Israel: Jerusalem

After a long and

I was operating on less than 2 hours of sleep for our day trip to Jerusalem, so I'll keep this one short, mostly because I don't remember much of it, haha. I think the smartest thing we did was get up at crack of dawn to catch a 'sherut' (shared taxi or van- more here on different ways to get to and from Jerusalem) into Jerusalem in time for a 7:00 am divine liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. To participate and receive holy communion, watching tendrils of smoke lace their way through light and darkness in the lofty Greek chapel, was something I'll never forget.

The rest of our time at the Holy Sepulchre was a mix of fascinating, reverent, and feeling like we were being herded around like chattel. There were SO many different groups of pilgrims it made it hard to move around, although it was nice to see so many people coming to worship and pray. If we had one take home lesson from our experience, its that a lot of these religious sites should be visited as early as possible. By 9 am it was hard to feel serene with the level of crowds that had amassed.

Other than the massive crowds, our experience was great. Jerusalem is definitely a less secular city than Tel Aviv, and we really enjoyed wandering through the various quarters and exploring a place that's been occupied by people for so many millenia. My only other piece of advice is to do research online- this trip was a last-minute tag along for me to one of Peter's work trips, which meant we didn't know a ton going into it. For example, we totally missed out on seeing the Dome of the Rock because there's only a couple short periods each day that its open to non-worshippers (you can find the hours here.)

Hopefully someone finds this interesting/useful for their upcoming visit to Israel and Jerusalem. I'll try to post one more time before my classes start up again.  

Positive vibes, only

positive vibe Spanish Moss c/o Jedediah Smith State Park, summer 2012

In Greek there is a word my parents used frequently on me as a teenager- moutra. I don't know the exact translation of the term, but to put things in perspective, it was meant to encompass my perpetual pouty demeanor, mood swings, and all-around bad attitude that where my adolescent years. Funnily enough, Peter's Mum tells me that he was in similar shape as a teen- she describes him a 'stroppy and horrible!' I suppose it makes sense that we found each other? But also kind of scary to think about any unborn offspring and what kind of stroppy moutra they're going to give us one day...yikes.

I did grow out of a lot of my bad attitude and more typical teen-angst stuff, but the moutra still remains and sometimes dominates. I hate when it does that. All I do is worry and think about the worst possible outcome in life (and I'm sure my face screws up horribly and looks very unpleasant, too.) Consequentially, it also makes it harder to write about life and things here. Grrr.

So today instead of griping about things or worries that I have, I'm giving my moutra a big figurative fat punch in the face- because who wants to read a blog of someone venting and worrying? Not me. Instead I'm finally going through some of the photo from our summer instead to remind myself how damn good and beautiful this life is. Which means- yep, Greece photos are coming your way! Sorry they took so long....

In the meantime..

Some Ben Harper happiness, because we are blessed.

My parents, who are amazing for so many reasons, knew we'd been hoping to dine at this fancy restaurant but couldn't (because the prices are crazy.) So they got us a gift card to the NYC spot for our 6 month anniversary. I may have sobbed cried a little when we got it in the mail. Thanks guys.

I totally missed Small Business Saturday! (I was working a shift in the ER. womp womp.) Hope everyone got out there to support their local businesses :) We did go for a hike on black friday though! So that was kind of perfect.

On a similar note, Bienfaire posted an ethical holiday gift guide- you can check it out here :)

More arsenal for my battle to get a dog this year c/o Reddit. It's just one study, which isn't the strongest evidence, but I can definitely say having a dog in my life as a kid was a wonderful experience...and I want one...for Christmas, maybe? :)))

My sister will be in London with us for Christmas this year!! I'm currently plotting our misadventures for her second (and my 5th or 6th) round of the city. In addition to a day trip (Cambridge or Oxford? decisions, decisions...) Kew Gardens (their greenhouse = bomb dot com) and/or Winter Wonderland are on the current list. All and any recs for holiday excursions in and around London are appreciated!

This lovely foundation is having concerts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this December, and I'm actually free to go-I'm so excited! More info here, if you're interested.

Feast and Fast

Lent seems to have snuck up on us this year, don't you think? I am always prepared, or at least expecting, Great Lent in the spring, but the forty day fast before Christ's birth seems to come out of nowhere! I think the American Holiday season kind of distracts you from it...everyone else is preparing for Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing and the like. Personally, I love cooking without meat or dairy- it's cheaper, simpler (in my mind, anyways) and tends to be healthier (I'm an everything in moderation kind of gal.)

