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Sunday Gratitude – 5.IV.2026
To those celebrating today – Christ is Risen! – Happy Easter!
And then there are the “weird” ones here who are still waiting another week, among which I count myself. There have been a lot of services already – yesterday, I think I was in church for nearly four hours. I’ve really struggled this Lent; from the beginning, I felt less ready for it than most years and this year… wow. For the greater part of Lent, I believed that the Orthodox were also going to be celebrating Pascha today, and it was only looking at the calendar more carefully a couple of weeks ago when I realized that no, there’s a one-week difference. I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting to spend so much time in church this weekend, but I was at vigil last night, and I certainly had the feeling of moving from the darkness into the light, and by the time the service was over, there was an air of hopefulness and joy there. For that I am grateful. (My brain did fight against this on the way home, though. *sigh*)
I am grateful for the more spring-like weather, and the opportunity to be outside. I’m also grateful for my neighbor who invites me to come walking with her.
I am grateful for friends who take the time to talk even in the rain.
I am grateful for making it home in a storm the other day; I wasn’t expecting it, then all of a sudden, I was driving down this country highway with lightning flashes all around. I don’t think that they were very close, as there was only a tiny bit of thunder, but what a show! The next day, driving down those same roads, I could actually see how high the water is, and I’m grateful that there were no issues with low-lying stretches of road or the bridges.
Time to take the Christmas wreath down! I am thankful to have had a little bit of time to be outside with my kids, and I’m thankful that they have places around that they can enjoy riding their bikes through, and that they’ve been fine with this “exploring”.
I am thankful for the joy of singing.
I am thankful for the things that are showing signs of life (and even blooming) even after a very cold winter and long periods of neglect.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have been in contact with a number of people on this day, in the joy of Easter.
I am grateful for yet another sign that I’m not alone through the hard stuff.
Thank you so much for being here! Christ is Risen!
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Sunday Gratitude – 29.III.2026
I really hate it when it seems like I blink and yet another week has passed. Somehow so much of this time ends up feeling like a blur, and it seems like all that is left is a growing list of things that should have been done long ago, but haven’t been done yet.
In the meantime, though, I’ve been trying not to lose a sense of gratitude, and to also try to make the most of the days at hand. We’ve had a couple of days that have hit 70F, which has been amazing, and especially as the days are getting longer, it would be terrible if we didn’t do something to take advantage of the warmer weather. My younger son had a day off of school a couple of weeks back, and the two of us went out on our bikes and rode ten miles together, and it was amazing. He also started taking pictures with my camera that afternoon, so I’ll be sharing a few of those in this post.
A couple of weeks after the real birthday, my youngest, in kindergarten, had her first real birthday party. It was a bowling alley affair, and, per the terms of the contract, was less than two hours long, but for a group of 5 and 6 year olds, it was fine. I was completely stressed out over this for at least a week for a number of reasons, but it turned out really, really good. Even the weather held out, kind of… It started raining about the time that the party started, and it was still raining as people left. Had we started a couple of hours later, everybody would have been going home in sleet, because we had a blizzard come through the next day. The kids were thrilled to get the day off of school, and despite the crazy wind, we never lost power. The next day, our dear neighbor made a path for our car using a snowblower.
I’m grateful that even though I managed to break a spoke on the one bike (a different one than before), this happened in a place where I could ride to a place where I could leave the bike for a couple of days, and which was very close to the bike shop. On the night that this happened, I was also able to get a ride back home with one of the ladies from church. I’d never talked to her before, and she’s incredibly sweet, and lives just a couple of streets over from where I live.
I’m grateful for the amazing time I had at St. Haralambos in Niles a couple of weeks back. Not only were some very dear “real life” friends there, I finally got to meet Fr. Andrew Damick in person. We have been online acquaintances (friends) for over 20 years, and it seemed like high time to meet him in person. He actually recognized me by sight as well, which is crazy because it’s been a looong time since I posted any photos of myself that he might come across. 🙂 That was a lot of fun, though.
Breezy days and kites! I am grateful, as well, for the opportunity to visit an old friend and just enjoy sitting on the front step, having a conversation in the sunshine.
In many ways, I feel pulled very, very, very thin. There have been a lot of good things, to be sure, but there have been a number of very, very frustrating things as well. I don’t know; at this point, I’m not sure that I’ll ever have things “figured out”, but there’s a path to go forward on, and that’s the way through this all. Forgive me again for the blog silence – I truly am grateful for you.
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When God the Creator Speaks
I hadn’t stopped by the blog Words in quite a long time, but when I did a few days ago, the latest post was about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. There is a Youtube video there by a woman named Alexis Dahl. Although she currently has “only” about 33,000 subscribers, I was really struck as to how well she put the video together (and how much she reminds me of Mark Rober – seriously, they have to be related, right?).
