Liturgical Calendar

With everything that has been happening with COVID-19 in the world, it has highlighted even more how important the structure of a liturgical service and calendar are in providing stability.

I have generalized anxiety that has gone up and down over the years but I have noticed it gets worse when my life lacks structure and stability. Such as when I worked a job that had very inconsistent shift times week to week. However, I have always held on to the fact that when I go to an Orthodox church service I know the structure of the service and what will happen. I am familiar with the hymns and prayers I feel a sense of peace, comfort, and stability with this. Not only with the services themselves, but also with the liturgical calendar. It is a predictable structure of the year. I know when feast days are, when fasting periods are, and particular saint's days. I appreciate also the level of structure that happens in monasteries and how they structure regular prayer time, while not something that I as a layperson have used or implemented I appreciate the daily structure that it can provide.

What amazes me even more than just the peace and comfort that the liturgical structure and calendar provide for me personally is how it has impacted communities in the past. I took a Medieval Christianity class in undergrad and my professor talked about how churches and monasteries would ring bells during services to let people know they were being prayed for while they were out working. This would have been so powerful to think about how others are praying for the life of the world even when you cannot but also provides a kind of schedule structure to the day and the community. Feast days also would have played an important role in communities and church parishes were a center for village life. I can only imagine how in the Medieval period when things were chaotic the kind of peace and comfort liturgical structure brought to people.

Lastly, when I participate in a liturgical calendar and structure I feel strongly that I am not alone. There are so many other people involved in that same service in the past, present, and future. Which is part of Orthodox theology that liturgy takes place outside of space and time.

Much love and prayers for you all

Social Work MSW Research Study

As you may or may not already know I am currently getting my Masters in Social Work right now and am currently in the research portion of my program.

I am conducting a research study on how much social workers know about developmental disabilities and knowledge's relationship with years of experience.

If you are a social worker, please consider participating in my study. It is completely anonymous. If you know of a social worker who would like to participate you are welcome to share the link to this survey with them. The survey is 10-15 minutes long. Thank you! I would really appreciate having participants.

I should say that I am also hoping to use this research for my capstone project which I am hoping will be making a handbook for child welfare workers on developmental disabilities.

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT SURVEY

Reading women Challenge 2020

If you have never heard of the Reading Women podcast you really should check them out. For the past couple years they had done a reading challenge to push you to read outside your comfort zone and to diversify your reading. I have wanted to participate and this year I have decided to do it. Here is a link to their goodreads page with the list of the challenges and a community of people who also might have suggestions for books to full fill parts of the challenge.

Here is the list of challenges!

CHALLENGES
All books read for this challenge must be by or about women. Please note that the spirit of this challenge is not to read books by men.

1) A Book by an Author from the Caribbean or India
2) A Book Translated from an Asian Language
3) A Book about the Environment
4) Picture Book Written/Illustrated by a BIPOC Author
5) A Winner of the Stella Prize or the Women’s Prize for Fiction
6) A Nonfiction Title by a Woman Historian
7) A Book Featuring Afrofuturism or Africanfuturism
8) An Anthology by Multiple Authors
9) A Book Inspired by Folklore
10) A Book About a Woman Artist
11) Read and Watch a Book-to-Movie Adaptation
12) A Book About a Woman Who Inspires You
13) A Book by an Arab Woman
14) A Book Set in Japan or by a Japanese Author
15) A Biography
16) A Book Featuring a Woman with a Disability
17) A Book Over 500 Pages
18) A Book Under 100 Pages
19) A Book That’s Frequently Recommended to You
20) A Feel-Good or Happy Book
21) A Book about Food
22) A Book by Either a Favorite or a New-to-You Publisher
23) A Book by an LGBTQ+ Author
24) A Book from the 2019 Reading Women Award Shortlists and Honorable Mentions

BONUS
25) A Book by Toni Morrison
26) A Book by Isabel Allende

Are any of you doing any reading challenges this upcoming year? If so which ones?

The Lost Queen

I was really excited to read this book and I think I must have misunderstood what it was about. I thought it was a fantasy book that was going to be like an Arthurian legend type. It was actually historical fiction which I also like but at the same time I read it when I was in the mood for a particular type of book and it was not that.

That being said. I had not thought much about this part of history and it is actually interesting to think about the Christianization of Britan. However, the author has this story taking a very negative view of Christianity which is the author's prerogative and I don't actually mind reading critiques of Christianity but I don't particularly enjoy reading antiChristian content that is more focused on bashing. But again this could be a personal bias.

I just don't know if I enjoyed this book or not. I felt like it dragged on a bit and I also wanted to know what was happening. I didn't feel a strong connection to the main character and the story frustrated me at times as well. I also felt like relationships lacked depth which made the love triangle very hard to believe.

I haven't yet decided if I want to read the next book. If I do I think I will do it on audio book from the library if I can. It was a lot of energy to read the physical book and I would rather spend it on a book physical book that I really want to read the physical copy of.

Bug & The Internet

This is our cat Bug. She is super picky about having windows open at certain times so that she can properly sun her self. She demands that all humans are home in time for curfew and if they are not she will give them a verbal warning.

