St. Euphrosynos Taverna and Ouzeri 44 (6)

[prodromos]

I don't recommend anyone jumping into the fray, in fact I would strongly discourage any involvement, but is anyone else shaking their head over the train wrecks the threads in the Mariology & Hagiography have become?
Lord have mercy.
TGIO (thank God I'm Orthodox)

 

[ArmyMatt]

took a glance...yucky

I am glad I stick around here

 

[~Anastasia~]

I haven't been there for a LONG time. Hmmmm.

I won't be venturing over there at the moment. Working on myself is enough for the time being. I don't need to get all stretched out and involved in everyone else's issues when they likely wouldn't want me there anyway. I don't think I'm even going to go look. I'm sure it will just make me sad.

 

[RobNJ]

In honor of today:

 

[~Anastasia~]

In honor of today:

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Like, Like, Like!!!

 

[ArmyMatt]

Hahaha

 

[Antony in Tx]

Heard a good one from a Rabbi on the radio today. Scientists had advanced so far that they could communicate directly with God, and they told Him, "You can go now, you are no longer relevant as we can do anything you can, even create life." God answered, "Even create a man from dust?" and the scientist said, "Certainly!" As he began to scoop up a handful of dust, God said, "Oh, no! You'll need to get your own dust!"

LOVE IT!

 

[~Anastasia~]

Lord have mercy - what a day I had today. Where's Gurney? I need someone who can relate!

I normally avoid middle schools if I can - I tend to like the littlest ones and the older high schoolers best. But I took this job so I can attend Church and Bible study - and beggars can't be choosers. We were supposed to have Bible study today (it got cancelled - Father is ill, unfortunately - I pray he feels better!). And half-days on my schedule are rare. So anyway - today I was "Coach" ... at a very rough Middle School. One of my classes had FORTY 6th graders. NO ONE should be responsible for FORTY 6th graders, especially defiant, mouthy ones!

There were not one, but two fights today. Not my students, and at least I managed to keep mine out of it. But I couldn't talk them down, and I don't step in the middle of fights when the students are bigger than me. They were mild as fights go though.

Many, MANY incidents of probably just raging hormones. Usually starting by a boy teasing a girl, the girl hitting the boy, playfighting ensues,and then they are chasing each other - usually the girl chasing the boy trying to smack him or the boy wrestling the girl. I lost track of how many of those I had to break up.

Between classes the other coaches were nowhere to be seen sometimes, and I had not one but FOUR classes to keep an eye on. If forty students is bad - imagine 160.

But you'd be amazed how good these kids are for me. They are an extreme exercise in maintaining calm, treating other human beings with dignity even when they don't "deserve" it, not letting one's pride get provoked by not enforcing the "authority" one is supposed to expect to have, and drawing lines for behavior and holding others accountable when they cross them. My husband asked me tonight if I wasn't stressed out in dealing with all this, and I can truthfully say that I am not. A year ago my stress would have been through the roof, and not only that, but I'd probably have been terrified of them.

It's good for me - but today was one of the most difficult days ever. And I'm still immature enough to need someone to whine to, lol ... so I hope y'all don't mind the post!

 

[prodromos]

Sorry to here you've had such a rough day, and glory to God for your patient endurance. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to manage under the same circumstances.

Just a little shout out from Thessaloniki in Greece. My mother in law passed away a month ago and we have come for the 40 day memorial and will stay for Christmas. My wife has been here already for a month as she came for the funeral.
I have to say that as bad as things are in Greece it is still a blessed country. We've been to Divine Liturgy every morning since arriving and will be going to a number of vigil services. The main church in the neighborhood where we are staying is the site where a young monk by the name of Kyrillos was martyred by the Turks. Every time we come to Greece we discover new saints, monasteries and churches. I remember we had lived here for a number of years before we discovered there was a monastery right in the middle of the city
I love this city.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Ah, I'm fine, thanks. As I said, I'm just immature enough to want to whine to someone who understands the situation. Middle schoolers are like trial by fire, lol, especially from "bad areas" and that's just WAY too many of them - especially when they are all taller than me!

I'm really glad to hear your update on Greece. I've never been there, but I hear many descriptions of how things used to be from parishioners. None of the ones I'm closest to have been there in the past six months, and the ones who have are not saying much publicly, so I really had wondered. Thank you for sharing that. I still hope to go there someday.

 

[ArmyMatt]

ugh, Lord have mercy!

 

[prodromos]

Went to Divine Liturgy at the Naos of St Demetrios yesterday morning and will be going to the night liturgy in the catacombs there tonight. Also received a small piece of cotton wool soaked in myrrh from his relics to take back to a Dimitri in our home parish. We still have ours from over 15 years ago and it still smells strongly of myrrh.
Really enjoying making the sign of the cross every hundred metres or so as we walk past yet another church. I love Thessaloniki

 

[Dewi Sant]

She may sing of a different form of bondage, but this song exemplifies so much of the art of repentance.

 

[Anhelyna]

How's the weather in your part of the UK been Dewi Sant ?

 

[Dewi Sant]

it's wet but not too bad.
I'm in the hills of Lancashire so I'm okay.

Poor folks in Lancaster though.
And Cumbria has turned from the Lakes to just the Lake.

 

[Anhelyna]

It's been bad in the South of Scotland - but there's no doubt Cumbria has had the worst of it.

 

[gzt]

Bleh - so I was wanting to escape this dreary town for Christmas and had been hoping to visit the city I used to live in, go to church there, have a glorious set of services, then maybe see the family on the weekend. That fell through, so I'm seeing what the rest of my family is up to. Trying hard to make it so that their plans aren't to drive somewhere on Christmas day and miss liturgy. Also looks like we'll be doing things the Byzantine way, so no Vigil with grandiose S Nami Bog.

 

[E.C.]

The world may be ending. For the first time ever I finally have something good to say about Virginia!

 

[Anhelyna]

OH MY !!

Run run as fast as you can EC has said something incredible << I finally have something good to say about Virginia! >>

The sky is falling in !

 

[~Anastasia~]

Went to Divine Liturgy at the Naos of St Demetrios yesterday morning and will be going to the night liturgy in the catacombs there tonight. Also received a small piece of cotton wool soaked in myrrh from his relics to take back to a Dimitri in our home parish. We still have ours from over 15 years ago and it still smells strongly of myrrh.
Really enjoying making the sign of the cross every hundred metres or so as we walk past yet another church. I love Thessaloniki

That is so cool.

Father has described to us the first time he smelled myrrh from some relics and how it made him feel. I guess he has a number of times since then, because they've travelled to Greece (St. Nektarios' crypt is always an interesting story).

I did not know the myrrh remained fragrant for such a long time. I hope to be able to experience that someday.

Enjoy your trip!