Miraculous Gathering

One of the more memorable miracles associated with the dormition of the virgin Mary is the miraculous gathering of the apostles to Jerusalem in time for her funeral. Looking around the sanctuary yesterday as we gathered to baptize our daughter Lucia on the day we commemorate this momentous occasion, I could not help but associate this miracle with the vision before my own eyes. Here, gathered literally from all corners of the world, was a miraculous gathering of friends and family come to support us on this wonderful day.

Among the gathered were those who had stood with us at our own baptisms; at our marriage thirteen years earlier; at our chrismation; children we had held at their baptisms and those that had held our other children at their baptisms. If anything good has ever come from our home, please know that it could not have been born without your love.

Thank you, Father Ignatius and Father Elias for serving on this important day.

Thank you Bill and Todd for coming early to set everything up.

Thank you Lori and the choir for all your preparation. You sounded glorious.

And most of all, thank you Nick and Tawnya for accepting the responsibility of being godparents to our precious Lucia.

Oh, and thank you Molly for taking such wonderful pictures. We'll post more when we get a chance to go through them, but if you can't wait she posted some on her own blog.

i carry your heart with me

To my husband. Thirteen years ago on August 15, 1997, we were married. You were but a child but how beautiful you were and how beautiful you continue to be.

i carry your heart with me

e.e. cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

Poetry Wednesday

A Soul Has Gone To Heaven

For the servant of God Robert, beloved friend, departed this life August 4, 2010.

May the Comforter surround his dear wife Nancy, his family, and his friends as they mourn. And may the Lord God remember Bob in His Kingdom now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Emily Dickinson

If tolling bell I ask the cause.

"A soul has gone to God,"

I'm answered in a lonesome tone;

Is heaven then so sad?

That bells should joyful ring to tell

A soul has gone to heaven,

Would seem to me the proper way

A good news should be given.

Poetry Wednesday

Teach Me To Pray

When it has been a week in which your kitchen transformed into a crime scene by two bottles of blackstrap molasses recklessly dumped, oozing with all its thick, gooey, murkiness upon your already less than clean floor and cabinets; your rugs, hardwood floors, and furniture in nearly every room morphed into toilets for use by your tiny twins, the pungent smell of vinegar lingering in the humidity charged air in an effort to redeem the transgressions; your three-year-old sons bore the marks of numerous scratches and bites on various locations of their bodies which each had mercilessly inflicted upon the other: You will consider yourself a failure as a mother. You will feel the seeds of despair begin to take root in your heart and you will cry out as you begin to question your vocation. You will be tempted to yield to your apparent incompetence and wish to pack your things, slam the door, and run away. You will mentally scream, "I Quit." You will pray for more patience, wisdom, and love; "Lord have mercy" will become your mantra. You will emotionally distance yourself from your sons' trying behaviors and attempt to curb your anger, knowing that your sins most definitely can be passed down to your children. You will continually stop and reflect upon your choices and work to fix what is broken. You will purchase locks for the doors, cabinets, and refrigerator. You will investigate and plan to buy taller baby gates. You will neglect the treadmill and instead swaddle your youngest son to pacify his flailing arms and troubled spirit. You will rock him to sleep and lie by his side. You will drink more wine, eat more ice cream, and consider frozen pizza as a valid dinner option. You will flee to the Goodwill for an hour of tranquility and purchase yet another black dress and a table lamp for $2.38. You will check your email less and cancel play dates, opting to spend more time alone with your tinies, marveling in their LEGO towers and trains and ability to count to 25. In the end, you will know that you are losing more of your self and tearfully acknowledge that your self is only there to lose and that Grace will offer you the courage and strength to fulfill your God-ordained calling despite the chaos.

And when it has been a day of relative calm, a day in which only one cup of coffee was dumped onto the floor, one glass pushed and smashed, and all bodily fluids managed to fine their proper receptacle, you will breathe a sigh of relief and offer up a prayer of thanksgiving. You will eat popcorn heavily salted at mid-afternoon in order to celebrate; it will taste like ambrosia. You will glory in your hour of silence and consider it a triumph that your children are sleeping. You will experience a deep peace as you scrub down your kitchen cabinets and floor, your hands sudsy with Ivory Soap. You will drink yet another cup of coffee but this time it will be hot and you will not measure your cream. You will conjure up plans for a dinner alone with your husband for the following evening. You will be ever grateful for a supportive spouse and faithful friends and family who come alongside you and enable you to emerge victorious. You will truly appreciate the unique individuality of your children and delight in their smiles, relish in their kisses, and hold them a little longer, knowing that they are precious, precious gifts from God and of their kind is made the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Prayer for Peace

Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace.

Help me in all things to rely upon thy holy will.

In every hour of the day, reveal thy will to me.

Bless my dealings with all who surround me.

Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day 

with peace of soul and firm conviction that thy will governs all.

In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.

In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by thee.

Teach me to act firmly and wisely without embittering or embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day

with all that it shall bring. Teach me to pray.

 Pray thou thyself in me. Amen.