Jesus Prayer

Here's a lovely quote I came across while preparing for the didactic on the Jesus Prayer today.  The speaker is the pilgrim, from the Russian novels The Way of the Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues his Way.

Referring to the various contexts in which the Jesus Prayer can be prayed, he says:

"...he who has received the gift to revere and glorify the power of the Almighty expresses the word Lord with special feeling and delight. . . He who has received a secret outpouring of love into his heart is filled with sweetness and delight as he exclaims Jesus Christ. . . In him who has steadfast faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father, the Spirit enkindles even greater faith when he expresses the words Son of God.  And finally he who has the gift of humility and deep awareness of his weakness utters the words have mercy on me with great intensity." (115)

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!

Returning Home

Around 8 in the morning we got up today, gathered our stuff, and checked out of the hotel.  By 9:30 or so we arrived at the Essential Bakery near Gasworks, where we ate breakfast.  Afterwards, Benja, Jen and Nicole drove to Fremont to walk around a bit, while I stayed at the bakery and did some work for my chaplaincy course.

Close to noontime they returned, and shortly after that we went on our way, northbound on the I5, stopping in at the outlet mall in Tulalip about an hour later.  I always enjoy going here.  Today I bought a couple Benetton ts, as well as some boxers, shorts and a s/s polo from Banana Republic.  I was actually looking for some dressier stuff - button shirts, pants - but neither of the stores had the size I was looking for.  Actually, the selection at both stores was rather disappointing this time around.  I usually go to the Adidas store also, but today didn't have time.

We noticed an Olive Garden restaurant near the mall, so we decided to eat an early dinner there, rather than drive home and stop along the way.  My goodness, I know some people think the Olive Garden is lame, but I like it, I really like it.  I had grilled shrimp caprese (no meats 'til Easter!).  I'm not a fan of seafood, but these grilled shrimps were really tasty.  My only complaint with the Olive Garden is that their food is too saucy.  Everything's drenched in sauce; too drenched.  But I think that's my complaint of restaurants in general, not just the Garden.  The unanimous highlight (at least as far as Benja and I are concerned) of the meal was the desert: italian donuts, or zeppoli, as they're known in Italian.  The order came with about 10 "donuts", of which Benja and I finished 8 (Jen and Nicole only wanted 1 each - I'll never understand that).  I would go back to the Garden even if the only item they have on the menu is the zeppolies! 

We got home at close to 10pm, quite tired.  I turned in almost immediately.  As usual, I pretty much just dropped everything on the floor, to be cleaned up over the next week or two.  Strange.  It takes me less than 2 hours to pack my luggage for a trip, and then it takes me about 2 weeks to unpack upon my return.  I'm not sure why that is: maybe because deep inside I'm sad that the "vacation" is over and I need to get back to real life....

Seattle: Sights And Sounds

We had a wonderful day today touring the city.  Usually when we come to this great city we go to Pike's Place Market, and while I've never regretted going there, I'm glad we didn't go there this time around. It was time for a change, so this time around we took in some of the other sights that the city has to offer.

In summary, we visited a couple of parks, a canal, and a hip district.  Along the way, we ate some sandwiches, and unfortunately, we finished our day with a a so-so Italian dinner.  But all in all, a lovely day.  The weather, while chilly, cooperated with overcast skies but virtually no rain.

Golden Gardens Park

We began our day here, based on the advice of the concierge of our hotel.  It was good advice.  We walked along the beach for a good 30 minutes, enjoying the breezes, taking in the serenity and peace such a setting offers.

Ballard Locks

Jennifer has on a few occasions suggested that we go to view the Ballard Locks, a canal-like system linking the salt-waters of the Puget Sound with the fresh waters of Union Lake.  So we went there next, and watched some ships navigate the "locks."

Fremont

On our way to Gasworks, we stopped in at trendy Fremont.  To me, this neighbourhood has a mixture of various Vancouver neighbourhoods all blended into one: it has the outdoor adventure shops of Broadway between Cambie and Main; it has some of the interesting eateries and coffee shops of the Main St. corridor; and it has some of the eccentricities of Commercial Drive too, like a statue of the Soviet leader Stalin, right in the middle of a small square!

Here at Fremont we ate our lunch at a sandwich spot.  Very yummy!

Gasworks

This is my second visit to Gasworks, and in many ways the experience was similar to the first visit: it was chilly, windy, a few raindrops, but even so worthwhile, because of the view.  The park is located at the north end of Union Lake (not too far from the I5), where the Seattle Gas Company previously operated a gasification plant.  The remnants of the plant are still there, and add a unique aspect to the park not only historically, but visually.  Notice the rainbow in the first picture: it was that kind of day!

The most disappointing part of our day was actually our dinner.  We were downtown, tired, and not in a mood to look around for a long time and so picked an Italian restaurant attached to a mall (we should've known better), mainly because it was close to where we were staying and didn't require much driving/walking around.  The food was very average.

Tomorrow we go back home, but not before a good breakfast at the Essential Baking Company near Gasworks.  On the way home we also want to visit a wine store and the outlet mall.  If we have time, we'll eat dinner at the Olive Garden too.  We aim to be home by around 9pm.

In Seattle For The Weekend

This afternoon Benja, Nicole, Jennifer and I drove down to Seattle, to spend the weekend here.  We found a good, central hotel at a great price, and so we plan on enjoying a weekend away from home.

We arrived here late, around 10pm, after a very long wait at the border, and a quick (and futile) stop at the outlet mall along the way.

Ash Wednesday Lunch

Today is the first day of Lent, the 40-day pilgrimage to the glorious death and resurrection of Jesus.

I observed this very meaningful day by attending the 10:30 service at the hospital chapel this morning.  Father Boniface led the service.  A gentle and kind man he is.