Bug also likes to complain and ask to see the manager to express her displeasure that her exact and specific requirements are not being met or followed.

Bug loves to play with string. Protect all yarn projects from her or she will come and steal the yarn ball. Bug stole one yarn ball and it has been officially been dubbed "Bug's yarn ball." She has also absconded with a hoody string and shoelaces for toys. Her favorite color is blue. She will eat and destroy plants but only the ones in the blue pots.

Bug is an amazing cat who is not afraid to say what she wants and to tell people when she wants it. She knows what she likes.

The Waking Forest

I read The Waking Forest over the summer and I am not sure what to make of it. I checked it out because I had heard of it and it had popped up in my Instagram. I had no idea what the book was about and had no expectations. I will admit that the expectations I had were very low. I am pretty sure I wanted to read it because I liked the cover so much.

I was a bit confused by the beginning of this book and eventually figured out the plot. The book seemed very flowy and loose and also very much like a fairy tale. I am not sure it was quite my cup of tea. I prefer more structure and more character development.

The romance that was also in this book felt super insta-love. They met in a dream and then he appeared in the attic later and then they were suddenly in love. I just struggled with the whole premise and how we jumped into the story and I wanted more development. The relationships also didn't feel quite genuine. Everyone was close and loved each other dearly but it felt like there was no foundation for the relationship.

Overall 2.5/5 stars.

Close Friendship

A close friend is so very dear and important. The connection and relationship can feed a soul. I have found friendship to be incredibly meaningful and something that has kept me going. I have found support and also someone who will listen to me and tell me when I need to chill out.

I always wanted a really close friend that I would talk to every day and feel deeply connected with. I had it for a little when I was a young child but then that friend and I went our separate ways. I didn't meet my now close friend until I was a first-year in college. We both are a bit unclear as to what exactly is the moment we connected but at one point we started talking very frequently. We then also became inseparable and were always doing things together.

I also have found that my closest friends are diverse in terms of religion. Some are atheists and non-Christians or a different Christian. I have deeply valued these differences of faith as a way for me to grow and as opportunities to learn but I also knew I wanted a close friend who shared my faith. Then my best friend became an Orthodox Christian and is now also my godsister and that has been an immense blessing. It is incredibly wonderful to share my faith with someone so close to me. We have been able to have theological discussions and share ideas. We also have both been in choir.  As Anne of Green Gables put it she is my "bosom friend".

I have deeply enjoyed our close friendship both in a spiritual and physical sense. But now things are changing, my dear friend has had to move 2 hours away for a new job. It isn't horribly far away but we can no longer see each other every day if we wish too. Visits will require a bit more planning and preparation. I am so very thankful though to live in this modern day and age where we have the technology. We are able to call and text each other every day to stay in contact. This is a new phase for our 7th year of friendship and while I mourn the change I also am looking forward to what is to come.

Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

I was skeptical of this book at first even though I kept hearing so many wonderful things about it. I listened to it on audiobook and at first I hated the main character. I found him very difficult to relate to and pretty much a lot of things I don't like, but as the book progressed he grew on me and grew as a character and now I quite like him.

The main character is a bisexual young man in Europe in the 17th century. He is also in love with his best friend. There were so many themes of talking about sexuality, race, and gender and how they all intersect and oppression. There is even some discussion around ableism. Those were fantastic to read about. There is a trigger warning for some strong homophobia and abuse.

The story itself required a bit of a suspension of disbelief there is an also sci-fi-like element and a big mystery and the characters are running around Europe causing all kinds of havoc. I did find myself laughing out loud in my car while listening as the book was so funny. I recommended this book to many of my friends as a wonderful story.

I do wish there had been more talk about substance abuse and addiction and the intersection of those with trauma. Those elements were all there but just not discussed or explored as thoroughly as they could have been in this book. overall this was a solid 4/5 stars for me. I look forward to reading the spin-off sequel A lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.

Enjoying Work

With summer I have had a break from my job working as a one-on-one para in a special ed classroom. I originally took this job as it was recommended that I be a para since they were so often needed. I didn't know if I would enjoy it and had some reservations in the beginning.

Now after having completed a year on the job and about to start another school year. I fell in love and enjoyed it in an unexpected way that surprised me. Being a para challenged me and I found new skills and strengths because of it. I found that I was much more capable in the special ed classroom than I originally thought. I was taught patience and thinking on my feet. I also learned much more about how the school district worked with students and families. Being a para I unexpectedly learned that I am passionate about working with families who have children with disabilities. I found an area that I can really specialize in for social work. I might even want to do graduate-level research in my grad program.

Being a para I had some wonderfully sweet moments, surprising ones, and many gross ones. My student sometimes would hit me but once when I needed an inc pack she kept insisting that I keep it on and saying sorry after. I will say I never expected to say "please don't put your shoes in the toilet" or "please don't lick your ipad" but I find that I am able to laugh about it later. I also learned how to create activities surrounding learning for my student that were at her level.

Overall, while being a para wasn't my plan at all it has worked out be amazing and I have learned so much from it. I am so grateful for the experience.