joy is thankfulness

Glean a Good Harvest!

Beautiful Corn at Local Farm

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9

…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few… ~ Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of St. Matthew 9:37

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! ~ Psalm 126:5

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. ~ Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Gospel of St. John 12:24

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8

My godmother, Princess Eve Galitzine (Memory Eternal) admonished her godchildren to not watch/read about evil things (books, movies, for entertainment etc.) … not only because its spiritually unhealthy to do so, but also, because when one is ill, or in a weakened state, we’re vulnerable to unpleasant and vexing memories. Eve sometimes quoted a wise elder (I’m not sure if it was St. John Cassian?): “The mills of the mind grind unceasingly, see that you give it good grains to grind.”

May we all sprout soundly where planted, and let our minds glean a rich, full harvest of good grains– worthy of Him!

With love in Christ.

Autumnal Joy

Love all creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand within it. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. ~ Staretz Zosima, in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

Exiting church the other day, a Virginia Creeper’s brilliant vermillion leaves which clung tightly to the wall, caught my eye, my breath and my heart.

Little plump, golden berries contrasted warmly against the bright beauty and richness of jagged, scarlet leaves.

I had almost missed seeing them in plain sight!

It seems that as they near the end of their leaf life, they exude exceptional beauty obtained through efforts of simply being, since when they were young, and soft, and green.

May we navigate life’s rapidly passing seasons, holding fast to the Timeless Pergola of God’s Word… and in the autumn of our years, blossom forth little golden blessings of spiritual fruit, being counted worthy enough to reflect His Radiant, Gladsome Light.

Wishing you Autumnal Joy.

Love in Christ.

Inexpressible Joy!

Fragrant Wisteria Cascades Over Sunny Pergola

Christ is Risen!

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun; ~ Ecclesiastes 11:7

Now in the springtime, when nature is wearing its most beautiful apparel, one feels inexpressible joy when this natural beauty is accompanied by a sublime spiritual state. Truly, our holy God has made all things in wisdom! ~ Elder Ephraim

Orthodoxy is the sunlight that falls upon the earth. It shines for all who want to be warmed by its rays. ~ Archpriest Victor Potapov.

Nature has donned its beautiful springtime apparel, and everything’s vibrantly alive with the Breath of the Holy Spirit. Let us exalt and rejoice in the golden glow of Sonshine reflecting the spiritual and Divine Light of His Glorious Resurrection!

Truly He is Risen!

My Hoary Head

Christ is Risen!

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation. ~ Psalm 71:18

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. ~ Proverbs 16:31

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?~ Job 12:12

Hoary Head definition: Gray/white/frosty-hair colour denoting advanced elderly, venerable age. A hoary head in the Bible refers to gray or white hair symbolizing old age, wisdom, experience and honour. It’s derived from the Hebrew word seivah, and represents a life of righteousness, and is considered a crown of glory when found on a righteous person. (A continuing lifelong project for me!)

Although most women in our family turned gray early, many chose not to go quietly into the night, and fiercely dyed their hair in dark, vibrant hues of ash browns or deep auburns. Sometimes, a respectful nod to their approaching triple digits, would inspire a type of Elsa Lanchester-ish style with lightening-bolt streaks of shocking white, “to look more natural.”

Granted, back in the business world of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, many women felt pressured to appear younger, and thusly dyed their hair due to these situations – and not because they preferred it for artistic self expression, as is more the case these days.

Since my early 40’s I’ve chosen to embrace the beginnings of an hoary head, not because of any “wisdom” or “righteousness” on my part, but on account that it was a beautiful God-given silver colour I appreciated.

As they say – growing older ain’t for sissies, and fully embracing internal acknowledgement of one finally hitting a “certain age” takes guts. Serious guts. (With or without reflux.)

For decades, each new and approaching stage of life was previously and eagerly anticipated with all its (mostly) wonderful changes. Until, one day, it dawns on you that yup, you’re really a SENIOR, but, at least on the outside. Logically, the numbers add up, but, oddly, inside – you still feel the way you’ve always felt since youth!

Avoiding acceptance of Seniordom is futile in our mortal wheelhouse. We don’t have to like it, it’s just the way it is. Graceful acceptance helps us to persevere, with God’s Help.

I remember waking my 99 year grandma Faith at the care home from her afternoon nap, to go for our regular Sunday drive. She would stand up, slip on her shoes, totter over to the dresser looking for her lipstick, glance in the mirror with one good eye, and shriek, “Mercy! I look like the Wreck of the Hesperus! That’s not me in there!” Then, armed with a fresh application of lipstick and blessed with a short term memory, she immediately changed the subject and spryly set off with us for a drive through the park to enjoy an ice cream cone.

My first glimpses of a newish (heavy on the ish) Seniordom were observed through friends and family. While everyone else seemed to be aging, I wasn’t, or at least, maybe I was, but only a little?

