All without Facebook!

I've been blogging for a couple of years now. All of a sudden, I've started following friends' links to other friends' blogs, and I'm reading about the lives of people I went to college with years ago. (1999--so...last millennium!) Some of the blogs I've found are people I knew as friends back then, and others are friends of friends. Either way, it's nice to connect again, if only in cyberspace. The people made that place great and my best memories of college have to do with the people and the friends I made there.

It's also nice to know I've still been able to avoid the Facebook/MySpace pages. Now that my mom's gone to the dark side, however, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out.

Sunday of Orthodoxy

As the Prophets saw, as the Apostles taught, as the Church has received, as the Teachers express in dogma, as the inhabited world understands together with them, as grace illumines, as the truth makes clear, as error has been banished, as wisdom makes bold to declare, as Christ has assured, so we think, so we speak, so we preach, honouring Christ our true God, and his Saints, in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in icons, worshipping and revering the One as God and Lord, and honouring them because of their common Lord as those who are close to him and serve him, and making to them relative veneration.

This is the faith of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of the Orthodox; this faith makes fast the inhabited world.

For more information on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, read here.

More Obama Articles

I've been reading a copy of The Atlantic I found at the gym while I'm sitting in the sauna. (Honestly, who wants to sit for 30 minutes in the hot sauna with nothing interesting to do?) I've enjoyed the articles, so I looked them up to see if I could find links.

Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters

This one is really interesting, in that it divides the Clinton-Obama race according to generations and looks back to the polarization of the Viet Nam War.

Teacher and Apprentice

This one discusses how Obama's presidential campaign took the Clintons by surprise.

For the doubters out there (another Obama post)

So one Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life.

Read the whole thing here.




Image source here.

On being a godmother

I'm beginning to think that this whole godparent thing isn't just for the child (or convert). For me, the responsibility to pray for my godchild everyday has helped me take my daily prayers that much more seriously. I find I'm praying even more regularly for my own family, for my extended family, as well as for my godson (to be) and for his family.

Mara and I went to the Orthodox bookstore and she was looking at the prayer ropes. I tried to get her to say the Jesus Prayer for the knots, but she didn't want to. Then, Mr. P, one of the proprietors, modeled it for her (and also for me). He prayed, "Lord have mercy on me, Lord have mercy on Tamara, Lord have mercy on Mara." And just as I've been impacted by the overall simplicity and depth of the Jesus Prayer and all it means, I was touched at the simplicity and depth of that short (demonstration of a) prayer on behalf of me and my daughter.

I was raised with these huge elaborate prayers that had to be off the cuff--intercessory prayers. The Jesus Prayer, and the Jesus Prayer for someone else, is such a departure from the pressure of praying for others and for myself. It gives me a pattern, a model, and a feasible means of including all the people on my list. I don't mean to compare my little prayers to a true intercessor's, but I do not feel myself to be an actual intercessor (in the way it was taught as I was growing up). So, maybe my little prayers aren't nearly as powerful as those of an intercessor, but I do think that regularly praying the little prayers is a step up from trying to pray intercessory-type prayers (in the way I was taught as I was growing up) only every once in a while, when I could muster up the courage to try again.

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord have mercy on Cade and Mara.
Lord have mercy on my family and Cade's family.
Lord have mercy on Mara's godparents and godsiblings.
Lord have mercy on my godson (to be) and on his parents.

Interesting article

You know, this issue is one I like to tread gently around, but for some, it's the biggest issue, the one they hold dearest to their hearts, and the one that defines them politically. Given that some of my readers (hello? hello?) are staunchly pro-life, and given that I've already turned this into a platform of sorts for Obama, I think I'll just post a link to an interesting perspective of a pro-lifer on supporting Obama.

Pro-Life and Pro-Obama

(This link should not be taken as an endorsement of the author. I really don't know anything about him. I just like that he likes Obama.)

I'm going to be a godmother!

My friend honored me by asking me to sponsor her son at his baptism as they join the Eastern Orthodox Church.

My family is also a recent convert family, having joined in April 2006. (Scroll down to posts beginning April 3, 2006 to see the write up and pictures.)

Please pray for B, G, and me as we prepare for this step on our spiritual journeys.

Lord have mercy on all of us!

Education in Politics

James Crawford wrote this blog post about the topic, in which he linked this page of quotes from candidates about education and this page linking candidates to their advisors for education policy.

And because I'm most interested in Obama right now, I read this statement by his advisor, Linda Darling-Hammond.

As a teacher, I can assure anyone who wants to know that NCLB isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing. There are teachers in my school who openly confess to teaching to the test and simultaneously bemoan the fact that they can't cover everything the students need to know about the subject matter. This semester will be my first teaching an End of Course Test class, English I, and I'm not so sure I'll be able to hold out against the pressure. I mean, it's not just whether or not I plan my lessons around the test itself. The entire county has "streamlined" unit plans and lesson plans to make sure all the teachers teach to the test. I just heard an assistant principal say that if he goes from one English I teacher's room to another, he should be able to see the same things being taught at the same time. Good God! Where's teacher autonomy these days? What happened to trusting well-trained and highly qualified teachers to do what's right for the kids? To return to my point, teaching to tests isn't making sure no kid gets left behind; it's making sure they're all getting sub-par education. Expensive standardized testing will never be able to show what teacher grading can about a student's progress through the year. (And here I'll plug FairTest.Org.) What current NCLB legislation overlooks is that it takes more than one type of measurement to really determine a student's growth.

So, if you care about what a teacher thinks should matter in the upcoming election, then be sure to focus on what the candidates are saying and promising about education. NCLB doesn't need just reform and funding. It need a complete overhaul.

