Photo by Juliana
I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake. The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God. All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. ~ St. John of Damascus
The Bleeding Heart is a lovely old-fashioned flower which symbolizes unconditional love, and compassion for everything in creation.
May God grant you fullness of Joy today!
Man seeks joy and happiness in heaven. He seeks what is eternal far from everyone and everything. He seeks to find joy in God. God is a mystery. He is silence. He is infinite. He is everything. Everyone possesses this inclination of the soul for heaven. All people seek something heavenly. All beings turn towards Him, albeit unconsciously. Turn your mind towards Him continually. Learn to love prayer, familiar converse with the Lord. What counts above all is love, passionate love for the Lord, for Christ the Bridegroom. Become worthy of Christ’s love. In order not to live in darkness, turn on the switch of prayer so that divine light may flood your soul. Christ will appear in the depths of your being. There, in the deepest and most inward part, is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). ~ Elder Porphyrios
Our soul is a Divine Breath. Our body is His Creation. In the whole of us we are the icon of God. ~ Gerontissa Gavrielia
Old English names for Snowdrop flowers are Christ’s Flowers, Purification Flowers, Candlemas Bells, and Fair Maids of February.
They are named as such, in honour of the great and ancient feast day of The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple! (February 15/2)
Perplexed Snowman with Lei
Just when the cherry blossom trees think it’s safe to nudge their sleepy little pink buds awake… it snows. Every February.
Beneath the sulking trees we made a snowman with the GG’s, and a dear friend shared her really cool artistic ice creations and how to make them! (((Thank you Vera)))
I put stuff in a flower pot saucer, add water and let it freeze. The temperature needs to stay at about -5 C for a couple of days at least. When frozen, I pop it out and … ta da!
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word. ~ Psalm 148:8
Cat caught napping amid ancient Church Ruins in Thyatira (Western Turkey) – 2004
In the New Testament Book of Acts, we meet Lydia of Thyatira who was a business woman and a seller of purple. She and her household had moved to Philippi and converted to Christianity after meeting the Apostle Paul. Acts 16:13-15;40. Further along in the Acts, we read of Paul and Silas’ miraculous release from a Philippi prison Acts 16:16-40. They returned to stay with Lydia and her family briefly, before continuing along their journey.
Thyatira was an ancient Greek city and important cloth trade centre famous for its dyeing facilities. Thousands of marine snails were collected and boiled for days in gigantic vats, producing vibrant purple pigment for fabric.
Since apostolic times, Thyatira had been home to a significant Christian church, and was mentioned as one of the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation.
The Christian community continued there until 1922, when the city and surrounding areas were captured by the Turkish army resulting in the deaths and deportations of thousands of Christians. (Most of the deportees also died in harsh conditions.) A church in Thyatira, harbouring about five hundred souls seeking sanctuary, was set on fire. May God rest their souls with the saints!
No operational church or Christian community remains in Thyatira, and the official name for the city changed to Akhisar.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. ~ Isaiah 40:8
Scientifically speaking, dew is water vapour in air that condenses and collects on cool surfaces such as plants, soil and other ground coverings. (Think of a mirror in a steamy bathroom.) Dew point is the temperature which water vapour in the air becomes saturated and the condensation begins. Many kinds of flora and fauna rely on dew for healthy hydration. In some fields of natural medicine, dew is esteemed with a surprising range of internal and external healing properties.
Dew only forms under a clear sky. It won’t come if there are clouds, wind, or stormy weather. Dew is a silent blessing… a humbler version of rain. It is gentle and nourishing. It sustains. It energizes. It is as refreshing as God’s unconditional love.
I am reminded of a particular trip to a convent visiting my goddaughter. Around day number three, and not feeling well, I was introduced to an unusual idea (new to me, but touted widely), that bare feet can absorb dew’s health benefits directly into the immune system. The abbess suggested whether or not that was indeed the case, I should just try Dew Walking, barefoot on the grass; for its reviving effects alone… plenty enough reason in itself.
Next morning I slipped out from the guesthouse and removed my sandals. Standing on the grassy green and savoring its coolness, the rising sun beamed through the trees, emblazoning the field as with millions of diamonds. A small choir of birds trilled. There was a whiff of fragrant incense. Was it breath from the pores of tiny wildflowers and grasses, ascending in morning praise to God? I slowly passed through the pearl and diamond droplets which clung to clover, wildflowers and grass. I paused. With sun on my face and feet gently planted on the grass – I felt a strong sense of connectedness, of being rooted together with God’s creation. In my heart, I joined my breath with theirs, in a silent prayer of praise, thankful for this peaceful blessing, for this Spiritual Dew.
Many Scripture passages refer to the importance, blessings and miracles of dew. During the Exodus to the Promised Land, God miraculously feeds the Israelites with manna from heaven and dew every morning (Exodus 16:13-14; Numbers 11:9). There are the two miracles (Judges 6:36-40) in which Righteous Gideon asks God regarding a fleece, first that it should be wet with dew in the morning while everything around is dry, and then that it should be dry in the morning while everything around is wet with dew.
Unexpected and tranquil blessings of Spiritual Dew are gifts from the Holy Spirit. There is strength and power in blessed silence.
I heartily encourage you to try barefoot Dew Walking on a summer’s morning!
May we, with God’s help, be refreshed with Spiritual Dew in all things, with each other, and to His glory.
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. ~ Genesis 27:28
May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb ~ Deuteronomy 32:2
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. ~ Psalm 133: 1-3
We slip.
We fall.
We pull ourselves up again.
We persevere.
We keep walking toward God.
We focus forward.
We don’t look back.
May your path today be fruitful, peaceful, hopeful and joyful!
What has happened has happened, it is in the past. Just keep on going, all the while asking for help from God. ~ Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only to the good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us – in our family, the whole country, everywhere. This is true not only here on earth, but in the cosmos as well. When we labour in the fields of the Lord, we create harmony. Divine harmony, peace, and quiet spread everywhere.
…But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
~ 2 Corinthians 4: 16 – 18
