Proverbs 31:23

Her husband is 

known in the gates, 

when he sitteth among the

elders of the land.

-Proverbs 31:23

If you're anything like me you read this verse and skip right over it.  You think " 'husband' ok, don't have one of those, this verse doesn't apply to me."  But, since my study right now is causing me to look at the Proverbs 31 Virtuous Woman through different eyes  I'm starting to see things a little clearer.  I might not have a husband NOW, but I certainly would like to have one sometime in the future.  So, how can I prepare for this now? 

The first thing I noticed here was that this entire passage of scripture is about the virtuous woman.  Not her husband.  There are only a few places where her husband is even mentioned.  But, even then, those verses aren't talking about HIM.  They're talking about what her relationship is with him.  So, I think we can assume that even though this verse is talking about a husband, there's something for us to learn from it.  You've heard the saying "Behind every good man is a good woman?"  I'm not saying that's completely true.  And I'm not trying to peddle a feminist agenda.  :)  But, the basis of that idea is that if a man is good, chances are pretty high that his wife is supportive and kind. Encouraging and a good influence.  She probably isn't like the woman mentioned in Proverbs 21:9 and 21:19.  "It is better to dwell in the wilderness than with a contentious and angry woman."  Ouch. 

The Husband mentioned in this verse is a respected and well-known man.  He has a good reputation.  Do you think he built that reputation all on his own?  He could certainly do that and if he were single he would have only himself to concern with the upkeep of that reputation.  But, we know for a fact that he's married because this verse calls him a husband.  So, that got me to thinking about what kind of wife a respected man like that would have.  I have an excellent example right in front of my nose.  My own father is an elder in our church.  He's also a business man of good reputation in our community.  His wife (my mom) is supportive, encouraging and does an excellent job maintaining her own good reputation which in turn reflects well on my dad.  It always helps me to look at things in the converse.  So, I tried to imagine what my Dad's business and church responsibilities would look like if my mom nagged at him all the time.  To be honest, I had a hard time imagining my dad even wanting to be a well known person if he constantly had to be dealing with a contentious and angry wife.  I've been at many community events and watched my dad proudly introduce his wife to everyone he meets.  What if he didn't want to introduce her because she was such a negative person?  What if he introduced her to people and rather than smiling and being friendly she was rude?  My dad's reputation would suffer for it. 

In a conversation with our own Valerie the other day she mentioned that she felt that a lot of guys might be intimidated by the kind of man that most of us girls are looking for.  This led to a discussion of what kinds of qualities we should expect to find in a good husband candidate, which of those we should reasonably expect to be matured qualities (like a heart for the Lord) and which character qualities we should only reasonably expect him to be in the process of developing.  After all, it takes many years to iron out and develop a Godly character.  I'm certainly not perfect and I would hate to feel that I'm being passed over as a good marriage candidate because I'm not perfect.  During the conversation I mentioned that I wasn't looking for someone who was perfect.  Just so he had a willing heart and a goal about what kind of man he wants to become.  I'm totally willing to provide encouragement to help him get there!  I'm a good encourager!  And that kind of encouragement is exactly what I need in my own life!  I know who it is I want to be and I'm working on reaching  my goals.  A little encouragement along the way would be just splendid.  :)  But, I digress...  The point is that if we have expectations of what kind of man we're looking for as a husband, we should expect that the guys also have expectations about what kind of women they are looking for in a wife.  And, if we expect to marry a certain quality of man, we need to be worthy of him. 

The husband in this verse is a leader among men.  Before he was married, what kind of woman do you suppose he was looking for in a wife?  What kind of character traits do you suppose appealed to him?  Should we assume that he married a run-of-the-mill girl?  Or, that he married a girl who had the makings of being a strong, responsible, well respected women?  We have a joke in our house and it takes a little bit of explaining.  My dad is in a group of men at our church that we often refer to as "The Elders" :)  The elder's wives are usually referred to as (creatively enough) the "Elders Wives."  My mom has always encouraged her daughters to be strong women of God, leaders of our peers, encouragers and wise counselors.  She set for us the goal of being the kind of women that would be good wives of good men.  The kind of men that hold positions of leadership in their communities and churches.  She called us "Elders Wives in Training."  Or, as we quickly nick-named it "E-WITS."  It's funny, and we laugh when we talk about being "E-WITS" but the principle is a good one.  We should be preparing now to be the kind of woman that are well-equipped to encourage a man who is "known in the gates."  Be worthy of what you desire. 

