Category: Christmas and other Holidays

A Special and Earth-Shattering Event

On By dotluvs2writeIn art, Beauty, blogging, Christmas and other Holidays, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Musings, Nature, ReligiousLeave a comment

In two days, my family and I will be celebrating the birth of Christ, Who took on flesh from his Holy Mother, the Theotokos (or Virgin Mary).

I remember my family visiting the Natural History Museum up in Denver many years ago, and the timeline of human history displayed on the wall.

In the middle of that timeline was the birth of Christ.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been rather bothered by the lack of mention of Christ’s coming birth and rarely anything in stores carrying Christmas decorations and cards even mentioning the Christ Child.

I think in the past couple of decades, the meaning of Christ’s birth and how it impacted the world has been minimized.

Yes, we recognized the commercialism aspect that really took off many decades ago. However, it seems on steroids today!

The colossal event of Christ’s birth and coming in the flesh and walking among us humans is nothing short of miraculous and amazing! It is why the Natural History Museum couldn’t leave out that event in human history.

No matter the change of Before Christ to Before the Common Era, I asked myself, what does that actually mean? What was the “Before the Common Era”, and what does “Common Era” actually mean?

Looking up info on it, the term is also called “Before the Current Era,” which also means “Before the Christian Era”.

Obviously, we know this was done for religious neutrality. Although, I find that ridiculous. Because Christmas is all about Christ’s birth.

Other holidays that fall around this time and wishing those celebrating them a blessed one, I’ve no problem with.

However, I do think that although “Merry Christmas” seemed to have been somewhat muted in the past 10-15 years, it’s actually back to being said for those who wish to say it, which usually are us Christians, but sometimes others say this as well.

Unfortunately, I came down with an illness yesterday afternoon and have been in bed since then, I’m hoping I’ll be on the tale end of this bug when Christmas Day is here in two days!

I’m planning a roast beef dinner, and my oldest son, Nicholas, will be cooking duck for the first time!

As I’ve been reading the Gospel of Luke, I’ll leave these beautiful verses that Linus echoed in the Peanuts’ Christmas:

8″Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9″And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10″Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11″For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12″And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13″And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

A very Merry Christmas, everyone! Christ is born! Glorify Him!

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Peace on Earth. Is This Really Ever Attainable?

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, Christmas and other Holidays, Cultural and Political, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Musings, Nature, Religious, warLeave a comment

In the last month, I’ve been listening, once again, to podcasts by a dear archpriest who reposed a few years ago. He had several years of podcasts before his repose, and I listened to every one of them and am going through many of them again. His name was/is Fr. Tom Hopko.

I found epiphanies, discoveries, spiritual nourishment, and comfort in his talks.

Last week, I caught one of his talks he had done near Christmastime. He brought up the well-known saying I’ve heard all my life: Peace on Earth and good will toward men.

The first time I listened to his unpacking of that meaning was probably about 10 years ago. And anytime I read anything spiritually-centered, whether through the Scriptures or through books on the Saints, I will pick up different aspects of the verses or things said than I did in the past.

This was so for the meaning of peace on Earth and good will toward men.

This “Peace” is Christ, not the actual meaning of peace all over the Earth.

Fr. Tom explained that peace and good will is supposed to take place in the hearts of every person. They find peace through Peace = Christ. And Him only.

Because I’m one that is against wars and imperialism and the pursuing of power and money, I had been perceiving peace as an outward ability to tangibly have peace in the world through ending wars and people working through their problems diplomatically globally and through discourse within our communities.

So when I listened to what Father was saying, things clicked inside of me. Ah, I got what he meant.

Of course, I know and have known since being a practicing Orthodox Christian, that this world is broken and fallen, and there never can be real peace in this world. There cannot be any type of utopian place on Earth.

What I’ve noticed is when people are striving for that here on Earth, we may forget that the total harmony of humanity, the peace between all life, etc. is only in His Kingdom, and in that life afterward if we are blessed and through God’s mercy, we someday go there.

Pondering all that was said in that podcast, there was the thought that, well, peace within a person or many persons can bring about some peace because when one is in Christ and finds peace in Him, they emit peace toward others.

So, I have seen this in the Saints.

However, I don’t think it’s wide spread, especially in today’s spiritually dark climate.

