2017 Peg Doll Saint Exchange

Every spring for the last three years I have participated in a peg doll saint exchange.  I love this practice for the same reason I paint and venerate icons.  As I paint the chosen saint, I meditate on the lives of saints, on the holiness of my family, or just my relationship with God.

Once I receive the other saints in the exchange, I divide them among my children and put them into their Easter baskets along with Easter treats.

For this year's saint I have chosen is St. Alexander of Jerusalem.  We have decided that this saint is our son's patron.  We decided upon Alexander's name based on many great Alexanders, as we did with our other son and many great, Thomas'.

I'm not quite done, but I am getting close.

May God grant you many years.

Pascha 2014

Another year, another Pascha celebration.

Easter never gets old, when celebrated rightly.

Fasting, prayer, loss

and then Resurrection!

Lately, whenever I feel that great void,

as though God were very far way, 

or not there at all,

 I have been reminding myself,

"You are never so far away as you think you are."

 Then I feel myself rush back into His presence.

There it is like a hot, breathless, summer day

--warm and encompassing.

When breathing swarms back,

Tears of joy fall.

Though I feel not worthy,

I almost feel as though I could be one of His saints

--someday.