If you're like me, a little guidance in your cooking goes a loonngggg way. Throwing things in a pot and magically creating an amazing dish is NOT my thing. I need very clear instructions to work from, at least the first few times, before I go rogue (i.e. switch out the rosemary for dill, ha!) So the following websites are a few of my go-tos when it comes to cooking during fasting periods. I thought I'd share them, in case anyone else is in the same or a similar boat!


1. Naturally Ella

I've been making the above paella for a few years now, and only recently realized what a great selection of vegetarian recipes this site has. There's a few new ones I'm excited to try out- this African curry, for example. Plus, the website is SUPER easy to navigate, with recipes grouped by meal, season, and even dietary needs.

2. Authentic Greek Recipes

I love this recipe index. When I moved back over to the U.S. from Crete I went through serious food withdrawals. Sure, you can get an ok gyro or maybe some awesome calamari if you're lucky, but slightly more odd or obscure dishes (often the lenten ones) are MUCH harder to come by unless you make them yourself. So this site was a bit of a Godsend when I found myself craving Greece's amazing lemony chickpea soup back in Florida.

3. Oh Dear Drea

Confession time: I've never actually used this site for food! It's a lifestyle blog, and while I don't personally subscribe to veganism, I love that Drea feeds her kiddo so many different types of cuisine(and so many fruits and veggies! you go girl!) Pictured above is a vegan Thanksgiving feast of 8 recipes (I might try that stuffing next week!) and her instructions on how to prepare basics such as tofu can open a whole new world in your cooking. And I am all about trying new things!

4. Real Simple Recipes

Music Monday

It's Holy Week,
So the only music blasting in my car these days is hymns from Mount Athos.
I figured this post should follow suit, though I found some great gems last week :)
This is a very somber time in the Orthodox Church,
And the music really fits that mood
It gives me chills to think how ancient the Bridegroom services are
I wonder who was in church this time of year a century ago,
a thousand years ago or more,
Sending up their prayers to God and thanking him for his great mercy.


I hope your week is calm and peaceful,
And filled with the light of Christ.

P.S. if you're Orthodox and looking for something else to listen to in your car this week besides silence,
(or maybe just curious about Orthodox Christianity,)
Ancient Faith radio has an iPhone app! Check it out for great lectures and talks.

Sunday Thoughts

source unknown

The deeper the sorrows, the closer God is

the darker the night, the brighter the stars

-Doystoyevsky 

Grieve a little. This is not a sin.

But grieve with faith.

Shed tears, but not inconsolably. 

Pour out your sorrow before the Lord,

but do not grumble.

- Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev,

The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation

Xanthippe Tsalimi, Endless, 2010

If you aren't unhappy sometimes,

you don't know how to be happy.

-Madeleine L'Engle

I've been thinking a lot about sadness lately.

Not because I'm sad,

but because I've been sad,

without any very good reason to feel depressed. 

I'll be alright

-no, I am alright- 

but I've always wondered why some people with perfectly blessed and beautiful lives

need medicine to get through the dark times

while others, with so much less

and many reasons to be sad,

seem to get through relatively unscathed. 

Maybe this guy is onto something.

If you have an answer, please share with me. 

In the meantime, 

I will try to count my blessings every day,

and go to sleep at night grateful for all that I've accomplished.

I think that's a pretty good start. 

xx

Georgia 

Sunday Thoughts

The degree to which we love the person we despise the most, is how much we love God. 

- Isaac the Syrian- 

Sunday Thoughts

{from our cousin, the Catholic church.}

"We should forgive and show mercy.

If we live according to the rule an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,

we will never overcome the spiral of evil."

-Pope Francis-

(I love this fellow)

source

source

source

feelin' for the baddies today for some reason.

but really.

That is a great quote.

And these are the two characters in The Lord of the Rings

who really exemplify this.

{full disclosure: you find really weird fan art when you search grima wormtongue on tumblr.}

The Cooking Saint

When Peter was chrismated,

he did not choose a new Christian name.

He thought about it,

but he {and I} both love the apostle Peter

{doesn't he seem more human than the rest of them, somehow?}

so he decided against a new Christian name.

But if I had to pick one for him,

I'd go with Euphrosynos, the cook,

for pretty obvious reasons :)

source

Saint Euphrosynos was something of a Byzantine Jamie Oliver

{or Gordon Ramsay? 

Is it obvious yet that I know nothing about chefs or cooking?}

He was widely 

known not only for his excellent preparation of the most mouth-watering and  scrumptious meals

but also for his generosity,

as he gave all he could of his large cook's salary as alms.

Later on, when he left his position as top chef Constantinope

{that's only 30% joke}

he entered the monastic life, again as a chef,

but this time preparing much simpler, blander meals.