At the top of Ms. Dahl’s Youtube page, she has a fantastic introduction video, which I will share here:
Now, everybody knows that once a channel gets “big”, it’s impossible for the creators to answer every comment and email. An introduction like this helps a lot – many common questions are answered, and she’s got a good pitch for anyone who might be looking for partnerships of some sort. The video is there to forge a connection between her – the creator – and us – the viewers – and she succeeds well with it.
Also common, not just with creators, but with many things in general (websites, instruction manuals, etc.) is the frequently asked questions (FAQs). They serve to make it easier to find answers to questions that come up often, (hopefully) saving time and energy for both the creator (or creator’s team) and the person asking.
It also came to pass that I read through a post on one of the Orthodoxy forums of someone complaining about how “God doesn’t speak to people these days the way he did in the Bible”.
Now, first of all, I don’t know that we know that completely. Even in the Bible, there are different ways that God speaks to people. I assume, though, that the person means in the way that God spoke to Adam or Moses or Samuel with an audible voice, or like Mary, who was visited by an angel. Secondly, even among the people of the Bible, this is recorded because it really is a remarkable and rare phenomenon. Third, in the beginning was the Word, but it wasn’t like it was written down. There needed to be some method by which what God wants us to know can be conveyed to us by our own seeking. Writing things down is a little like blockchain; one can pick up a text that is hundreds of years old and it hasn’t been altered. (Don’t get me started on e-books!) As a kindergartner, I had to memorize Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever” and as simple as that is for a child to understand, it holds profound implications that are difficult for me as an adult to comprehend.
I get that many people who may watch Ms. Dahl’s channel may never see the introduction video. However, by watching the videos, one still feels a sense of the person she presents. I have no idea if she has kids, is drowning in debt, or has parents who need her help. However, she talks about science and history and places with such exuberance and joy that it’s clear that she’s cares about and is excited about these subjects. By letting people in that far, she seems far less a stranger.
Doesn’t it follow, then, that we can “know” some aspect of God through his creations? The air and sea, mountains and plains? Through the creatures, the giant and mysterious “monsters” of the sea to the tiny kitten or puppy someone has as a pet? Even more, that we experience God by the good through other people? Adam had dominion over the animals AND he walked with God in the Garden of Eden, and yet God created woman to be his companion and to keep him from loneliness. Are we to say, then, that with all these things, God is silent?
Furthermore, we live in a day in age where most of us in the West have no barrier to access the Bible or the writings of the Church Fathers. I daresay that many of us have multiple versions of the Bible in their home, not to mention having the Bible online and in all sorts of apps. Even searching for things in the Bible has become ridiculously easy. Yet how many people actually make it regular practice to read the Bible regularly, or even read through the Bible? If a Youtube content creator can speak through their videos, why complain God is silent when there is a lot there that will speak to a person?
I’m not saying that God can’t and won’t speak to someone on a more individual level should the time and occasion call for it. But I also think that when God brings things to that level, it’s either a huge call to repent (i.e. Paul) or it is in the “offering” of a difficult burden (your mission, should you choose to accept it…). He knows that most of the time, if we’re not really “listening” to the small things, individual intervention probably won’t change much. It’s not like he’s sloughing us off to the FAQs, but more of a “if I see you doing your best to do what I say here, I know you might be ready for more.”
A “Little House” near DeSmet, South Dakota
On a more personal note, forgive me for not writing a ton of original stuff lately; December was insane, and these last 10 days or so have been excruciating. Any prayers for us would certainly be appreciated.
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Wordle #572
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
Line 1: The “problem children” are back, but luckily, the “E” is in place.
Line 2: Oh, they really did behave themselves this time! Line 2 and I have both the “E” and “A” in place!
Line 3: Now for some more letters… It’s interesting that the “T” is there, but it doesn’t start the word, but most of the other consonants it would be paired with have already been used…
Line 4: …except for the ones that end words together, like “PT”. “Leapt” Yay
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Wordle #571
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
Line 1: Nuthin’ from “grimy”. Time to go to a base word.
Line 2: “Beast” does really well here. “E” correctly placed, and “A” and “S” in the word.
Line 3: It’s interesting that the “E” and the “A” aren’t together, so I’m going to try the “A” in spot 4. Moving the “S” to the beginning is a random choice, but “selah” is a fun word, isn’t it?
Line 4: “Selah” gave me enough clues for “sedan” Yay!
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Wordless Wednesday #15 – Heaven over the Haze
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Wordle #570
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
Line 1: “Pixie” only gives me one “I”. At least it’s something?
