It's Almost September...

The seasons ahead. This is my focus, as we enter into the birthday-anniversary-extra-church-services month that ushers us into the autumn. It could bring rain, or snow, or windy days. In actuality, it could bring all three in the same day. I have already been canning and hope to do a bunch more when we get some raspberries in a couple weeks and also some peaches sometime soon. When apples are in abundance, I plan to make some apple butter and sauce.

With heating costs always on the rise, it is good to know that we are a family who drinks some hot infusions and enjoys some homemade soup. We are also going to experiment with keeping the thermostat even lower than usual. Since our condo is situated on the bottom level, we retain heat rather well, but we are also on the north side of the building, so our daily sunlight is limited. I will be making Katherine a sweater vest that she can wear over the top of her shirts, for all-purpose use, whether indoor, or out. I am hoping to complete my vest soon, too. Jay has a vest, and the sweater I made him last year, which he loves! It appears we are set, for now, so long as I can keep on top of my projects. It can be rough trying to keep up with knitting during the heat of summer, but I have been working on it.

We are hoping to visit my grandma for Thanksgiving, providing we can afford the trip. If we can't go then, we will try for January/February again, I suppose. The beach calls to my family like nothing else! We have plenty of people to see out there, as well, so it is always nice to make the trip and have our once-a-year catch up. Families like Nicole and Jake Howard, Uncle and Aunt Cousins Tom and LeeAndra, the West Family and, if we are fortunate enough to have it work out, my Goddaughter and her family in AZ.

Jay has recently put in to the VA for compensation for his ptsd, among other things. They readily admit that he has ptsd, even so far as to possibly blame his insomnia and headaches on it, but his disability doesn't include anything for it. Funny how that works, but we will see how this turns out. My concern is that, since he already receive some disability benefit, he will get shoved to the bottom of the pile and it will take even loooooonger than usual. You know the military, hurry up and wait! Only time will tell.

This year marks our 9th wedding anniversary, but I am thinking about our 10 year coming up soon, since it seems so close, I can taste it! I am dreaming of going to a bed and breakfast for a couple of days when the 10 years approaches. I really liked the Bybee House out in Jacksonville, near my parents. Aside from being so capable of catering to our food needs, it is set in a small town, on a piece of beautiful land and lovely hosts. I had thought about going to the one where we spent our wedding night, but I have no other attachment besides it being the place we stayed the night we were married. It would be pretty, to be sure, but now that our lives are so delicately revolving around food, it is nice to have found a place that offers so much for those of us who have specific needs, but it isn't a bother, or out of the ordinary.

Well, this little girl got up super early, so we need to be getting her off to bed. I will write more later! Glory to God for all things!

Saint Macarius of Egypt

I found it!!!! Yay! I have been thinking about this particular post a friend put up a couple years ago, but couldn't remember where it had come from. I scoured her blog and, voile!!! Here it is, for your reading pleasure :o) (Ok, so I just like it, but you might too)

From the life of Saint Macarius of Egypt, as written in The Lives of the Saints, Vol. 5 (January):

A brother came to visit Saint Macarius and pleaded, "Abba, give me a word, that I will be saved."

The elder said, "Go to a cemetery and insult the dead."

The brother insulted the dead, threw rocks at their graves, and returned to the old man. "Did they say anything to you?" the venerable one asked.

"Nothing," replied the monk.

"Now go, praise them," enjoined the elder. The brother praised the dead as saints and apostles, then reported back to the saint. Macarius asked, "Did they respond?"

"No," answered the monk.

"You heaped contempt on them, and they said nothing; you praised them, but they remained silent," said Macarius. "If you wish to be saved, become a dead man. If, like the dead, you take no account either of the scorn of men or their acclaim, you can be saved."

Today is a Good Day

Today is the forefeast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (O.S.). Katherine has been feeling under the weather and, while I remember she has a growth spurt every year around her birthday, I fail to be reminded she always gets sick around her birthday too, until she comes down with something. This year, it is a little early and we are considering whether we can only make it for the liturgy for the feast, since she is congested, though not worsening. She is doing well with taking her supplements, but she still sounds a little funky, with an occasional sneeze.

I suppose it is a good reminder to slow things down a bit and let things ride. This summer has been so fast, it seems, that I can hardly believe it is over and we are already canning for the winter. We have a bunch of things already in the works and are planning another trip for an abundance of raspberries to make sure Katherine has her fix for the winter months, until the next berry season is upon us. I also hope to make apple butter and sauce, as well as, peach halves and spiced jam. Good golly, I am tired just thinking about it.

We have Katherine's birthday in under 2 weeks! Can you imagine, she will be 8!?!?!?!? It is hard for my brain to really comprehend, but I find myself remembering her tiny days lately, since she is growing into herself exponentially in the recent past and I can only think of how much more that will be setting in soon. She is a good girl, mostly she just has bursts of personal preference and takes us all down with her in a mini fit of stubbornness that would shame any donkey. She can be reasonable, but often is more in touch with her contrary streak when she is dealing with her papa, poor fella. Thankfully, we have all been matched accordingly and we can usually help each other wind down from a whirl with a flash of temptation. Ha ha! We are good for each other and I can often see how God gives us those people in our lives for the working out of our Salvation. I love them, but not because they always make me feel warm and fuzzy. In fact, it is more often that I am growing in spite of myself, due to a need to be something more for one another. A simple, yet enigmatic, symbiosis.

