Orthodoxy
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Pascha! And then…
Pascha is the apex of Christian worship. It is the Queen of Feasts, the ultimate joy that we share. Orthodox christians around the world gather shortly before midnight Saturday night in order to begin the services as early in the day of Sunday as possible, and we sing and pray for 3 hours. And then Continue reading
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The Mother of God
Today (May 3) is Good Friday on the Orthodox calendar. What better day to meditate on the Cross than this? This year my heart is drawn to the Theotokos, the Mother of God. In particular, a reality that I should have seen years before, but I’d never connected the dots, nor heard anyone else do Continue reading
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“Time heals all wounds!” Oh, please…
Dear Griever, Perhaps someone (or many someones) has said to you “time heals all wounds.” Perhaps you’ve said it to someone else (in which case, forgive me for what I’m about to say). Ahem. BS. Time does not heal all wounds. Rather, time gives you the opportunity to work out the healing (or not). The Continue reading
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The Alchemy of Grief
The Elixir Teach me, my God and King, In all things Thee to see, And what I do in anything To do it as for Thee. Not rudely, as a beast, To run into an action; But still to make Thee prepossest, And give it his perfection. A man that looks on glass, On it may stay his eye; Or if he pleaseth, Continue reading
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Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight…
I hadn’t planned to write during Holy Week. Between work during the day and church services every evening this week, as well as chauffeur duties for the kids, plus planning for food for the feast (Tracy’s savory cheesecake!), I had figured I would write something after Pascha, either during Bright Week or the week after. Continue reading
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Backwards and Forwards
Two weeks from today will be one year since the doctor declared Tracy dead. There’s something (I was about to say “indescribable,” but then realized that I’m describing it) about reaching the one year mark. The first year is full of adjustments. It’s full of “firsts.” The first Valentine’s Day without my wife (just 3 Continue reading
The Joyful Widower 