Happy Easter to My Christian Friends and a Blessed Palm Sunday to My Orthodox Christian Brethren

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, blogging, Christmas and other Holidays, Inspirational, ReligiousLeave a comment

palm sunday icon 1

Today is Western Christian Easter, and I wish all my Christian friends celebrating Christ’s Resurrection today a Blessed and Happy Easter.

Today is Palm Sunday for us Orthodox Christians.

palm cross 2

We Eastern Christians are on the Julian Calendar, whereas Western Christians follow the Gregorian Calendar.  If you are interested in learning a little more about this, click on this link.

Tonight (I think technically last night) starts Orthodox Christian Holy Week in which we participate and follow Christ through his Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection.  It’s the greatest feast and holiday of the year for us.  It’s also a very focused, holy, and busy week for us.  Reading my church’s bulletin, there are around sixteen services for Holy Week.

We call this celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Sunday not Easter but Pascha.  This is the term that’s been used from the beginning, which follows the Jewish Passover (Pesach).  Here’s a couple excerpts of info on Orthodox Pascha and where the word originates from:

Pascha (Greek: Πάσχα), also called Easter, is the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Pascha is a transliteration of the Greek word, which is itself a transliteration of the Aramaic pascha, from the Hebrew pesach meaning Passover.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the center of the Orthodox Christian faith. Twelve weeks of preparation precede it. This is made up of pre-lenten Sundays, Great Lent, and Holy Week. The faithful try to make this long journey with repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and study. When the feast finally arrives, it is celebrated with a collection of services combined as one.

One of the hymns we sing on Palm Sunday:

Apolytikion: First Tone

By raising Lazarus from the dead before Your passion, You did confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ God! Like the children with the palms of victory, we cry out to You, O Vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!

I’ll try to write a midweek post and one on Pascha to share the absolutely moving, beautiful, and profound services to give you a glimpse into what this week is like for us Orthodox.

Again, Happy Easter to all my friends celebrating today!

 

Summer Memories in April

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing, Inspirational2 Comments

love of books pic

Last November 2017, I entered three writing contests FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, and was selected one of twelve finalists in one of them.  I am very excited and proud to have one of my short stories published in Scribes Valley Publishing’s anthology.  I can’t wait to see my story in their anthology! It comes out next month. Here’s the link to their website that shows the cover of the book in which my story will be printed, and the list of twelve winners. I, a newbie, am among seasoned, professional writers! What an honor!

 

~*~*~*~

Why Do You Write?

On By dotluvs2writeIn blogging, Fiction Writing, Past Life Activities10 Comments

writing in notebook a story

We authors have a variety of reasons why we create and write stories.  Perhaps the reasons have changed over the years.  Did you start writing stories at an early age?  If so, your reasons for writing them then may be different than now.  Did you want to be an author when you grew up?  I did, but the reality of a one percent chance of getting published and my parents telling me I couldn’t sustain or support myself when I was out on my own pretty much shelved that aspiration.  I then decided to attend business college because I typed very well and graduated with an administrative assistant degree in 1991.  A typing position had worked fine for me in my early twenties.  I didn’t hate my jobs, but I also wasn’t thrilled or totally invested in them.  They mattered for paying the bills.

Getting back to why we authors write, I think my reason when I started writing at age twelve was because I enjoyed immersing myself in the make believe world of my characters.  It was a pleasant escape.  It wasn’t until after the long nearly eighteen-year hiatus from writing and going back to college in 2014 that I thought of doing this seriously and full time.  Instead of writing only for myself and a couple of friends, I desired everyone who was interested in my genre, writing style, and storylines to read them.  Thankfully, with four classes left until I graduate from university and all the techniques and mechanics of writing I’ve been learning have not hampered my joy of writing.  Producing a story is more difficult because of what I’ve learned it takes to write a good story, but that difficulty is not something overwhelming or unachievable.

As I continue to wait to hear back from the publisher on whether they’ll want to see my whole manuscript or reject it, I know that no matter what, I want to share my works with everyone.  I believe God gave me this ability to create stories, and with this gift, I am to share it with all.

What are your reasons for writing?  Share your thoughts below.

 

~*~*~*~