This scrutiny produced new temptations to judge others due to “their” denial of growing older… based on length of rogue nostril hairs, chin whiskers, not wearing glasses, OR wearing too many readers-glasses at once.

When I finally acquiesced to the blatant fact that I myself was almost as blind as a bat and, *gasp* needed glasses, I remember trying on my new prescription and the consternation of literally having my pastel, Gaussian-Blurred-World ripped cruelly away – to discover my own husband actually now had a few wrinkles, as did I! Sadly, it’s always easier to see (with or without glasses) others’ foibles before our own.

Lord Have Mercy!

There’s a quote from circa 500 B.C., attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus, who lamented (possibly inspired by a menopausal wife?), “Change is the only constant.”

Indeed it is.

But, I’ll also JOYFULLY add, that above all else, God is our only constant, and never changes. The only Spiritual Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding that counts, is from God. I’m continuing to labour on that righteous Crown of Glory, albeit at the pace of a senior tortoise, but that’s ok!

Just keep on moving to keep moving!

Greetings on tomorrow’s Mid-Feast of Pentecost and Great-Martyr St. George’s Day!

Congratulations on your Saint’s Day tomorrow, Matushka Alexandra and Shura! Memory Eternal, dear George.

Truly He is Risen!

In His Glowing, Gladsome Light

In a little corner of a neighbouring Blisswood, trees seem to joyfully uplift their branches. Thank you Anysia for sharing this luminous nascent sunset from a recent walk!

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. ~ Psalm 96:12

Psalm 96:12 amplifies a poignant call to worship, from beyond humanity… and extending out to include the natural elements of our world – where even fields and trees express exultation in God’s Presence and anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming!

May we, traversing our many mosaicked paths of life, be like the fields and trees who in essence, remember to praise Him! For when we walk with appreciation in the Glowing, Gladsome Light of His Creation, we understand and recall that God is here. Now. Right beside us!

Anytime our spiritual batteries need recharging, take a walk outside.

Go to the ocean, forest, or park.

Go to your garden!

Just go!

Make the Most of Beautiful Moments!

Nature is indeed a Secret Gospel!

And He Will Nourish Thee!

Icon of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ from ambo of our Church

Cast thy care care upon the Lord and he will nourish thee. ~ Psalm 55:22

Continue your path with courage, with much courage. Let your heart rejoice in the Lord, and He will grant it all nourishment and all energy that is needed so that it does not seem to collapse. Nothing should seem difficult to you. ~ St. Luke of Simferopol

You know how sometimes you may hear a familiar Scripture verse read aloud at church, and it suddenly jolts your soul awake? Like you’re hearing it for the very first time?!

Yesterday, while the Psalms were read aloud before Liturgy, the phrase: Cast thy care upon the Lord and He will nourish thee... kind of blew me away. It’s a reminder that not only does He amazingly care for me, – but He will also and lovingly NOURISH me!

Care suggests a broader action of attending someone/something, but NOURISH kicks it up a notch, zeroing in on a specific kind of care needed, focused on enriching/establishing one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being! Oh, what a Promise, oh, what a Joy!

O Lord Jesus Christ, open the eyes of my heart… ~ St. John Chrysostom

Help me, my God, to conquer the world within myself. ~ St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Wishing you a blessed Nativity Fast, precious RE-revelations of nourishing Scripture, and Courage, Comfort, and Joy in Christ’s Love.

Planted in Our Place

Wild Chamomile Thriving on Rain-Quenched Rural Grass

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. ~ Isaiah 40:8

Do not be confused because dark thoughts often trouble you, for dark thoughts, like autumn clouds, come one after another and darken everything. But then they pass and the sky remains clear and pleasant. And so our thoughts wander, they wander around the wide world, but the mind remains planted in its place, and then there is quiet, and the soul becomes joyful. But our mind, from wandering here and there, becomes accustomed to the brief but often repeated prayer of Jesus, which God may grant you the habit of saying and then your days will be bright. ~ St. Anthony of Optina

We are all planted in our places. For whatever reason. On a recent excursion I thrilled to discover wild chamomile still popping up here and there, where least expected. Bending down for closer inspection, I spied bustling beetles and ants – struggling – yet dashing determinedly amid obstacle courses of pebbles, fir-needles, twigs and dandelion detritus. Sometimes its hard to consider that even in autumn, a little piece of country ground thrives as a living thing. Organically interconnected beneath the soil, and strengthened through marvellous myriads of neighbouring roots and fungi, we can sense the Great within the small. When we recognize nature’s perfection, its because God is perfect. What joy there is in giving oneself over to a moment in nature… To inhale that especially fresh, spicy fragrance that happens only after a rain… to harvest and store Creation’s nourishing gifts in the silos of our minds. For these blessed memories, tucked carefully away in our autumnal hearts, may be recalled as needed. These sweet seeds of peace and contentment are numinous aids. They are spiritual brooms of beautiful, expectant hope – that sweep away dried, withered leaves and debris from life’s storms and personal obstacle courses. God sees and rewards all our efforts according to our salvation. Let us remain patiently planted in our places, thoroughly engaged – and prepared to bloom joyfully wherever we are planted, offering ourselves unto Creation’s Planter – as a Living Fruition of Spiritual Fragrance!

