Ringing in My 33rd! 🎉

November got off to a great start!

Highlights include:

• Otis’ school did a Saints Faire for All Saints Day & he continues to enjoy all the many excellent opportunities at school

• Jack is starting to make movements towards crawling & we are beginning to introduce solids – big news in baby land! haha

• Alexis took his board for entering the Reserves- yay! We are awaiting official acceptance

• I celebrated my birthday by attending the Antiochian Women’s Retreat at Holy Protection Monastery in White Haven, PA

Recap from AWE Retreat

The Antiochian Women of the East has put on a single-day women’s retreat for the past three years, and I was fortunate to attend this year. This year’s speaker was Kh. Janet from St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Johnstown, PA, which happens to be the church my brother serves as a Subdeacon, so I knew Kh. And was excited to have a connection! It was so wonderful to take advantage of this opportunity, as the monastery where it was held is only an hour's drive from our house, and the cost to attend was very reasonable. I highly recommend it to any ladies who find themselves in the area in the coming years!

The retreat was held at Holy Protection Monastery or Agia Skepi, an all-female monastery on a small hill in White Haven, Pennsylvania. It is a Greek monastery, and the services are 100% in Greek. The grounds were lush, the walkways were beautifully constructed with white and terracotta pavers, and the mosaic artwork was stunning. It reminded me of traveling in Europe and visiting the monasteries overseas. It took me right back to Greece & Montenegro in an instant. That in and of itself was mood-boosting!

This year’s talk was “Church & Family: Which Comes First?” It was an exceptional discussion, and honestly, I just kept nodding my head the entire time, because Kh. and Abouna’s parenting style was replicative of my own parent's parenting style, and I was very much in agreement with the strategies presented. I won’t try and recap the entire seminar, but some key takeaways regarding parenting, the church, and finding our place in the world as women included the following:

• Church on Sunday is non-negotiable

• My brother and I grew up with this, and even though we were both active in sports and music growing up, we knew that on Sunday, we could not attend an event if it conflicted with church.

• Sometimes, your children are not going to like you... our goal is not to be our child’s friend

• We should create a space for them where they feel open to talk to us because otherwise, they will find someone else to talk to who might end up being a bad influence

• Be bold enough to uphold your parenting standards in the face of other “cooler” parents

• Know who your children hang out with

• Pray together as a family

• Make your children’s Saints Day a big deal!

• Plug into your child’s activities and the activities at the church

• Everyone is different and has different circumstances, but at the end of the day, your child will remember the times you weren’t there, so make it a habit to be a present parent

• God is always first, and then church and family come second as a package deal because if you’re doing it right, they intertwine so much that it’s hard to see the difference

These were some of the highlights, and of course, there were many more, but this is what stuck out to me and, honestly, what I can remember now. ;)

In addition to an enriching talk, I was able to have some much-needed fellowship with other Orthodox Christian women. I saw several women from our time at St. George in Allentown. I met up with a new friend and her sister, with whom I have had the pleasure of getting acquainted through social media. I connected with other women through our shared experiences at Antiochian Village. What a joy-filled day!

As I mentioned, the monastery itself was lovely. We could shop in the gift shop, which was THEE BEST Orthodox gift shop I have ever visited, and I have been to many. If you need supplies, icons, baptismal items, or edifying spiritual content like books, I believe you would not be disappointed in the selection.

A wonderful Nun, Sister "M," took us on a grounds tour. She showed us the main Chapel where services are held, the St. Nektarios Chapel, the area where the nuns work on items for the gift shop, and finally, our tour concluded with a look at the St. Paraskevi Chapel. This was especially meaningful to me because St. Paraskevi is known for working miracles with the blind or those with visual impairments. As some of you know, my dad has some pretty serious vision problems, and my mom purchased an icon of St. Paraskevi for him when we were all in Greece. They have a pretty cool story about her, and if you asked them, I bet they would share. ;)

I stayed for Vespers and a small portion of Vigil with the nuns. It was the most soul-rejuvenating day I have had in a very long time, and I walked out of the church after having lit a candle for my family in complete silence and peace. I drove to my next stop (about 35 minutes) in silence, just trying to cling to what I had just left behind. I did not want to go and probably could have sat outside on the monastery grounds for hours. Thank God for such a wonderful day, and what a beautiful way to ring in my 33rd.

In other news, the countdown to Alaska is well underway! We head home December 19, God-willing, and are so excited to spend Christmas with the family.

We look forward to seeing all of you AK folks very soon, and to everyone, here’s wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Talk Soon!

Lots of Love from PA.

The Clods