20 Of My Favorite Things

1. Color-Ecru
2. Dessert-apple pie with vanilla ice-cream
3. Smell-rose
4. Flower-rose
5. Animal-dog
6. Month-December
7. Beverage-green tea
8. Pair of shoes-balerinas
9. Snack-chips
10. Song-"You are my sunshine"
11. Book-The Gospels
12. Fruit-grapes
13. Hairstyle-a bob
14. Piece of clothing-white shirts
15. Store to clothes shop-Lilly Pulitzer
16. Season-Spring
17. Hobby-blogging
18. Thing to collect-stamps and pottery
19. Movie-Something's gotta give
20. Restaurant-Greek seaside

Would you like to join in? Good! I look forwar to reading your answers. Please link here.

Picturing me-me

Have you ever visited Bleeding Espresso? It's an Italian-American's blog on life in the South of Italy. Some lovely photos and interesting recipes there, too.
I have found this post in my feed and decided to play along. You may join us and see what you come up with.

Here is how:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

My pictures came from the following people. Thank you, great shots.
1. Hagia Irene Kutsal Barıs, 2. Lunch Time, 3. promises, 4. Stripes of colors., 5. Nawang Khechog, 6. Prepared for Christmas - "Husarenkrapfen", 7. Girl from Sri Lanka, 8. Strawberry Ice Cream ;), 9. Praying for Prey - Macro, 10. Shen Nong Boatmen - Power, 11. SWEETIE PIE, 12. Day 168: Happy New Year. Here's alittle about me

Hannah, myself and God

A dear friend of mine, sent me today a passage from the Bible. As if she knew what was troubling me yesterday and today. It is about Hannah and the troubles she faced with a rival-wife.

Now, I don’t know about you, but all too many times, I go to the phone before I go to the throne! Who do you cry to when you are deeply troubled? Do you pour out your soul to the LORD, or just pepper Him with vague prayer requests? Hannah didn’t just briefly bend a knee here, she poured out her soul! She poured out her sorrow, her disappointments, her frustrations, her depression, her confusion, her anger, her embarrassments, her anguish and her grief.

I forget to do that, it's true. I turn and turn the words uttered in my head and I just get frustrated and miserable. Yet what I should do, is pose, go to the feet of God as if He were my physical father and tell Him all about it. I suppose the fact that I never had such a relationship is somewhat hindering; yet it also is a wonderful new experience, an opportunity to free myself from the bounds of the past.

After she poured out her soul to God, the Bible shows us that her appetite returned and her countenance had changed. “Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:18). Hannah was “no longer downcast” because she experienced the One and Only life-changing God in the chamber of His presence.

Have you done any serious business with God lately?
Got any problems?
Are you dealing with any difficult people?
Are you faced with any seemingly impossible situations?

Yes, God. You know there are people who make me feel sad and frustrated. You know particularly about one person who makes me feel miserable everytime she calls, always puts down my wings and makes me want to go into hiding. You also know of people who are so pushy that make me withdraw and beat myself up. Please give me the wisdom to treat every person and situation that comes to my way with a peaceful heart and a wise mind. You ARE my Father, and you know what is best for me, so please lead me according to Your will.

Heavenly Father, I come to You today and humbly ask Your forgiveness for all of the times that I’ve taken my burdens to others instead of bringing them to You. Help me to turn to You first when problems come my way. Please blanket my heart with your peace and give me strength for today.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Read Psalm 34, then write out your favorite verses and commit them to memory.

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Please God, keep in Your holy palm my beloved, family and friends. Amen.

My name day.

I am so filled with peace and happiness when people are showing me their love and appreciation!
Yesterday many people called to wish me on my name day.
I am named after St. Irene Chrysovalantou , but most people are more familiar with the
St. Irene celebrated on May 5th.
I am all the more pleased because the people who called me were not just "the usual suspects", people who call out of a list of "must calls", because social reciprocity calls for it.
I am glad because people who called thought of me before making the call. A customer told me "I wish you Chronia Polla (that's the usual Greek wish, meaning Many Years), because I want you to live for many years and be well".
My dentist called late last night, after she had finished work, to wish me well, too. Our Best Man's wife called and we spoke on the phone for 50 minutes. A friend I've only met twice, but she and her husband know my husband for years, called from an island in the Aegean, where she teaches, and we spoke about the current state of education in Greece.
I am so very thankful. For the first time I have actually felt the love. I am very humbly grateful.

"Following in the steps of the Prince of Peace, O pious one,
you were shown to be named after peace by divine inspiration;
for fleeing from the snares of the warring enemy,
as a wise virgin you supernaturally endured the contest.
Therefore, Great-Martyr Irene, pray for peace for us."

Kind Words Watering The Soul

This morning I served a customer for a bed she wanted to commission from us. The lady, in her 60s, was accompanied by a gentleman. I thought he was her husband but he turned out to be her uncle. In large families, one can have an uncle the same age as himself. The man spoke English and from his accent I thought he was a Greek-American. I did not comment on it, because I didn't want them to think that I was using the connection to my commercial benefit.

On their way out, the man stopped at the door, turned around and said slowly:
"You are a very good businesswoman. I know who is good for work, and you are. You are one in a million".
Later, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I have quite a few wrinkles around the eyes. I have began dying my hair, although I had vowed I never would. My very pale complection is paler and my skin looks slightly tired and thin.
I put some blush on and looked again.Yep, I am not in my prime, perhaps, but through trial and error, and through my loving Father God's plan and grace, I am slowly turning into the lady I want to be.

Help, I'm growing up!

It took me ages to come where I am. I thought 30 was big, the age of unlimited possibilities and accomplishments. I am now looking at women in their 50s for inspiration. There are some lovely ladies out there, looking happy and fulfilled, and I am not talking celebrities. How do they do it? How did they manage to reach their 50s with such grace?
Perhaps it has to do with my reaching for the 40s, that I feel like a big part of my life, perhaps the most fun, is behind me.
In the past couple of weeks it began sinking in. I'll be 39 in December! Who? Me?
Wait, wait.
But then, I am the mother of a seriously fun and seriously serious 13 year old daughter who has just entered secondary education and who is forming herself as a young lady.
My 11 year old will be finishing Primary School next year and is entering puberty.
And my baby has just entered Primary School. Can't you see? No more fetes on the grass, no fancy dressing, no Christmas pantomime.
And I am scared.
They are growing up, but I do not want to let them go. They make me feel what I have always wanted to really be in my life: a mummy.
What kind of mummy am I going to be if I no longer have babies?

This is what I was thinking a bout and writing about over a creme brulee and some leafing through of a French mag. (I only now realise I hadn't read Marie Claire in some 20 years).
I even wrote on a couple of pages.

Is there a future of motherhood and what is it going to be like?