Good Intentions – Little Action

I have such good intentions about my blogs (I have several). And yet I never get a round tuit (around to it)! I’ve been this way most of my life. I’m FINALLY beginning to get a few things done as scheduled, but not many.

My poor husband, the Ol’ Curmudgeon, is pleased with the few. He has generally gently encouraged me and supported me and helped me accomplish larger tasks. Occasionally, though, things are totally out of control and he gives me an ultimatum or two. And most of the time that works, but if he walked around giving ultimatums all the time, I don’t think it would help at all – in fact, it probably would squelch my efforts altogether.

Procrastination is one of the things I confess. God forgives me, He knows my heart. But the people around me really do get exasperated with me.

The exhaustion and fatigue and pain AND brain fog of Rheumatoid Disease and Fibromyalgia don’t help. I’m not using those as excuses but as the reality of my life. I can do a lot some days. Other times I’m chair bound for 2-3 days at a time. Frustrating.

Today is chair-bound day, so here I am trying to make up for lost time on the computer.

Forgive us our debts…

 

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2/27/2018 is the 9th Day of Great Lent

A reading for the 9th day of Great Lent recommended on Pemptousia.

The reading list links each of the readings to a source on the internet. This is a great resource! You may want to save the link for future reference.

Love in Christ to you!

Our AeroGarden

2018 – January

Himself and I have had no luck with gardening in the past. I also have no luck keeping nice plants given me by others in good shape. I forget to water them, and we keep our house pretty dark most of the time. Well, too dark for houseplants, anyway!

So, Himself really surprised me in late January by ordering an AeroGarden (by Miracle Gro) Bounty Elite. (http://www.aerogarden.com/). Only  6 days after setting it up, we had little seedlings sprouting! We were both stunned, and excited, and finally feeling a bit optimistic about growing some edibles! Of course, it will take a LOT of edibles to start balancing the cost of the AeroGarden, but just gotta calculate in the FUN of the whole thing!

We are growing 2 mini cherry tomatoes, basil, dill, Italian parsley, curley parsley, thyme, mint and chives.

2018 – February

We were having so much fun and wanted to have more than the 9 spaces available in the Elite garden, so we got another one (Harvest) with 6 spaces just for lettuce (Parris Island, Black Seeded Simpson, Deer Tongue, Marvel of the 4 Seasons, Red Sails and Rouge d’Hiver). All are mildly flavored leaf lettuces, some have red leaves among their green leaves – makes for a very colorful salad. Looking forward to the time, in about 3 months, when we can have a lettuce, tomato and basil salad with chives. Also looking forward to when we have enough basil to make pesto. YUM!

 

A Priest’s Thoughts on Depression, Anxiety, the Soul, Your Body and Your Brain

A Priest’s Thoughts on Depression, Anxiety, the Soul, Your Body and Your Brain

Excellent post from Fr. Stephen Freeman up in Tennessee!

My Sister-in-Law Died Recently

She had been dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 15 years. She had many of the complications known to affect RA patients. There are so many of them that most people don’t know or reali…

Source: My Sister-in-Law Died Recently

Our Friend Died from Rheumatoid Disease

A member of our local RA Support Group, and friend to all of us in the group, died last week – of complications of Rheumatoid Disease. Just like Glenn Frey did a few months ago. She repeatedl…

Source: Our Friend Died from Rheumatoid Disease

My Sister-in-Law Died Recently

She had been dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 15 years. She had many of the complications known to affect RA patients. There are so many of them that most people don’t know or reali…

Source: My Sister-in-Law Died Recently

Troparion of the Cross

Marriage and Family Life

https://turtlemomsspace.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/on-marriage-and-family-life/

Help for Kelly and Roo!!

Please see:

https://handicapaccomodations.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/aid-for-kelly-and-roo/

Reopening Closed Cases

Reopening Closed Cases.

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Today is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. It is the second Sunday of the Pre-Lenten period.

“The Lord overlooks nothing. Even secrets are open to Him. Let us then do everything as if He were dwelling in us. Thus we shall be His temples, and H will be within us as our God – as He actually is. This will be clear to us just to the extent that we love Him rightly.” ~~ St. Ignatius of Antioch. Letter to the Ephesians.

“When, in my wretchedness I ran away from Thy fatherly love, I squandered in wickedness the riches Thou hadst given me. And so now, like the Prodigal Son, I cry out to Thee: I have sinned in Thy sight, O Merciful Father: receive me now that I repent and make me as one of Thy hired servants” ~~ Kontakion, Sunday of the Prodigal Son

The Heresy of Calvinism. I

Energetic Procession

About a year ago, his Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah addressed the meeting of the ACNA at which he delineated a number of things that must be jettisoned were real ecumenical dialogue to occur between the Orthodox and this newest iteration of Anglicanism. Among the eschewed was what his Beatitude called “the heresy of Calvinism.” That very weekend, while attending a reception for my nephew John and his new bride Becca, her father, a minster of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and a friend of mine from some years back (more than twenty: we had attended seminary together, we both served as clergy in the PCA parish in Allentown, PA), accosted me wanting to know what was heretical about Calvinism. The following post(s) is my reply.