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Hiding

I had glasses for a long time. I was about ten when I got them and twenty-two when I got contacts for the first time.

Now, some people love glasses. Some people look good in glasses. I am neither of those people. That whole time, all twelve years, I hated my glasses. I wished I could get rid of them. They took up too much of my already small face, they made people judge me before they knew me. In middle school, when I had braces and frizzy hair, I really and truly loathed them.

So when my sister got contacts this year and my parents discovered that our insurance actually gives better coverage for contacts than for glasses, I leapt at the chance to get rid of them forever (hopefully).

At first my face looked strange and bare. I'd try to push up glasses that weren't there. But gradually, as I got used to wearing contacts I realized that I'd been hidden behind my glasses for all of those years. I'd brush my teeth in the morning and look in the mirror. Then I'd cover up the person I saw there with my glasses.

Maybe no one else ever saw me as hidden or thought that the non-glasses me might be different than the with-glasses me. But I did. I lived my life all those years feeling hidden and unseen. It's a strange idea, but since I've gotten contacts I feel fuller. I feel as if people can really see me for who I am, for the first time in years.

So, think about it. If such a little thing can make such a big difference, what's hiding you?

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A strange and most wonderful mystery

Tonight all around the world Old Calendar Orthodox Christians, like myself and my family, will be going to church to celebrate Christ's birth. Ineffably (one of Orthodoxy's favorite words) the church becomes the cave where Christ was born; we become the shepherds and wise men come to glorify Him. The service says "Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born. Today has God come upon earth, and man gone up to heaven. Today for man's sake is seen in the flesh He who by nature is invisible" (Festal Menaion 263). We have been given the greatest gift possible: the gift of God's love for and mercy toward us. The paradoxical beauty of this feast, that He who is without time became part of time, points to the mystery of our faith.

Throughout the night we will refer to the prophets of the Old Testament, those who foretold the birth of Christ and the redemption of mankind. The patriarchs and righteous women of old are the lineage through which Christ was born to save us all, so we honor them as well. We sing the rich and ancient words that the Church gives us: "A strange and most wonderful mystery do I see: the cave is heaven; the Virgin the throne of the cherubim; the manger a room in which Christ, the God whom nothing can contain is laid. Him do we praise and glorify" (Festal Menaion 282).

In this great mystery of Christ's birth, we see His love for us. So let us say together:

Christ is Born!
Glorify Him!

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In the winter

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.

Those lines are from Christina Rossetti’s poem “In the Bleak Midwinter.” They’re so evocative of winter with its barrenness, its frozen landscape. I get cold quickly, so maybe it’s just me, but winter’s a hard time of year for me. I long for warmth and greenness and beauty: all the things that winter doesn’t have.

In short, I wish I were anywhere but here, in any time but this one.

And that’s how Rossetti starts her poem: with the earth hard as iron, water like a stone. It’s not where she ends, though. She goes on to say:

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.

Into the midst of all of this barrenness, Christ came. Now, I know that the actual date of Christ’s birth is debated, but let’s lay aside that debate for the moment. Because the image of Christ coming into the midst of a world that is winter is true. He came and made all things full of life.

It’s kind of humbling, isn’t it? Here I am, complaining about my cold hands, and there’s Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, coming down and being born as a human, to save us all. Not just us, but all of creation. How awe-some is that?

So, maybe in this cold season I should stop complaining. Maybe I should start trying to make just a tiny bit of Christ’s warmth in this frozen world. Maybe I should do what Rossetti says: “Give my heart.”

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Poppies

The Dead

These hearts were woven of human joys and cares,
Washed marvellously with sorrow, swift to mirth.
The years had given them kindness. Dawn was theirs,
And sunset, and the colours of the earth.
These had seen movement, and heard music; known
Slumber and waking; loved; gone proudly friended;
Felt the quick stir of wonder; sat alone;
Touched flowers and furs and cheeks. All this is ended.