After all, 

while food is needed to nourish our bodies,

gluttony is not exactly smiled upon.

Our Pascha meal- TOAD IN THE HOLE- plus some freshly baked bread

So Peter is GOOD at cooking. 

We're talking any kind of dish from Cretan to Croatian,

delicious vegetables and herbs

{these days fresh from his own little garden}, 

and {of course} tons of hearty Olive oil.

What's more, 

He legitimately enjoys cooking.

Yea, I've got it made :)

Needless to say, Euphrosynos would have been a pretty good 'Christian name' for him

{although let's be real:

no one- myself included-would be able to pronounce it}

P.S. Here's some of my favorite recipes (plus a few I haven't tried)

on my cooking pinterest board.

I've also got one for food for fasting days/periods.

P.P.S. I promise you guys I have interests other than gushing about my boyfriend.

It's just that these days, 

all I do is study and talk to him and my folks and roommates.

So the other option is blog posts on when to surgically intervene on carotid artery stenosis.

does that sound fun? 

{I'll answer that question for you. It's not.}

Prayer for the Traveler

O God, our God,

the true and living way, 

who didst journey with thy servant Joseph; 

do thou journey with thy servant, 

Peter, 

and deliver him from every storm and snare

and peace and vigor continually provide.

Be pleased that,

having accomplished every intention of righteousness, 

according to thy commandment,

and being filled with temporal and heavenly blessings, 

he may return again.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory,

of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Peter flies to Athens today. 

I will miss him dearly, 

and always get a bit nervous for any of my family members 

on such a long journey.

I hope anyone traveling in the upcoming days and weeks 

has a safe and uneventful journey

there and back again :)

Sunday Thoughts

We must choose either to live in order to die, or to die in order to live

 interpretation of St Basil the great

by Father Zacharias of Saint John the Baptist Monastery in Essex.

Sunday Thoughts

In your anger,

Do not sin.

Do not let the sun go down while you are angry.

source: unknown

Ephesians 4:26

This is one I really ought to remind myself of often :)

Orthodox Apps

I've been meaning to post this for ages

When I first got my iPhone, 

my Dad showed me these three apps for Orthodox Christians

They're all very useful 

and I wanted to share, 

in case there are other Orthodox folks out there

who might get some use out of them:

The first one is the Daily Readings App. 

It's great because if you're ever wondering if it's a fast or feast day,

the first page of the app tells you!

woohoo!

In addition it has the daily readings

and Saints and Feast days that you might not know about.

And,

{drumroll, please}

it's free. 

For a dollar, 

you can get a more comprehensive version of the app.

But the free version works just fine as well.

Then there's the Pray Always App

You might remember the little red Orthodox Prayer books

if you're an old geezer like me.

This app is similar to that book, 

albeit less comprehensive.

I find it good for saying prayers before Holy Communion

Although it kinda looks shady

being on your phone in church...

oh well. 

I still like it. 

Lastly,

there's the Eastern Orthodox Bible app

Yep.

You read that right.

for only $2.99 you get the. whole. bible. 

on your phone. 

Or at least the new testament. 

still impressive, if you ask me. 

not to mention, super useful. 

Hopefully one day they'll get the old testament on there as well.

So that's that. 

Needless to say,

No one paid me to write this.

Just thought some other Orthodox Christians 

{such as the newly illumined Peter ;)} 

might get some good use out of these apps. 

Happy Weekend, everyone!

What on Earth is a Chrismation?

Chrismation (n): 

a rite of initiation 

involving anointing with chrism 

and taking place at the same time of baptism*

Well, that's the dictionary.com definition.

It's sort of correct

and a little unclear as well

{what is chrism?

someone kindly inform me.}

Perhaps at some point

I'll ask Peter to write about his personal experience with this

as I was a puny 6 week old at the time of my chrismation

and hardly capable of lifting my head

or tracking with my eyeballs

{I did a mean post-breastfeeding spit-up though}

Basically,

if you are entering the Orthodox faith from another one

you must be baptized and chrismated.

and it looks like this: 

source

If you are entering the Orthodox faith from another one,

in which you've been baptized under the TRINITY

you must be chrismated. 

It is slightly less embarrassing than the above photo indicates.

and it is really, really, really, beautiful.

You can read in detail about it in the link above

Here's just a few photographs from the service itself.

Prior to this,

Peter was attending catechism classes for about 3 months

and had been attending churches in Greece, the U.K., and America,

both with me and on his own,

for a year and a half,

if not more. 

