Porch Update #1
I do realize that my last several posts have all had numerals in the titles. If you psycho-analyzed it, it would probably show that I am trying to organize my life and therefore my brain.
Anyways….on to the porch update.
No additional furniture yet, but there are plants, and after 4 days they are so far so good!
Yes, yes, I know I cheated by buying pre-grown herbs. But what chance do I have if they’re not even alive before I get them? Seriously.
God-Child #2
As I explained in a previous post, we were asked to be god-parents on Wednesday.
On Saturday morning, 7:50 am, I got to meet our new god-daughter, Lola Magdalena. She is five years old (six on June 3rd!) and was accompanied by her older brother George (7), and younger sisters Sophia (4) and Lily (1). Their parents, Lori (Nona) and Ron (Gregory), were also getting received into the Church, along with over a dozen others (21 total). This large number might be typical for St. Barnabas, but not for St. Seraphim (since we do Chrismations year-round). In fact, I think it was the largest group they’ve ever had at one time.
I was able to talk with Lola for only a few minutes before the service began. Lola was standing near to her sister Sophia with Katie and I right behind them. And the baptisms started. There were only two that were hard, one was Lily, who Courtney was holding until she started to scream (most babies don’t like being dunked!). Another was a 10 year old boy who literally was DRAGGED, kicking and screaming all the way. Jesse joked that the exorcism they do BEFORE the baptism apparently didn’t take.
Lola and Sophia were jumping up and down and clasping their hands together the whole time, saying, “Oh boy oh boy!” They were not getting baptized, however, much to their chagrin, since they already had in the Catholic church (the whole family were convert Catholics). They were also trying to blow out the candles that Katie and I were holding for them, saying, “Let’s make a wish!”
Their excitement only grew as the ceremony progressed. I got to put the tiny little cross on her and watch her admire it. Later on, as they were cutting the hairs of everyone, Sophia misheard the word “tonsure” and instead thought that Fr. John said, “torture”. Her eyes got wide and she said, “Lola, is it your turn to get tortured with the scissors?”
After they cut Lola’s hair, I bent down and explained to her that this was her very first offering to God and that there would be many more. She proceeded to take the little packet full of her hairs, put it in her palms, and, extending her arms to the altar she said, “Here you go, Lord!”
Later that night at Pascha, I got to wake her up for her first communion. Most of the kids are, at this time, in the back asleep in sleeping bags (what fun to be an Orthodox child and get to have one huge sleepover in the back of the church every Pascha!). I showed her how to cross her arms across her chest, right over left, and told her to open her mouth wide when it was her turn. She was pretty apprehensive at the end, which might have had to do with being woken up 5 minutes prior, but did a great job. Afterwards she turned to me and said, “That did NOT taste good.”
This was nothing, however, to screaming crying kid. Earlier, when they tried to take the newly illumined males back into the altar, he simply would not go. He was in hysterics, scratching and flailing at his godmother who was with him the door of the altar. He was the same way when he went to take communion later. He even kicked a couple of the other kids right in the face as he was being carried by his godmother.
However, there were a lot of newly-illumined kids who were VERY pious, so much so that it’s almost scary, and very humbling. There is one family who was received who had two little boys. The dad, Josh (the mom’s name is Heather, so we refer to this family as “the NEW Josh and Heather”!) is really into mixed martial arts. The little boy, who chose St. Seraphim as his saint, was getting bullied on the playground recently at school. When his parents asked him what he did, he said to them, “Well, I just asked myself, ‘What would St. Seraphim do?’ So I turned the other cheek and let them be mean.” This was why he chose St. Seraphim as his saint- if you ever see an icon of St. Seraphim, he is hunched over because he was beat up by robbers in the woods. Instead of fighting back, he let the robbers beat him nearly to death with his own axe. When they caught the robbers, he even pleaded the judge for mercy on their behalf.
Another incredibly pious child is 7 year old George, Lola’s brother. He was absolutely ADAMANT that his patron saint be Saint George because of how brave he was. In case you are not familiar with the icon, it looks like this:
As he was getting ready for the Eucharist in the back of the church, he clasped his hands together and said softly, “Finally, communion, after all these years!!”
At Pascha, we got to give Lola her icon of St. Mary Magdalene. We explained to her that Mary is holding the red Pascha egg because she is the one who started the tradition of red Pascha eggs. The story goes that once Jesus had risen from the dead, Mary Magdalene went to Pilate to explain what had happened. She picked up an egg to help explain his resurrection. Pilate said that Jesus couldn’t have risen from the dead, anymore than the egg could turn red. The egg immediately turned red, and so the tradition began! As soon as we gave Lola her icon, she clasped it to her chest and wouldn’t let go.
Here are a few pictures of that I got Lola Magdalena and her siblings when they weren’t stuffing their faces with Marshmallow Peeps and frosted cookies from their Easter baskets (sugar crash, anyone?). I have yet to get a picture of Lily, as she was home asleep with her mom by this point in the night/morning.
Essence of Spring
Don’t these clouds look awesome? I can totally see this sky making a guest appearance in Courtney’s tornado dreams.
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