There are waters blown by changing winds to laughter
And lit by the rich skies, all day. And after,
Frost, with a gesture, stays the waves that dance
And wandering loveliness. He leaves a white
Unbroken glory, a gathered radiance,
A width, a shining peace, under the night

Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)

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Empty or full?

Sometimes I feel empty. How could I possibly sit here and write something moving? How could I hope to teach what I don’t know? The questions just keep piling up until I feel like I have nothing, like I am nothing.

But then I remember one of my favorite poems (I will admit that I have a great many). It’s called “A Better Resurrection” and it was written by a Victorian woman named Christina Rossetti.

I have no wit, no words, no tears;

My heart within me like a stone

Is numbed too much for hopes or fears;

Look right, look left, I dwell alone;

I lift mine eyes, but dimmed with grief

No everlasting hills I see;

My life is in the falling leaf:

O Jesus, quicken me.

My life is like a faded leaf,

My harvest dwindled to a husk;

Truly my life is void and brief

And tedious in the barren dusk;

My life is like a frozen thing,

No bud nor greenness can I see:

Yet rise it shall—the sap of Spring;

O Jesus, rise in me.

My life is like a broken bowl,

A broken bowl that cannot hold

One drop of water for my soul

Or cordial in the searching cold;

Cast in the fire the perished thing,

Melt and remold it, till it be

A royal cup for Him my King:

O Jesus, drink of me.

We will feel empty. We will feel “dimmed with grief.” We live in a fallen world. But we also have the greatest gift we could possibly be given: the love of God and the promise of his mercy and healing.

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Wodehouse Day

What ho!

Tomorrow is October 15th. One might say, indeed. And the day after will be October 16th. This is true. And yet, October 15th is a special day, one which will forever shine...or perhaps live in infamy. You see, old sports/beans/comrades, October 15th is P.G. Wodehouse's birthday.

P.G. Wodehouse, if you don't happen to know, is the English author responsible for the creation of characters such as Jeeves, Bertie Wooster, R. Psmith, Baxter, Freddie Threepwood, Aunt Agatha...the list goes on and on.

For the Wodehouse fans amongst us, October 15th ought to mark a day of wearing lemon colored pajamas, singing "Minnie the Moocher," and humming the theme music to the Jeeves and Wooster TV series.

Here are a few ideas:
+ Wear a chrysanthemum in your button-hole
+ Start sentences with, "Oh, I say!" and "What ho!"
+ Call your friends "sport," "bean," or, if you wish to be Psmith-y, "comrade"
+ Throw flower pots. Do try to avoid actually hitting anyone, though
+ Find a stuffed moose and stick it in your hallway

I personally plan to eat pshrimp, re-read Leave it to Psmith, my favorite of all Wodehouse's novels, and watch as many of the Jeeves and Wooster series as possible.

Further information:
Wodehouse on Wikipedia
Hugh Laurie (played Bertie Wooster) on Wodehouse

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"It may be that the night will close over us in the end, but I believe that morning will come again. Morning always grows again out of the darkness, tough maybe not for the people who saw the light go down. We are the Lantern Bearers, my friend; for us to keep something burning, to carry what light we can forward into the darkness and the wind."
Rosemary Sutcliff, The Lantern Bearers, p. 279

Rosemary Sutcliff is, in my opinion, the best of the best when it comes to historical novels. While she is considered a children's/young adult writer, I'm still discovering new works by her and being entranced by the beauty of her language and the way she draws her characters.

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How to read a poem, part 2

You can read the first part [HERE].

In the last post I talked about how to read a poem, using "God's Grandeur" by Gerard Manley Hopkins as an example. In this post I'm going to share some of what I see in "God's Grandeur."

This poem is a sonnet--to be more specific, a Petrarchan sonnet. Therefore it has 14 lines in the following rhyme pattern (or rhyme scheme):
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A

C
D
C
D
C
D

I divided into two sections. The first contains two thoughts, the second one.

