With the exception of Thanksgiving, we don't really celebrate the American holidays. My wife is not from the US, the kids usually have school and I have work, and taking a day off because my native land is celebrating a holiday is not popular with students or parents, my kids' teachers, etc. (As a teacher, it irritates me, too when people miss lessons. It slows down the lessons and destabilizes group unity in terms of what they know.)
So I remember y'all, my people, and raise a glass to the holiday. Sometimes a Russian friend picks up the fact that it is an American holiday in the news, and wishes me a happy one.
I was alone with my older son, the one who's dropped away from faith (he's 18, our college student, Tim). We ordered a pizza (yes, even in the boonies we can do that now) and watched a movie (Rise of the Planet of the Apes - fairly good next to most other flicks they put out these days).
On the topic, if anyone is so inclined, I'd like to ask for prayers for Tim. One of his однокурсники, a girl from his college class (everybody studies and works together and develop much tighter bonds than anything we have in college) drowned a few days ago; the funeral is today and he has gone off on his own to attend the funeral this morning, which does include an Orthodox service (her name was, I believe, Evgeniya, "Zhenya"). It's kind of a sign of our relations that I found out from his mother (who he DID tell) and he wouldn't tell me any details (not that he knew many).
