political correctness and tolerance? Islamic stealth. It seems he knows all too well that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

But don’t take my word for it. Look into it for yourself, taxpayer.