But we can still work toward finding peace through Christ and trying to acquire it. The Holy Spirit within us helps us toward these spiritual pursuits.

Knowing this different perspective on peace, I see it as just a shifted view of what peace means. In a way, it’s a relief to me because, oddly enough, I think one striving to find this peace in and through Christ within our relationship with Him may be a much more attainable goal than “world peace”.

I say this may be “easier”, but it still feels like quite a mountain to climb. But it’s a good thing to pursue, and so I will continue to do so, no matter how many times I fail.

After all, life is about falling down and getting back up. He who endures to the end is saved, as Christ Himself says in Matthew’s Gospel.

And as Mother Gavrilia said, it’s the effort that counts.

I wish there was a way to permanently stamp those words into my brain. To remember it and have it before me always.

Everyone wants to live in peace, and knowing what that means and Who it is, I believe, helps guide us on the right path toward it.

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A New Year with New Possibilities & New Adventures

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, Christmas and other Holidays, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Religious3 Comments

The end of 2022 was a bit of a rough one for me.

This past Thursday, December 29, 2022, God was with us and helped me stay calm and clear headed when my youngest son, Christopher, my older son’s friend, Alex, and I were in the terrible accident that afternoon.

Thank God we’re okay. But I can’t get over the erratic driver in front of me that drifted off the road from the right lane as if asleep or on his phone. The car slammed into the concrete side of the overpass and jumped back on the road only about 20 feet in front of me, swerving and slamming on his brakes.

I slammed on my brakes but realized he was too close and I’d hit the back of his car head on, so I turned the steering wheel to the left to get away from his crazy swerving.

And BAM!

I was hit from the side or rather I must have hit someone in the lane next to me but couldn’t see because my door was hit, the window shattered into small pieces, and the airbags took up the whole window space. I kept saying, “Oh my God!”

I’d taken Alex with me after getting off work (we work at the same place) and Christopher from his workplace and headed home. It happened close to the exit for my workplace on I-25.

I was so so shocked after I moved to the side of the road and stopped, I kept rambling about the crazy driver and couldn’t believe it had happened. Small pieces of glass from the window were on the door and inside the the front driver seat area and apparently on the seat.

I was a little sore where the seatbelt was against my chest but so thankful that and the airbags kept me safe.

And I‘m most thankful to God that we’re all okay and to my guardian angel as well that I’m okay. If I hadn’t banged into the pick up truck next to me (found out after I stopped and saw their car), if I’d been T-boned, I’d have been seriously injured or dead.

Alex called 911, which apparently they were overwhelmed with calls and he had to wait a couple of minutes for someone to answer. Anyway, they called the police so they’d come to where we were.

The dangerous driver apparently left the scene. How awful.

I’m also thankful that the guy in the pick up truck saw it all and confirmed my report and experience.

My car was towed to a repair shop and I’ve requested a rental car. The policeman was kind enough to drive us home and said I did the best I could in that situation.

Thank you, God.

Now, I must wait 2-3 weeks for an estimate on my car, but from what the woman told me at the repair place this past Friday, it’s likely my lovely 2021 Mazda CX-3 is totaled because the airbags alone are between $8,000 and $10,000 and take months to obtain and be replaced.

I’ll be driving a rental for the next couple of weeks or so (hoping it’s less), preparing to hear from my insurance company and whatever they need to do to send me a check or whatever to go out and get another vehicle hopefully sooner rather than later. I’m the sole driver for Christopher and Alex for their work, as well as my own. I also do delivery as part of my job, and having a car is crucial to my livelihood.

My oldest son, Nicholas, told me to take a picture of my wrecked car.

But today is a New Year, and I’m planning to enjoy it with these traditional treats:

My St. Basil’s New Year bread is ready to be sliced up for Christ, His Mother, the Poor, St. Basil, and my family members. There is a coin hidden inside. Whoever gets the coin in their slice has blessings for the year!

My Greek honey cookies (melamakarona), a tradition in my family. I make them every year for New Year’s Eve and the New Year. They are my favorite Greek sweet. 🙂

After nearly facing serious injury or possible death, my perspective on life is much more precious and vivid. I’m even more grateful each day for everything in my life than before. God is good. He makes something good out of something bad. I look forward to this year’s journey.

I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed 2023!

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