Line 2: I should have noticed from line 1 that the “I” doesn’t go there, but I’m absentminded sometimes. The “R” showed up though, so it’s not nothing.
Line 3: The spot for the “I” has been found, the “R” has not, but we could use some more letters.
Line 4: I guessed at the pattern being “I” in the middle and “Y” at the end, which makes the “R” in spot 2 make a lot of sense. Three letters in the correct spaces, this can’t be too hard to solve now, can it? It does make me think about spellings sometimes, but that’s another tangent.
Line 5: I had to go through a lot of letter combinations to think of “grimy, but it was one of those things that I knew was correct before I hit “submit”.
There was an article in the U.K. Daily Mail today with a little bit about the woman who is the Wordle editor. The piece can be found here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11620241/Wordle-editor-reveals-words-people-complained-most.html
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Wordle #569 – Another FAIL!
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
Line 1: “Opera” gets me a “P” and and “E” albeit placed wrong, but still not too shabby.
Line 2: At least I know where the “P” is! Still working on the “E”
Line 3: So, the “E” is at the end, and there’s an “I” somewhere.
Line 4: Three letters in the correct spaces, this can’t be too hard to solve now, can it?
Line 5: Yeah, I went for “pique”, but how many chances does a person get to do that?
Line 6: Not “piece”?! Unbelievable! At least my streak was only 4! This was a really difficult word, and I’d be interested if there are stats somewhere as to what percentage of people get each word as opposed to failed. “Pixie” Craziness!
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Introducing the Fellowship of St. Theophan the Recluse
Fr. Andrew Jarmus is an Orthodox priest in Indiana who has really learned how to use social media well. He’s on multiple platforms, and I came to be aware of him through Instagram, where he does a series of mini-homilies.
He has recently announced the establishment of a ministry to connect with people who might be interested in Orthodoxy but don’t necessarily have the ability to travel to church on most weeks. The ministry has been named “The Fellowship of St. Theophan the Recluse” and I’m embedding Fr. Jarmus’ instagram post about it here:
The internet is a powerful tool and it certainly as been an incredible force for good, but it’s also something that can be a very powerful tool for evil. It’s important to support the good, which is why I’m sharing this today. 🙂
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Another Monday Edition of Sunday Gratitude
I was trolling through blogs over the weekend, which I periodically do with my work on the Orthodox Blogs page at OrthodoxWiki, and I happened upon the post “One Hour in Dachau“, which is a powerful read about gratitude. It serves as a reminder from the life of St Nikolai of Zica that gratitude is not just important in the good things, but is especially important to cultivate during the bad.
The last couple of days have been especially difficult. We’re not completely healthy, but I’m thankful that I think we’re past the worst of it.
I am thankful for small kindnesses, even done by people who probably do so just in the course of a day’s work.
I’m grateful to friends who are there in whatever capacity.
And I know to be grateful for the hard times, even if it is easier to do so looking back on it all.
The Russian Orthodox chapel at Dachau, Pascha 2002
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Wordle #568
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
What happened to Wordle 567? I played it, and it was fairly late in the evening, but my phone’s screenshot function didn’t work. This has happened before, and I generally just reboot the phone, and everything is good again.
This is what happened that night, but instead of going back to the Wordle to screenshot it, I just plain forgot. The word was “lemon”, and I did get it.
Line 1: “Lemon” gets me the two vowels, but incorrectly placed.
Line 2: Shuffle the “O” and the “E” again, they’re still not in the right places, but I’ve got an “R” to try to place as well.
Line 3: Man! these letters are not being easily found!
Line 4: I kept moving the “O” to the left, so why not start the word with it… and a prime candidate here is “opera”. So glad it was the answer!
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Wordle #566
Never played Wordle? Check out my Wordle strategy page!
Wordle explanations are posted a day late to ensure that no one accidentally sees the solution before playing.
Line 1: “Sleek” does well here, and it’s surprising to see that this new word also has two “E”s, though it seems that it’s not in a double “E” combination (unless the word happens to be “eerie”).
Line 2: I guessed that the “E”s might be in the 1st and 5th spots, and it seems I’m right. The “L” still needs to be placed correctly though.
Line 3: Yes, I was having trouble thinking of things to play.
Line 4: I was certain “delve” was the answer – until the “D” flipped over grey. You mean I have to think of something else with even fewer available letters?
Line 5: Well, since it seemed like it was unlikely one of the consonants left would work after the “L”, so if I make that an “I”… well, “belie” becomes apparent.
Did you get this Wordle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Happy Gaming!
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Breath of Hallelujah 