In all things, be charitable.
That is easier said than done especially when the family home is crawling with those nasty hairy ticks
and fleas and you do not have any effective repellent. So, I was covered with bites on my legs, which disturbed my sleep.
Family life can be very stressful, especially when the non-orthodox members feel that they must convert the sole Orthodox member.
When I was visiting my mom just after my dad died, my younger brother got the notion in his head that since he was the oldest man in the house, he now had the right to preach and lead all the prayers before all the meals.
Of course, preaching, reading the bible, and praying could take 30 minutes or more, and since he cooked the food and it was sitting on the table while he preached, the food would become cold. And of course, all the pregnant passages to condemn those who believe in works must be quoted, which he did with a big smile on his face, because he has just finished a bottle of spiked coke which serves to loosen his tongue. And if anyone would dare to complain, he then quotes from St. Paul that a little wine is good for the stomach and that we are not to judge one another because all of his sins are now covered in His blood because he has been saved and will go straight to heaven when he dies.
Therefore, I told my mom I was not feeling well as I had come down with a cold, and I did not want to spread my cold. So I waited about 45 minutes to insure that the preacher had finished, and then came in and got a plate of food and left after thanking the cook for the good food and wishing all
bon appétit.
Oh, I did not mention that the night I arrived, he holed me in a corner while the other members silently called it a night. Then he spent a good two hours trying to convert me to his born-again once-saved-always-saved Jesus-saves independent bible church, which was not affiliated with any major denomination and thus could claim to have apostolic succession somehow.
At the funeral, I had to endure 30 minutes of my brother's rambling under the influence (RUI) sermon which followed the preacher's 10 minute homily and eulogy. Thankfully, I found a NKJV in the pew and started reading it in earnest, which did preserve my sanity. My brother seemed pleased at my devotion to the Bible.
I have learned since that a well-placed cough and a quick grab of bottled water provides an excellent escape from a packed church when the preacher starts attacking Catholicism or Orthodoxy or starts releasing those nasty biting hairy ticks.
And a breath of fresh air is great for clearing one's mind.
Since my son has married an Orthodox Christian, I cannot tell you how blessed it is to be with my new extended family. I deeply love them and they have become my true family now.