Let's look at the first thought of the first section (this is starting to sound a little like Charades, isn't it?):

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

* Until the last line, all of the statements are positive ("is charged," "will flame out," "gathers to a greatness")
* The positive statements are all attributes of the grandeur of God.
* The first negative statement is introduced with men.
* The "now" in the last sentence places the poem in the present
* Three major subjects of the poem are introduced: the world, God, and men

Let's move on to the second thought of the first section:

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

* This thought marks a change from most of the first thought but continues from the last sentence
* Hopkins is still describing the present day
* The statements are positive but the connotations are negative ("bleared," "smeared," "smudge")
* Here man is out of touch with nature ("nor can foot feel, being shod") and in fact has imposed himself on the world.

Now comes a very important part: a break. You can see it on the page. There's a space before the next thought. This pattern follows the form of Petrarchan sonnets.

Then comes the second section:

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

* Here the attitude of the poem shifts dramatically. Before everything was "bleared" and "smeared"--and they still are. But there is also "the dearest freshness deep down things"
* The renewal of the world is constant and ever present. This renewal is only possible with God, via the work of the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost), which is here compared to a mother hen brooding over her chicks.

This analysis is far from exhaustive, but I'm not really trying to be exhaustive. I'm trying to show you that if you don't let yourself be discouraged and keep reading attentively, you can figure out what a poem is trying to say without as much difficulty as you might think!

Do you have any other thoughts? Leave them in the comments!

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How to read a poem, part 1

I’ve noticed that a fair number of my friends, even people who enjoy reading a lot, tend to shy away from poetry. “Oh no,” they say, “it’s too difficult. I don’t like reading it very much.” I, on the other hand, enjoy reading poetry quite a bit. And since I’m an English major I read it often. So I thought I’d give a few tips on reading poetry. Because it’s really not as scary as it sounds.

1. Go [HERE] and print off the poem. Now find a pen or pencil and sit down somewhere quiet with a table or book to write on.

2. Read the whole poem out loud. I know this may sound a little funny, but trust me. It makes a difference.*

3. Now, in the nice white space at the bottom of your paper write down anything you noticed. Don’t read any further until you’ve done that.

Okay. Here are a few things I noticed:
a) the ‘g’ sound is repeated quite a bit throughout the poem
b) there’s a rhythmical, marching feel, especially in the first stanza [if you don’t know what a stanza is, don’t worry—we’ll get to that in a minute]

4. Now take your pen or pencil. We’re going to look at the form of the poem—the way it’s been set up. I happen to already know that this is in a form called a Petrarchan sonnet. But even if you don’t know that, we can figure some things out.

At the end of the first line, put a big ‘A.’ Now look at the next line. Does it rhyme with the first? No, it ends with ‘foil.’ So put a big ‘B’ at the end of the second line. Now look at the third line. Does it rhyme with either of the two so far? Yes! It rhymes with the second line. So put a big ‘B’ at the end of that line as well. Keep going through the poem, putting a new letter whenever a new rhyme appears.

After you’re done, you should end up with these letters:
A
B
B
A
A
B
B
A

C
D
C
D
C
D

Can you draw any conclusions from them?

Here’s what I thought of:
a) the poem is divided into two sections—these are called ‘stanzas’ †
b) in the first section, the same rhyme pattern‡ is repeated twice
So my conclusion is that the two sections will have different thoughts in them—otherwise why would they be divided? And in the first section, there will be two thoughts again, but they will be related (because they have the same rhyme pattern).

5. Now, read the first line again. Just the first line. Take your pen or pencil and write down any thoughts you have. Circle words if you think they’re interesting. Do the same thing for all fourteen lines. If you need to look something up in the dictionary, you can. If you want to read it out loud again, you can do that too. If you think two things are connected, draw a line between them. Right across the beginning of the page.

6. Look at all of your notes. Some of them might not be important. That’s okay. Usually I have two or three little rabbit trails that are interesting but don’t really have anything to do with what I end up thinking the poem is really trying to say.

Now comes the part that might be a little harder. Looking at your notes and at the poem, try to figure out what you think the poem is saying. It doesn’t have to be anything really profound. It can just be a paraphrase of the words in each section. That’s a hint there—remember that the poem is written in sections. There are two complete thoughts in the first large section and one complete thought in the second. Try to think of them as a sentence each (in this poem they happen to be a sentence each, which makes things easier).

