"I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to 'cut back.' From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible."
(Erma Bombeck)
Friday, August 26, 2011 at 10:26AM Most of you know that our family converted from Protestantism to the Orthodox Church in 2007. I've shared fairly frequently on my blog about our journey--an incredible paradigm shift from Western to Eastern Christianity. Today I would like to share an essay written by my daughter telling of our journey from her perspective
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 4:13PM In June, my husband and I celebrated 30 years of marriage. Thirty years, folks. Man, does that make me feel old. The years have swirled by in a mist of memories. Here we stand at Year Thirty. As I look back, I am grateful that we stuck it out together, if only by God’s grace.
Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 9:46AM As promised, I want to share a bit about My Big, Fat, Orthodox Wedding that took place on July 10th this year. Our family converted to the Orthodox Church in 2007 and one of the things I’d wanted to do, but kept putting off, was to have our marriage blessed by the Church. Well, it’s really more than a “blessing” --marriage is a Sacrament of the Church. We decided that, in honor of our 30th anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to tie the knot in the most meaningful way possible—by being married in the Orthodox Christian Church.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 10:21PM In case you haven’t noticed, I took a break from my blog. I’ve had plenty to write about, though. This last month, I: a) Finished my two-year CTE Teacher Preparation Program; b) Finished my first year of teaching; c) Cleaned out my classroom and office, turned in the keys, and said my good-byes to Lakewood High School (my contract was not renewed due to budget cuts); d) Came home from my last day of work and found a voice mail from the school district offering me a contract next year for half the hours (.4 FTE); e) Declined the reduced offer since it would be only 16 hours a week and involves a commute (and won’t cover my bills, especially increased college tuition for the kid); f) Applied for unemployment (still waiting to hear if I’ll get the benefits); g) Applied for nine jobs to meet the unemployment requirements (three employer contacts per week); h) Celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary by getting married in the Orthodox Church!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 9:27PM Last Tuesday, I visited the same facility where I was diagnosed with breast cancer in order to have an ultrasound in the same spot where the tumor was removed. Since having radiation two years ago, I've gotten used to the “stings and zingers” that are normal for tissue recovering from surgery and radiation. However, three months ago, I had an ache deep within my breast that was exactly the same as the pain I experienced prior to my diagnosis (the pain that drove me—back in 2008--to a doctor for an overdue mammogram).
Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 5:40PM Several years ago, my husband and I attended a marriage conference at a resort hotel, along with a few hundred other married couples. During the opening seminar, the moderator asked for people to stand up, with the qualification that they had parents who were alive and married over 25 years. In a room with hundreds of people, lots of us stood. The moderator continued increasing the number of years of our parents’ marriages (asking those who didn't qualify to sit down), until he got to 50 years of marriage. By that time, only a select few of us were left standing. I was amazed! I had never fully realized before how unique and fortunate I was to have parents alive and married so long.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 10:17PM I started this blog in 2008 as a way to let my friends and family know how my cancer treatment was going. I had no idea at the time how therapeutic writing would be for me. As time went on and I finished my treatment, I continued to share my thoughts and feelings about cancer and many other things in my life.