He's been reading the works of Schmemman, Gilquist, Ware 

(who we were fortunate enough to meet!)

and many other Orthodox writers

for even longer.

The time line for conversion to Orthodox Christianity varies

and is typically longer than that.

waiting for the service to begin

my mother chanted, which just made the day extra-special (she looks very serious because she was a bit nervous, poor thing!)

before entering the church, the convert and his sponsors must say the Nicean creed. Here, Father James is reciting the prayer of chrismation over Peter.

the catechumen is anointed with chrism (holy oil) on the forehead, cheeks, chin, hands, chest and feet

the catechumen is tonsured, offering as sacrifice locks of hair cut in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

One of the final moments- unfortunately Peter's head did not quite fit the cross

the churching, in which Peter was brought into the church from the Narthex for the first time as an Orthodox Christian

can you tell I was excited? That smile is definitely a 10 on the scale of 0 to goofball happy (also, I need a tan.)

My Uncle and the lovely Greek parishioner who served as Peters' Godparents

a couple of family friends who love using Peter as a jungle gym :)

If you are interested in reading the service itself, 

you can find it here.

This is just a small peek 

at what Orthodox "chrismation" entails

I just thought I'd share what I learned this weekend

to the best of my knowledge.

I thought it was interesting,

and thought you might find it interesting too :)

Peter and I were both so touched by how many people-

from both my family and his parish-

who came out to celebrate with him on Saturday. 

Saint Michael's Orthodox Church 

is clearly a special place 

and I am so grateful that Peter found his way there. 

Sunday Thoughts

On When the newborn is presented in church:

But the ultimate meaning, and also joy of this rite is to be found- as the church understands and experiences it- in the light and the joy of the mystery of Mary, the Mother of Christ. As the mother stands at the entrance of the church, holding her child in her arms, ready to offer it and thus her very motherhood to God, she faces in fact, another Mother with another Child in her arms: the icon of the Theotokos, the very icon of the incarnation and of its acceptance by creation.

source

And the church, in her prayers, unites those two motherhoods, fills human motherhood with the unique joy of fullness of Mary's divine Motherhood. The Child Whom she bore, with whom as mother she was fully united, who was her whole life, made her, "full of grace." And now this grace fills the Church; and it is this Grace- the Grace of Mary, the Grace of the Church- that each mother receives yet also gives as she brings her child to God.

- Of Water and the Spirit, Fr. Alexander Schmemann

A snapshot (or twenty) of the weekend

Although last week was definitely not the best ever,

The weekend BEFORE it was pretty good.
I went home 

as my sister had just returned from Africa,
my big bro in New England flew down 

AND my younger brother in college was in town too

so of course,

I wasn't going to miss out on sharing a bathroom with 3 people all the fun!

And my. Was it Fun.

 We goofed around. 

Papou made strange comments about how magnificent the neighbors' tree is 

{he has Alzheimer's.

We don't understand how his brain works these days.

But we love him all the same.

he has a heart of gold

and the sweetest of souls}

A typical Dad expression.

 and a typical Dad behavior.

On Sunday, we went to church, of course.

 Here are the boys

looking ever so dapper

My Mom directs the choir at St Mark's

so she is not present

and my other brother had to go back to school

and my sister was camera crabby shy. 

sigh. 

Saint Mark's is a fairly young parish.

My Grandfather was one of the founding members in 1980. 

When I was born, 

we went to church in what would later become the hall. 

In 1996ish

the church was built

and we've been slowly 

{but surely}

finishing it ever since.

When I was was little,

I asked my parents when the church would be complete.

They told me probably by the time I was ready to get married.

Impressively, 

they weren't too far off.

Most of the icons have {finally!} been paid for

and every time I come home,

some new and beautiful addition has been painted or installed.

This weekend it was these mosaics:

Are they not the loveliest things you have ever seen?

I especially like that they quote the scripture in English,

seeing as we are a fairly dilute and mixed parish,

it just seems appropriate. 

Here's a few shots of the rest of the church.

Father Mark is a wonderful priest,

and the presbyter behind him was actually one of the first priests at St Mark's (: 

Of course after liturgy 

we had to stuff our faces with breakfast foods.

And there is only one place

in our lovely hometown 

that I always try to get to when I'm home: 

We've  been going for years

When we were little, 

we went most Sundays

with all of our cousins 

{and there are a lot of them!}

The manager would give us chocolate and raspberry cigar pastries 

as papou had helped is son get into medical school

{or something like that.}

 Papou always gets waffles with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream and honey
as you can see,
it's easy to keep him happy.
It's the simple things in life... :)

It was the perfect ending 

to a much needed relaxing weekend.