Well, I am off to can some marinara! I will catch you all on the flip side! Congratulations with the feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Theotokos, Mary!

A Quickie

So, I only have a few minutes because I ought to be sleeping to rest up for a big day at Berry Patch Farms in the morning. My goal is to can a load of stuff so as to supplement every dinner (or, at least on meal per day) with something canned from home. We will be making pickles, relish, marinara, jams, peach halves, applesauce, salsa, etc. I will keep everyone updated as to how it goes! I keep telling people that I will go broke/hungry now, just to have some things this winter and it will be well worth it.

I picked up the book, "Pearl of Great Price: The Life of Mother Maria Skobtsova 1891-1945." So far, it is a good book, rather an easy read. For those of you who know me, that is saying something, since books and I have a splotchy past. We like each other, just not all the time, every day, nor every subject. I wanted to get this book because her life is interesting to me, as a contemporary saint, who lived during some of the most deadly, brutal and darkly monstrous times the world has ever seen. Little did I know, she wrote poetry, which I think is fantastic and hope to find some writings intact. I will leave this posting with a short bit of her poetry she apparently wrote while she travelled.

"Again I leave, the poorer,
for some more distant part.
The world, try as one might,
will not fit in one heart."

My Little Love

Tank top, p.j. pants, apron, flip-flops and popcorn. *heart*

The Girl in the Cowgirl Hat

I looked over at the girl wearing a red felt cowgirl hat, two-tone pink striped shirt, khaki short pants and sparkly white flowered church sandals. That is my baby, who is almost 8. We were driving to the store together with the windows down and she pointed out the song that came on the radio was talking about riding with the windows down, so she crinkled her little, freckled nose into a smile that was sweeter than words. At that moment, I got choked up and had a flash forward twice her life from now when she is a teenager and looks at me with that same sweet face, in instances like today.

I love her and supremely grateful for her in our lives. God knows just what a mom needs to have her heart humbled and melted. I did think about what it would be like to have more little lovelies, wondering just what kind of nuances might be. I imagined that my heart is like a plant or tree, and love for my family and friends, like the flowers that bloom. Each of them a beautiful representation of a perfect love that functions best when in harmony with the whole. The flowers cannot bloom without care; watering, sunshine, shade, mineralized soil and, hey, we even talk to our plants. Without the combination of the factors, the greens would not survive to bring forth flowers, the fruits of care, diligence and faith.

Well, that is all for this one. Glory to God for all things, especially being aware enough to recognize blessings daily, whether we like them, or not. Love to you all.

Chewy Thoughts

Ok, so I have been thinking a lot lately, big surprise, right? I am the sort of person who thinks about things, but they often become real when I talk them through and I am ever grateful to my dear husband for his patience and willingness to listen. I do have to begin by saying that, at times, I have to preface our conversations with: "So, I don't need you to do anything, or fix it for me, I just want you to hear me out." He is such a good sport, I think I'll keep him. So, after all of my blathering, I will have a point, it will begin below, I just wanted to set it up like this, because that is just me.

Imagine, if you will, a receptacle, like a cup or bowl. Now, I want you to think of it being filled, are you with me? Good. When I think of this vessel, I often visualize what it is like to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with God and His Church, etc. You catch my drift. The other day, I was talking with Jay and seemed to articulate that when I picture this in my head, I also see how it can be tipped and spilled, just as it can be filled. It made me envision it as more subjective, rather than steadfast and unchanging. I do believe that change and growth are necessary, but it is the vessel which should be molded, rather than the content and perception of such.

In earlier posts I have touched on how I am in a transition sort of state at this time, so, in my mind, this is what has been churning. As I gave more time pondering and talking to Jay about the above mentioned idea, it seemed to settle in and progress into this next concept.

Now, picture that the vessel is a conductor, for something like electricity, but in this case, I mean for God. If I act as a vessel, in the first example, which tips and gets upset, I hardly stand a chance to continue keeping the levels full and satisfied. If I perceive that my vessel is to act as a conductor, I will always be full, though it will may be possibly be thought of as this bit from Revelations, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." -Rev. 22:13. There can be no end or beginning if there is a constant flow of energies and, in this case, a synergy with God. I avail myself to be a vessel wherein I accept that God will work through my unworthy hands and heart, to offer to whom it is meant.

This is to assert that, to be open; heart, mind, body and soul, there will follow a filling Whose source cannot be found, nor contained, and never ends. A fullness that cannot truly be described with words and will come to fruition with a life in Christ. It is not to say, however, that being full is always comfortable, or easy, or even welcomed, for that matter. But, if we do strive to always be accepting of God's Divine will for our lives, we may come to a point where even the most uncomfortable and painful aspects in our lives, become as a flowing existence, rather than simply an obstacle to overcome. That all circulates in a fashion that offers peace in every breath of our journey.

I hope I have conveyed my thoughts without completely alienating anyone, or being too redundant. Peace be with you.