This is Just For Now

Mosaicked Cross Detail at Archpriest John’s Grave ~ Memory Eternal!

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ~ St. Matthew 11:28-29

The seasons are different. You can’t be unaffected. In the summer you can be lulled into thinking that there is nothing but sunny days from now on. But now even the weather tells us we should get down to work… We have pain and struggles. We have needs. And, sometimes miraculously, these are answered. But sometimes they are not. God wants something more for us than the physical, He wants us to be first of all, spiritually well. God knows each of us. He knows us better than ourselves. See how the Church brings all these things (faith, good works, glorification) to our remembering so we can see what’s come before, where we are and what we have to keep. ~ Archpriest John Adams

As Christians, we take up our cross; and not a cross of our own choosing, but the cross which God assigns specifically for us, to help us become spiritually well.

When distracted by life, I’m inevitably surprised to find myself stumbling beneath a particularly burdensome, personal cross… wondering why am I so bruised up? How did this happen? Why do things suddenly seem harder? Well – Duh me (says I, smacking my forehead)!!- Because I’m trying to carry my cross – all by myself!

Through faithful perseverance, prayer, and asking/allowing God help us, we are rewarded with Christ’s fragrant Petals of Healing Love. Let us, in our brokeness, exalt in carrying the Life-giving Cross of Jesus upon our hearts and minds… strengthened, joyful, peaceful, rested… calling to remembrance His Shining, Glorious Resurrection.

Troubles? Afflictions?

This is just for now. ~ Archpriest John

Greeting you with a Cornucopia of Thankful Thoughts on this Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend! Thank you for visiting Blisswood.

Hidden Humility of Beauty

Kauai Beach at Dawn

Make the most of beautiful moments. Beautiful moments predispose the soul to prayer; they make it refined, noble and poetic. Wake up in the morning and see the sun rising from out at sea as a king robed in regal purple. When a beautiful landscape, a picturesque chapel, or something beautiful inspires you, don’t leave things at that, but go beyond this to give glory for all beautiful things so that you experience Him who alone is ‘Comely in beauty.’ All things are holy… Take delight in them all. All things enrich us, all lead us to the great Love, all lead us to Christ. ~ St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia

Thank you for visiting Blisswood.

Tomorrow belongs to God, as did yesterday. Let’s strive to live today, and every precious moment of our lives with humble, grateful awareness of His Beautiful, Glorious Presence.

Wishing you Peace, Love and Joy in Jesus Christ.

Prayer, the Breath of Life

A far corner of a Mosaic Studio, where little threads of various projects bind the artists together as a whole.

Happy Apodosis of Nativity and a Blessed Saint’s Day, Melania!

I recently came across this excerpt on prayer by +Archpriest John Adams, of Eternal Memory. The subject matter is too practical and too timely not to share anew, especially as we move forward into the New Year.

I want to talk of something very important – a matter of life and death, and this is prayer. There are generally considered to be two kinds of prayer. Private prayer and public prayer.

Prayer has been compared to breathing. Without this Breath, there is no Life. Prayers are like threads that go in every direction, binding us to the people we’re near to… each with the whole fabric. It unites the members with each other, with the whole body, uniting the body with the head.

Prayer has been called conversation with God. In prayer, we praise or ask for what we need, or we pray to give thanks. We pray for ourselves and we pray for each other.

Don’t take prayer lightly. Don’t say “I can’t think of anything else to do, so I’ll pray about it.” Don’t put it last, put it first.

If you say to someone, “Oh, I’ll pray for you.” Do it... You’ve made a contract.

(If you ask someone to pray for you, do update them when a situation resolves.)

And, you can pray for someone in secret, hoping for a reward later. Just as you don’t know that someone else is having a conversation with God (about you). What more could you do for yourself, or for someone else, than seek God’s help? That doesn’t mean you won’t have to do anything else, as you may have to do a lot.

In the Gospels, Christ says to Peter, “I have prayed for you.” Many times we read, He went apart, He went up into a mountain to pray, He lifted up His eyes. St. Paul writes in his epistles asking for their prayers. And, he gives his famous commandment, “Pray without ceasing.” Without ceasing – this is what we must try to do – to continue this conversation, to try to come back to it as often as you can remember – and then more often.

Read the morning and evening prayers from the prayer book, you may even have memorized them by now. But don’t let them just run through your mind without attention, and here in this atmosphere, ask for what you need; help with your work, your health, your family, your specific aversion at this time. And in the evening, take a moment to be thankful, take a moment to ask forgiveness.

Breathe in. Breathe out. This is private prayer.