www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer Thanksgiving

Dear LT,

Wonderful!

You are of Hebrew background? Or a student of Hebrew?

Alex

My dear brother Alex,

I have been where you are, felt that pain. Welcome back, I missed you.


Michael

The latter. And a rather poor one at that!


LatinTrad

Dear Michael,

Why didn't you tell me you were at the Ontario Legislature?

We could have had lunch together!

Seriously - thank you!

Alex

Hi everybody, since Lauro thought this was a Thanksgiving forum (as in turkeys, pies, and stuffing, etc...) I have a Thanksgiving post to make...by the way, folks it's an acrostic...read down the side, it spells THANKSGIVING......

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G


Thankful for winter hills covered with snow
Hearths burning brightly, with warm, homey glow
Autumn's bright day, has fled into the night
Nor shall it return �till the early spring light
Kindle the fire, dress warmly, and smile
Sit, talk of your blessings, relax for a while
Give thanks for the bounty, the harvest is good
Its treasures o�erflowing in baskets of food
Value this season of laughter and cheer
In songs of rejoicing, give thanks for the year
Never forgetting, in rich times or poor
God�s greatest gifts shall forever endure

Unity In Christ

Dear Alex,

I didn't really have a point I was trying to make, I was being funny, I thought :rolleyes:

Ben was annoying, because he was rather inflexible....but I think he meant well, nonetheless, and I wish we could have managed not to antagonize him.

You, on the other hand, have a sense of humor, and that goes a long way

Unity In Christ

Dear Unity in Christ,

Thank you for the compliment re: sense of humour!

Mr. Administrator, I do hope you are taking some notes here!

Ben was O.K. - tell him to come on back. With us two in his corner, what could go wrong?

Alex

Alex:

Job loss is akin to losing someone by death. We mourn. Hopefully you have a support network to count on during this time.

I've been down that road and it seems to me it would be less stressful to go a couple rounds with a professional boxer or wrestler. Probably less painful, too.

You remain in our prayers.

In Christ,

BOB

Dear Bob,

Yes, it ain't no picnic!

But my former employer was more than kind to me in terms of severance and I have a job I could go to probably in the new year if nothing else came up soon.

Then there's always the possibility of working from home.

I thought my life was over when the job came to an end - I never really thought it would.

But I was wrong - again!

God bless,

Alex

Dear Alex,

It sounds like, in one sense, that a burden has been lifted from you. I remember working three summers in the US House of Representatives for a Serbian-American, the Hon. Helen Delich Bentley. She was demanding, but always fair. Nonetheless, the sense of being constantly in a pressure cooker never seemed to wear off.

You are, no doubt, very industrious and will secure employment proper to your erudition in the near future.

May the Lord guide you, the Theotokos protect you, and the saints intercede on your behalf!

With love in Christ,
Andrew

Dear Brother Andrew the Albanian,

While we sometimes poke fun at each other, you know of the great, fond esteem in which I constantly hold you.

You are obviously a great student of human nature and psychology and your assessment is completely correct!

When I was in a monastery years ago, I loved the daily work that we were required to do, along with the hours of prayer.

Both are needed for a balanced, happy life!

God bless you, Sir,

Alex

Dear Alex,

You've just brought back so many fond memories of my own brief stay at a monastery in Albania.

Ahhh, yes! The fullness of faith, the youthful exuberance of the novices, the unshakable tranquility of the Hieromonk, the daily rule of prayer, the lighting of the lamps at the Vespers, and the incredible vistas of mountains, fields, sea, and lagoon!

And then the great works! During communism, the monastery had been used as a bar/restaurant and the monks' cells as cheap hotel rooms where unfaithful men and bought women committed great sins. We cleaned and worked and prayed a catharsis! How I labored with another visitor to clean, God only knows how many, kilos of smelts! We cleaned them all day in anticipation of a visit from a living saint, our Papa Jani - a man larger than life. Like the brides at midnight, we searched down onto the plain into the darkness to see if he would arrive, but he didn't. I left the next morning.

At one time I used to jokingly complain about those smelts, which they enjoyed, no doubt, the next day after I left. Now I'm thankful for those smelts that I never ate.

So you are right, if we could all only be thankful for every moment, every glimpse of the icons of Christ around us, we would all be so much better off.

With love in Christ,
Andrew

Dear Andrew,

Thank you for your post which could be a real spiritual reading lesson to be used regularly by all of us.

Alex

Dear Alex,

I am happy that you have re entered the stage again! I still think that you present an exemplar of a true Orthodox Catholic and that we are blessed to have you among us.

There will be more "frank" discussions or should I say discussions with "franks". I hope that you will have your say and stay, hissy fits and all.

The love among us extends to the "warts" that we all have! Rest comfotrable with that.

I'll keep the door oiled, just in case!

I give thanks for you and for this place that encompasses us in peace and faith and for those who run it, our administrator and moderators, too.

Steve