Another tip: try to find the key words. What seems to be important here? I came up with a few—nature, God, man, the world. Can you think of any more?

Tip 3: a poem isn’t necessarily going to say exactly the same thing the whole way through. In fact, usually the poet changes his or her mind part of the way through. So if one section seems to say one thing and another section seems to say another, don’t be frustrated. That’s probably part of the poem.

I’m going to stop here for this week. Next week I’ll tell you what I think the poem is trying to say. Please, leave your ideas in the comment section! And if you have any questions, you can leave those in the comments as well. I’ll try to answer them either there or in my next post.

* Most poetry is designed to be read out loud and therefore you miss things if you don’t. This is less true for certain poems and forms of poetry but in general it is a good principle.
† There, wasn’t that easy?
‡ If you wanted to be fancy about it, you could use the technical term and call it a 'rhyme scheme.'

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Poking my head in the door

Hello everyone! It's been awhile since I've been posting regularly. In fact, right now you may be thinking, "What? An IDD Blog post on a Wednesday?" If so, I apologize.

My existence without wireless is to blame. And I've missed all of you and I'll be glad when I have wireless again and can be around more. But I'm glad I've had this quiet time as well. I've been doing so many things.


I went to New York State for a wedding and camped by the banks of Lake Erie on the way.


I went to Chicago for a church youth conference, where we made a star with our feet. And then over 30 of us got sick afterwards.


We hosted a bridal tea for a friend of mine. I made the scones.

And then I've been doing all sorts of things that can't be pictured. I've been working on embroidery projects, recommended book lists, reading Moby Dick and Little Dorrit and Rosemary Sutcliff, becoming co-caretaker of a library, cooking, dancing, singing. Writing. Compiling service books for myself. And petting this rascal:


And this one:


What have you been doing?

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Of happiness and joy

Rebecca wrote about Pursuing happyness the other day. It got me thinking about happiness versus joy. I've grown up in a church that distinguishes between the two. Happiness is an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Joy is a spiritual emotion--not even an emotion really. A gift. One of God's graces which we never deserve but which he gives us anyway.

Happiness is transitory. It's great while it lasts, but when you're done with the ice cream cone, you're done with the ice cream cone. That's it. No more. Oh, sure, you could get another ice cream cone, but sooner or later you would run out of ice cream or cones. And you'd probably be sick to your stomach.

Joy, on the other hand, may leave you, but it is a reaching into eternity. It's quiet, reaching into the corners of your heart and filling them with something both heady and sobering. And joy comes regardless of the circumstances. I believe that it is one of the marks of a great Christian that they carry joy and peace in their heart no matter what the outward aspects of their life. I know that's challenging. Believe me, I fail every day.

Happiness is great. But you can find it anywhere. Books make me happy. Cooking makes me happy. Chocolate makes me happy. Dogs sitting on my lap (nice, small dogs, that is) make me happy.

But joy? I can only find joy with God. So I'll seek joy.

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One road

"There is but one road to the Kingdom of God--a cross, voluntary or involuntary."
~St. Theophan the Recluse, The Art of Prayer, p. 231

I think there are several things to be said about the quote on several different levels.

First, the difference between this attitude and the attitude which I have sometimes seen which says, "If you're doing Christianity right, everything will be fine. You'll have a nice family and a nice house and a nice income. If you're suffering, you're doing it wrong" (paraphrasing here, obviously) strikes me very sharply. In fact, the two thoughts are almost completely opposite. On the one hand, you have the idea that if you're following God's will, material success and happiness will come to you. On the other hand, you have the idea that if you are following God's will, you will be carrying a cross. You will be suffering. I cannot help but believe the second idea over the first. For one thing, we see it played out over and over again in the lives of the holiest of people. Can we really say that St. John the Baptist, who ate locusts and honey and lived in the desert, was lacking--he who baptized the Lord? St. Paul says, so specifically, "Time would fail me to tell of Gideon and of Barak, and of Samson and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets....Women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy)." (Emphasis mine.)

