The Fiftheenth of August: Church

 

I expect most will not really be interested, but here is more information if you are:   The Dormition of the Theotokos   

 

The Answer to Our Anxiety . . .

Artist:  Rudolf Ribarz (Austrian 1848-1904)

Sharing this quote from Saint Paisios the Athonite

 The answer to our anxiety is not drugs, alcohol, tranquilizers, or psychiatric treatment.  It will not be cured by Yoga or some new age or eastern meditation practice. The problem is that we have lost God as the center of our lives.  Once we make our love of God the primary focus of our lives and allow His grace to work through us, then no matter what circumstance we encounter in life we will be comforted and embraced in His love.  All anxiety disappears. This is the aim of the Orthodox way of life--to put God first and seek the Holy Spirit.  The anxieties of modern life are only symptoms of our separation from God.

Of Rainbows and Peonies

Dear Diary,

It has been a "weather" week here,

a nice change from the usual for late May.

Yesterday a brilliant rainbow fragment touched down

in the valley and hung suspended there in the sky

for about a half hour before it finally faded away.

 Meanwhile, Monday's peonies have faded from

their lovely pink to the palest of pale peachy rose . . .

 Petals have begun falling . . .

 The afternoon light was just right . . .

. . . one last photograph before their final demise.

Peonies certainly do retain their beauty to the very end.

 I've never had a bouquet of them before,

so this has been an especially lovely treat.

 Speaking of light and beauty, I'd like to share these few words . . .

Focus exclusively on God and light,
and never on darkness, temptation and sin.

Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins
peacefully, serenely, because you know that God's mercy
is greater than your brokenness.

When you fall, get up immediately and start over.

Get help when you need it, without fear or shame.

From Fr. Thomas Hopko's Fifty-Five Maxims