Spirit Monday...

THE HOUSE IS now quiet... and I can now organize my thoughts. Doing this blog thing does take a lot of time, but I'm enjoying it. However, trying to do it with the buzz of children during the day seems not to work for me. I can only keep so many conversations going at a time. Three chatty boys and trying to chat with you, well you should get the picture. But now the house is quiet... How I love the quiet! There are days that I think that if someone could just lock me in solitary confinement in a room full of yarn or fabric, some knitting needles or a sewing machine, that as long as I had a bathroom and meals I could be happy for a long, long time. Ha! Ha!

Today is the beginning of Spirit Week. After each Great Feast of the Church we celebrate the one that made the feast possible. So today, being Spirit Monday, we honor the all Holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, Who descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost. This was the fulfillment of our Lord's promise to send the Comforter to His disciples (John 14:16). At the services of Pentecost we return to singing

"O Heavenly King, the Comforter the Spirit of truth,

who art every where present and fillest all things,

treasury of blessings and giver of life, come and abide in us,

and cleanse us from every impurity

and save our souls O good One."



I especially love this prayer and it is such a comfort to hear it again during our services. It's one of the first prayers I teach my children to sing. I love to hear their little voices singing it during our evening prayers. Don't you just love to hear children sing. It's so sweet. Why is it that adults singing off tune doesn't sound nearly as sweet? Hmmmm....

Anyway, all in our home especially love Spirit Week! A whole week with NO fasting!! For those of you non-Orthodox reading, we fast each Wednesday and Friday during the year. Except during fasting periods, where we fast everyday for a period of time. So fast free weeks are very special to us. I hope to make some fun and more special than usual non-fasting meals on Wednesday and Friday this week to share with you. So stay tuned.

To celebrate the Feast of Pentecost Sunday we were able to get out and just enjoy the day. We had a lovely walk and then a nice meal afterwards. Even though it wasn't a particularly sunny day, it was warm and nice to just get out and admire God's creation.

Don't you just love buttercups...

My kids thought that this was the "X" tree, must be treasure close by...

Now I'm back to planning the week ahead... I hope you have a wonderful day and I hope your are able to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit visit upon you today and everyday!

Pentecost...

THIS IS THE WEEKEND of Pentecost... What a glorious feast of the church! One of the ways I help to make this feast more significant to the children is to put the emphasis of celebrating the "birthday" of the church. We make a cake and talk about the Gospel reading for the day. Years ago when my oldest was six or seven a group of ladies and children from our church decided to make a special plate for the feasts of the church. I'm sorry to say the only two I completed were the "Liturgical year" and Pentecost. However, I now can not find the one made for Pentecost.

The Liturgical Year plate shows in colors and symbols all of the seasons of the church year. It's a wonderful visual to show the fasting and celebration seasons of the year. I should find a ceramic shop and make the other feast day plates so I could have a special plate for each feast. Hmmmm... have to think about that. Anyway when we make our "Pentecost Birthday" cake we use this special plate for the feast. We also go out and find greenery and flowers to decorate to signify "that God’s divine Breath comes to renew all creation as the “lifeÄcreating Spirit.”  Just another way to make the feast more meaningful for the children.

So after the wonderful services of Pentecost Sunday the children will help to prepare our special meal with a special dessert, usually a cake. What's a birthday without a cake, right? Then on Spirit Monday, the following day, we would usually travel to our historical Holy Trinity Church for Spirit Monday to continue the celebration of the feast. This year, however we will be home, due to a lacking of transportation. There's a lovely picnic lunch afterwards and another day of celebration. I'm sad to be missing it.

On this weekend of Pentecost I wish you a blessed feast and pray that we all honor the visitation of the Holy Spirit upon us throughout the year.

Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise

by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit:

through them Thou didst draw the world into Thy net.

O Lover of Man, Glory to Thee (Troparion).

When the Most High came down and confused the tongues, he divided the nations.

But when he distributed the tongues of fire, he called all to unity.

Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the All-Holy Spirit! (Kontakion)