It is both daunting and encouraging to realize that it is not only the spiritual heroes of old who have a cross, but that I do as well. It is daunting because I am so unready, so weak, so sinful. I don't want to have a cross. I don't want to suffer and struggle. But there it is. Unless I take up my cross, with a glad heart and good grace as well, accepting the Lord's will, I will never gain heaven. And yet it is encouraging because I know that I am not alone. The people who look as if they have everything--not necessarily in the material sense--those who are musically talented, and pretty, and outgoing--they too have a cross. I don't know what it is, but I know that it is there. I know they are fellow-travelers. And I can hope to reach out and pull them up when they need it. I can hope for God's grace on my path because it is only through Him that I can carry whatever I must.

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Wednesday quote

“Overall, the Christian and Orthodox view is that the world is full of genuine suffering. We cannot deny it, dismiss it, ignore it; we cannot pretend that it’s an illusion, or that people get what they deserve for deeds in previous lives. Instead, we are compelled to take positive action, bringing healing wherever we can and comfort where we cannot.” Frederica Mathewes-Green, At the Corner of East and Now p. 73

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Dry season

I've been sitting here, staring at the computer screen. Staring at the empty page. Wondering what to write. (It seems to be quite a theme for the IDD bloggers.)

There are days when I feel dry of words.

There are days when I feel dry of life.

On these days it's hard to trust. Hard to believe that everything will turn out all right. Our human frailties have messed it all up so much. Hard to believe that I, me, this person sitting here, is really of value. Hard to believe that there could be a 'soul-love' for me, somewhere out there. Hard to believe that any of my dreams will come true.

If I let myself, I can go into a serious tail-spin. But sometimes I have to catch myself and say: Wait. Stop. Think for a minute. And then I remember. "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Me. Sitting here. Struggling for words. Struggling with everything. It's a gift I can't possibly deserve, and yet I have it. And then there are the wonderful words of St. John Chrysostom, read every year at Pascha:

Let no one bewail his poverty,
For the universal Kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one weep for his iniquities,
For pardon has shown forth from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
For the Saviour's death has set us free.
He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

If Christ is Risen, as I firmly believe, anything else can happen. God does love and care for each and every one of us.

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Visiting London, part two

*If you're in college in the States, don't say so. The term college has a different connotation in the UK. It basically means a school for people who failed the test to get into university. Even if your school has college in the name, say you go to University.

*Pay attention to the news. It's easy to get ahold of free newspapers. People push them at you on the street. While there's a lot of trash in them, the actual reporting is surprisingly good. There's also BBC.co.uk, for a little more legitimate source, as well as yahoo.co.uk. A lot of British news is basically the same as ours, but some of it isn't. TIP: Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is simply England.

*On the elevators in the Tube, stand on the right and walk on the left. You'll hear that announcement repeated, but quite a few people still stand on the left and walk on the right. In general, you want to walk on the left throughout London. Green Park station is one of the few exceptions to that rule.

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Visiting London, part one

I've spent the last three months studying in London as part of a program through my university. It's been an amazing experience and I'm so grateful for it. As a sort of natural result I've picked up a few tips for visiting London.

*Use Pret a Manger and E.A.T. These are both chains all around London which sell fresh, pre-made sandwiches. I'm not sure of exact prices at E.A.T., but at Pret you can easily get a fairly filling sandwich for under three pounds. The cheapest is the egg mayo sandwich at a pound fifty. They also have coffee, soup, and a few pastries. TIP: Try to ask for take-away. Restaurants are legally required to charge a special tax if you eat in.

*Go to the museums. London has some fabulous museums, especially the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and Tate Britian. On the history side, there's the V&A (Victoria and Albert) and the British Museum. There are smaller museums and galleries that you can look up if you're interested. TIP: Go early. British school children are required to visit the major museums so with them and tourists, it can get quite noisy later on. Most galleries open at ten so you won't have to get up at the crack of dawn.

*If there is a musical performance you want to attend and you don't have tickets, go to the box office about 9:00 the day of the performance. Most of the major companies have tickets that are only available on the day. I'm not sure if this is true for plays or not, but the TKTS booths operate under a similar idea. TIP: Wear comfortable shoes.

*If you're in London for any amount of time, you'll probably hit rush hour on the Tube. Be prepared to be squashed up against the person next to you. There's really nothing any of you can do about it. TIP: If there are no handholds available, lean against the wall of the car and plant your feet.