This, like any essay on some historical ism, immediately demands an explanation of what exactly that ism entails. The matter becomes more urgent when certain people wish…

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The Ebola Epidemic

Morningside Drive

Although information about the massive Ebola epidemic in West Africa is scary, it is important to realize there are NO cases that have occurred due to exposure in the USA. There are only 4 or 5 people, medical workers, who have been brought to the USA (because they are US citizens) for treatment – and the treatment has been successful in most of them. The 2 that are newest arrivals are still under treatment.

Infographic of the ecology of Ebola Virus (as currently understood).

The news media is NOT the best place to get accurate information. The best place to get accurate information is the CDC website. The information is updated as soon as there is new information. The Ebola pages on the website begin HERE.

A downloadable PDF Infographic can be found HERE.

As a nurse, I can only say, please do not be misled by overblown…

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Social Media – friend or foe

I recently visited a “Christian” Facebook page and immediately encountered one of the worst, most vicious tirades I have ever seen. Needless to say, I shall NOT return to that page!

I had basically “abandoned” my blogs. I would go months without posting. I had become a “Facebook person.” Well, Facebook has not proven to be what I had hoped. I’ll still post there, but I’ve decided to blog more.

Fortitude 4 RA posted the following on her blog.

Social Media – friend or foe.

I know the person she refers to. And I have a pretty good idea what is going on. If I’m right, then it is something I know all too well. It is something each person has to walk through at their own terms and in their own way. This person is on my prayer list – the Intensive Prayer Unit. It is all I can do until the problem is shared.

Rather than tear people apart, it is better to be quiet and pray for them, if you are the “praying kind.” If not, just think kindly of them and keep quiet.

How does that saying go?

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Where Are the Children? A Reblog from Orthodoxwoman

This is an excellent post. And the ones following it, a study of the parts of the Liturgy for children of all ages, is just what I wish had been available when I was teaching Sunday School!

Where Are the Children?/

Anger (with a little help from the Desert Fathers and Evagrius)

Classically Christian

I used to have a lot of anger issues. Rarely directed towards fellow humans (usually inanimate objects or myself) and certainly never physically violent — at least regarding humans (in first-year undergrad I once chucked a book across my room and made a hole in the wall; the book was the object of my anger). These issues, which rarely but still manifest themselves to do include a lot of physical energy and, if directed at a person, yellling.

Earlier today I got really angry with someone in a café. Which is always awkward. And I can’t get it out of my mind and focus on my work.

Out of remorse for the book-throwing and to mask my folly back in first-year undergrad, I memorised and posted on the wall over the hole James 1:19:

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (NIV)

Anger…

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Lord, Have Mercy – The Most Misunderstood Prayer in the Christian West

Lord, have mercy: The most misunderstood prayer in the Christian West
By Amelia Bacic-Tulevski

http://www.orthodoxwriter.com/2012/03/lord-have-mercy-most-misunderstood.html

A really excellent commentary by an Orthodox woman with deep understanding of Orthodox history, theology, and spirituality. Check out her other posts and her books while you are on her website.

Thought by Gerontissa Gavriela

 

“If the Humility of Christ becomes the way of our life, any place may, and will, become a place of Resurrection.” ~ Gerontissa Gavriela

St. Gregory Palamas

Much has been written about St. Gregory Palamas, and I, certainly, am not qualified to write about the saint or even comment on those writings. I do know that St. Gregory Palamas was greatly misunderstood during his life. I shall allow others to do my speaking for me on this.

First, there are the writings of St. Gregory Palamas himself (only 3 are included here – there are many more):

Gregory Palamas: The Triads

Gregory Palamas: The Saving Work of Christ

Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas: On Bearing Difficulties: To Those Who Find Hard to Bear All the Different Kinds of Difficulties Which Come Upon Us from All Sides (ed by Christopher Veniamin)

Next, there are commentaries about St. Gregory, of which six are included below:

The Contribution of Saint Gregory Palamas to Hesychasm: Theological Presuppositions of the Life in the Holy Spirit (Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries)

Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews: St. Gregory Palamas and the Prayer of Silence

St. Gregory Palamas on Icons as Tools for the Heart (Podcast from Ancient Faith Radio) [Link opens the podcast; Length: 16:01]

Fr. Bassam A. Nassif: Light for the World: the Life of St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359)

Sergei V. Bulgakov: St. Gregory Palamas and the Second Sunday of Great Lent [on Mystagogy]

Second Sunday in Lent: St. Gregory Palamas

Although there are many more good references, this is all I will include here for now.