Some thoughts on Obama

(Xpost)

I keep hearing and reading rumors about Obama. Lots of people will believe whatever they hear, and it's especially easy when the subject of the rumor is different, in appearance, history, and in name, than any other president we've had before; different than most of the people I hear spreading (and believing) the rumors.

The thing is, when people spread (or believe) rumors about Obama being Muslim, even though he says he is not, it's fear-mongering. The rumors are there to make it easy for some people to simply discount Obama as a viable candidate. I think it's unfortunate to be so convinced by rumors about someone's suitability for office that he's not worth another look.

And I really think it goes beyond the scope of what the Bible says we're able to do when judging whether or not someone is a Christian. If I say I'm a Christian, but because I'm Eastern Orthodox and not whatever other brand of Christianity anyone else is, and that person decides for me that I'm not Christian because our expressions of faith don't match up, well...that's just plain offensive. Because, when I put myself in that situation, I have to think, "How does anyone else get to tell me whether or not I'm a Christian?"

So, if Barack Obama says he's a Christian, and he discusses his faith and how it has influenced his life and the way he approaches social and political issues, then it would be beyond the pale for me to say he's not a True Christian (TM) just because it's a different brand than my own. That really is a matter of the heart, and IIRC, it's God who looks at the heart!

And, just to carry my pov a little bit further, if we are allowed to consider the fruit to determine whether or not someone is a Christian, then it seems to me the best thing we can do in the case of any of our candidates--or current/past presidents, for that matter--is to consider what they say they believe and then what they do about it. Look at real records, and not at rumors.

That's being a conscientious voter.

We won the piano!

Thanks for helping with your votes! We're all so excited!

Vote to give a piano to Parkland High School!

http://www.wxii12.com/sponsors/4925789/detail.html

Please go to this website today through Friday and vote for my high school (Parkland High School) to get the piano. The voting ends on Friday, so there's only a little bit of time left. Our school could really use this type of donation.

It only takes a few seconds and it's free! If you are sure to uncheck the two boxes at the bottom of the form, you'll never be bothered by sales information in your inbox, either. All you're doing is letting the sponsors know you think Parkland High School deserves a piano! And we do!

Oh, and if you want to post on your blog to see if we can get even more votes, that'd be great!

Thank you,

Tamara

Great song!

The Family Routine set to Pachabel's Cannon in D

Mara's Going to Kindergarten Tomorrow!

Prayer for School Children

It's that time of year again ...


O God, our heavenly Father, Who lovest mankind, and art most merciful and compassionate, have mercy upon these your children, Thy servants, for whom we humbly pray Thee, and commend them to Thy gracious protection. Be Thou, O God, their guide and guardian in all their endeavors; lead them in the path of Thy truth, and draw them near to Thee, that they may lead a godly and righteous life in Thy love and fear; doing Thy will in all matters. Bless and strengthen their teachers. And, give them grace that they may be temperate, industrious, diligent, devout and charitable. Defend them against the assaults of the enemy, and grant them wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption of this life; and direct them in the way of salvation, for the merits of Thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the intercessions of His Holy Mother, and Thy blessed saints --
and their Guardian Angels!

Amen.

Linked from here.

Many Years!

Happy Name Day to Mara and Happy Birthday to Mom!

May God grant you both many happy years!

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary

August 15

Apolytikion in the First Tone
In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the
world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life,
delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Neither the grave nor death could contain the Theotokos, the unshakable hope,
ever vigilant in intercession and protection. As Mother of life, He who dwelt
in the ever-virginal womb transposed her to life.

Reading:

Concerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received
from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh
that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared
unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from
this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with
haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to
God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her
burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles
from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and
brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of
the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their
affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the
peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with
seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God.

With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up
that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from
Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim.
But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed
and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those
daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked
forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called
Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the
Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial,
when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name,
as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to
them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos
into the Heavens.

These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who
have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our
God (see Oct. 3 and 4).

Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Narthex Press
Kontakion courtesy of Narthex Press
Icon courtesy of Theologic Systems

Give it a listen!

Lafe Dutton: Am I Gone

Maybe I'm just biased because he's my first-cousin-once-removed, but I still think it's worth a listen, especially if you like folk music with an acoustic guitar.

You can listen to some samples of songs on his website, but I think singing along to the CD while driving down the road is a much better option.

Better yet, is singing together in my aunt's kitchen, watching my father's expression turn to pure joy and light as he claps to keep time.

Conversation with Mara

Mara: Can we get a bomb?
Us: A bomb? No, I don't think so.
Mara: Oh, I really wanted a bomb!
Us: What are you going to do with a bomb? What do you need to blow up?
Mara: The bad guys.
Us: Oh, no, Mara. You can't take care of the bad guys all by yourself. That's why we have police. We have to let them do their job.
Mara (Crying)
Us: Why are you crying? We're not mad at you.
Mara: I just wanted to help!
Us: It's good you want to help. Maybe one day, you can be a police officer and help. Until then, we just need to let the police know if we see any bad guys.
Mara: But what if there's some bad guy or monster that so big, even the police can't stop him.
Us: Mara, if a bad guy is too big for the police, can you stop him by yourself? The best thing is to help the police by telling them if we see any bad guys.
Mara: Okay.

****

All this, after an afternoon of watching Batfink reruns on Boomerang.

Family Portraits

Family Portraits

The new New House

This is the second new house we've almost bought in a month! The house I posted pictures of earlier (see below) wound up needing too much work. This house is more move-in ready, a tad bigger, and less money. It also has a nice flat, wooded yard, with a climber and slide already there.

Move in day is two weeks away. I'm so excited!

Mara playing in her new yard