*People in London walk fast. Now, so do I. If you walk more slowly or if you stop in their path, they will just push past you. TIP: If you feel like you simply have to have a photo of X or if you're lost, try to stop at the edge of the sidewalk or Tube platform. Walking fast is an added bonus.

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For from death to life and from earth to heaven

[This weekend Orthodox Christians around the world will celebrate Christ's Resurrection. Because we do not use the same method of calculating the date of Pascha, our observance frequently differs from the Western tradition.]

It's already dark when we gather in the cavernous church. A few candles punctuate the shadows. We are hushed, exhausted after our long vigil. Friday's mourning services and Saturday's long service and preparations have taken their toll. Like the myrrhbearing women we have gathered before the tomb of Christ. Unlike them, we know the story and in our hearts the first thrills of expectant joy begin to stir.

At midnight all the lights in the church are extinguished. We stand together in the darkness, waiting. Time slips away and none of us could say how long until the first glimmer of light appears. Dancing across the ceiling above the altar, it is the first sign that the event we are all waiting for has come to pass. The clergy begin to sing one of the great hymns:

Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Saviour, the angels in heaven sing. Enable us on earth to glorify Thee in purity of heart.

Quietly at first and then with more and more strength until, still singing, they come out with lit candles. We hold our own to out to them and in a few moments the church is a blaze of light and song.



We process around the outside of the church. Our candles usually go out at least once and in the middle of the night the air is sharp. Our singing is a little breathless, but heartfelt nonetheless. As we return to the front door we re-light our candles from our neighbors'. Then the clergy sing for the first time the greatest hymn:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tomb bestowing life.

As we enter the church suddenly everything is bright and full of flowers. The miracle has happened. Christ has triumphed over death and sin. We go through the rest of the service, pausing to cry out, "Christ is risen!" and to hear the answering, "In truth He is risen!"

Then, because we are Orthodox, we have a feast. Our whole being is rejoicing.

In the early hours of the morning we make our way home. We are even more exhausted but there is a smile on our lips and song in our hearts because the Day of Days has once more come and our Lord is Risen.

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Stillness

I find God very restful. You see, I spend a good part of my life wrestling with words, beating them into shape, trying to be sure I find the perfect way to convey my precise meaning. Sometimes it's a joy and sometimes it's, well, not a joy.

But with God I don't need to anguish over words. I don't need to explain exactly what I mean by "happy" in this context because He knows. Before I even began to speak, He knew.

The Holy Fathers tell us that the highest form of prayer is wordless standing before God in your heart. Now, I am incredibly far from this kind of prayer. But I do know the joy of being able to simply say, "Lord, here is my heart. You know it. It has stains and rough spots. Clean it and perfect it" and to be sure that He does know, He does understand.

I dream of someday finding a man who will be, as Martine Leavitt puts it, a soul love. But in the end there's already One who knows me.


(Image from Stock Exchange)

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Vital signs

I want to live my life.

That sounds a bit “well, duh!” doesn’t it? By definition you do live your life. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be living.

But I want something more than just vital signs. I want to experience my life fully. To feel the wind rushing against my face. To bask in the first sunlight of spring. To know the glory of God whatever I’m doing.

And that’s the rub. Because things catch us up in their net and all of a sudden here I am thinking about the paper I need to write, the room I need to clean, the tickets I need to buy, what time do I need to leave to get to class on time, why doesn’t anyone ever reply to my e-mails, do I really have to call that person to get an answer? And I’m not living anymore. Not really.

It’s not like I don’t need to do some of those things. Papers must be written. Rooms must be cleaned (especially mine). Tickets to La Boheme will certainly make me happy. Getting to class on time would be a plus.

All the time I’m worrying about those things, I can feel part of me crying out for something more. Some beauty, some moment of sheer wonder.

Sometimes I need to stop and think and listen and be. Notice the crocuses on the walk home. Thrill to the flight of the bird by the Tube station. See the beauty hidden in the everyday acts of our lives. I don’t particularly feel the need to go climb Mount Everest or something extreme like that. But I do need to avoid getting caught up in the cares and worries of the world and forgetting about true life—the life that experiences every day and in everything the wonder and majesty and love of God.

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