Nativity Reading: Day 1

As mentioned before, I wrap all of our books relating to the Nativity for us to open during the fast.  It is a tradition that my kids look forward to, and one we have continued for many years.  So I am going to attempt this year to also document each book that we read.  Today, the book selected was The Little Drummer Boy.  It is a favorite here, and we love to sing along.

Jesse Tree: Day 1

I am going to try to document our Jesse Tree readings this year with photos of our ornaments.  Over the years we have participated in several ornament exchanges.  We were also gifted a beautiful bound book of readings.  The set of readings varies from our original ornament sets, so this year I am finally completing our ornaments to match our current readings.  The readings are not straight from the scripture, they are storybook form compiled and written by the queen's godfather (who I hope will consider publishing them at some point!).  But, I can share the scripture basis for each.

Our first reading:  A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse

Today we consider the beginning of this journey through the Nativity Fast, the time of preparation for the birth of our Lord, the Great Light that was long awaited by the Israelites.  We look to the promise that God revealed to His people.  The scripture reading is Isaiah 11.  We contemplate the root of Jesse, the flower that will spring from it, and wonder what/who that might be?

Our ornament is a twig from the yard with a bit of greenery and silk flower hot glued on.

Catching Up

What a busy time it has been.  Over the past few months, I have experienced some extreme highs and lows, from the international gathering of catechists in Arizona (a high) to days in the hospital with our little one with words like encephalitis and viral brain infection being verbalized (an all time low).  Intense joy and intense fear.  We have enjoyed vacations, birthdays, the recovery of motor skills in our little one, and a gratefulness for all of the simple joys of life.  I guess you could say we are having a complete immersion in "real life"!  I hope to share some of those joys with you, and look forward to the beautiful season of advent, and all of the anticipation it brings!  I hope that each of you are well, and I ask that you will keep my family in your prayers.

eta:  our little one is fine - thankfully he has made a full recovery and it appears has no lingering issues. His patron saints are Isaac the Syrian and St. John of Damascus.

Go take a look at Schole Sisters

I want to pass along a link to a wonderful new site that officially launched today.  Scholesisters.com is a group of three ladies tackling the challenge to explore "schole" learning and its application within the home and school.

schole - Greek for spare moment, leisure - meaning time not filled by distraction, but that is used for virtuous activities 

Launching from the idea of "teaching from a state of rest," these ladies are putting together what looks to be one of the best sites on the web for a look at what a true education looks like, the forming of the human soul, mind and spirit in the image of Christ. I look forward to the coming weeks of shared wisdom!

'Real Life'

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own' or 'real' life.  The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination.

C. S. Lewis

Showing Sheep

I will start with a gratuitous baby pic, because they are currently my favorite  :)  Here is the little one at his first sheep show....

And then to the important stuff - the Queen showed for the first time, and snagged a first in showmanship for her age group!

 Big brother felt the pressure, and had a pretty good showing himself, both of them netted decent ribbons (4th and 5th) for their lambs.

Off to the state show in another week!

The New Metropolitan

The newly elected Metropolitan JOSEPH!  I am excited to know that we have a Metropolitan who has seen and is very supportive of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd within the Orthodox church!