For lunch, I went to Maurya Indian restaurant on Broadway near Burrard, with my classmates and supervisor.  The food there is fantastic, especially now that I'm off meat and coffee.  The vegetarian options there were quite amazing, including jalfrezi, malal kofta, palak panir,  and my favourite, aloo gobi.  Of course naan bread and chai are two other must-haves, not to mention the two desserts, kheer and gulab jamun.

Snowshoeing With Jen And Sonia

Another amazing day on the Vancouver slopes!  Whereas last time I went to Cypress Mountain, this time around I went to Grouse.  What a wonderful playground we live in here!  Thank your Lord for your marvelous creation.  The heavens indeed declare your glory!

After we finished snowshoeing, Sonia, Jen and I went and warmed up - well, I had a beer - while watching the sun go down.

Happy 70th Mom!

One of the criticisms I have of my family is the rigidity and restriction (or conversely, the lack of spontaneity or creativity) with which we live our lives.  The best example of this stiffness is at familial meals, where everyone has a "set" sitting place: the meal is announced, and then either mom or dad directs traffic - "you're sitting beside so-and-so" - until we're all seated.  Incredibly, the slightest deviation from this plan causes stress.  I feel this kind of restraint especially strong when I spend time with my Latin American friends who are more spontaneous and easy-going.

But today's experience of my mom's birthday celebration was refreshingly different.  My aunt (not everyone in our family lacks creativity) organized a surprise birthday party for mom: her 70th.  When I arrived at my uncle and aunts place, the hosts, I found that most of our family and relatives were already there, with the exception of mom and dad.  There was a big, colourful sign strung across the front entrance which read "Rendezvous", the name of mom and dad's favourite restaurant.  

The plan was simple: everyone except mom and dad arrive early and await their arrival.  Dad, in turn, would tell mom that they were going to the Rendezvous, but on the way they would pick up my uncle and aunt.  Once at their home, mom was to go and ring the doorbell and of course, once the door opened, all of us would come out, cheering her on, hugging her, kissing her, and singing happy birthday.

The plan went off without a hitch, and mom was so surprised she was literally speechless.  Full of joy: "surprised by joy", you might say.  Somehow, the tone of joy pervaded throughout the evening, as we celebrated her with food, song, and a 45 minute video/slide show presentation my dad had prepared.  I think mom thoroughly enjoyed the evening.  She felt loved.

Maybe we're not as rigid as I thought we were.

Happy birthday mom!  I love you very much!

Snowshoweing With Vero And Patri

What a wonderful day Patri, Vero and I had at Cypress today snowshoeing!

After attending the usual early morning liturgy, I went home and got ready for our day on the mountain.  At about 10, Patri came with her friend's Explorer, and off we went.  On the way we picked up Vero.  We'd rented snowshoes yesterday, we were all prepped.

Upon arrival at the mountain we paid our $10, and off we went into the woods.  Snow.  Trees.  Fresh, cool, crisp air.  It was actually a typical Vancouver day: partly cloudy, with patches of sun and episodes of light snowfall.  When the sun peaked through the trees, the surroundings were brilliant.  And when it snowed (sometimes while it was sunny not far from us), the whole scenery turned into a winter wonderland.  Just amazing. 

One of the great things about snowshoeing at Cypress is that there are many many trails to choose from.  I think we explored less than half of the available snowshoe trails during the 4-5 hours we spent there.  And there was a peace and serenity that we got while walking in the woods, that someone who rips down the mountain with skis or snowboards probably doesn't get.

So I'm a big snowshoe fan.  If this enthusiasm keeps up, I may get myself some snowshoes.

Here are a few pics, starging with Patri and I, getting ready for our trek:
 

Here you can see that it was both, sunny (brightspots) and snowing (white spots on the tree trunks):

Being silly:

More Caring

Today marked the first day of the new CPE unit, my 3rd (first advanced).

The past 8 months have been very good for me, learning the craft of care-giving to patients in a hospital setting.  This time around our class will be smaller, as there'll be only 3 of us.  But I think it'll be good.

As far as I know, I will still be working in the unit, and that makes me happy.  I don't have to get to know everyone "from scratch", having already developed some good connections with the staff.  The CNL is very good too, task oriented, to be sure, but caring.  From my perspective, the perfect person for the job.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the patients!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the staff!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us all!

Uneasy

Man, I felt so uneasy today.

It was my friend Hugh's birthday, a new convert to the Al Watan food experience.  Naturally, therefore, he selected to celebrate his birthday party at this joint.  There were 6 of us.  Problem is, our conversation got really loud (in such a small place), and we were talking about some sensitive themes - Evangelism, among others - which made me feel quite uncomfortable.

I raised the issue with everyone, asking us to quieten down, and I was stunned to find out that people were turned off by my suggestion.  It was really strange.  I have no problem with Evangelism, but surely there's a rightful place and time to talk about it, and surely there's an appropriate volume level too.  It's not the same as talking about the latest Canucks game!

Anyways, happy birthday Hugh!

New Bookshelf

Checking craigslist on a daily basis works!  A few months ago I finally found the Alve desk I was looking for (for about 8 months), and tonight I picked up the Alve bookshelf, which I've also kept an eye out for for the past 6 months or so.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up the last missing piece of the set, a smaller version of the bookshelf (the thin tower).

I'm set now, in terms of furniture.  Maybe I'll get myself a reading chair, but that's not urgent at all.  Maybe I'll even wait 'til next year.

Like Ol' Times

Tonight we had dinner at AJ and Carol's.  It felt like a reunion of sorts, from our university days:

LOTR: All Nighter

I think there's no better way to begin a new year than by watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy all in one go.  That's what we did last night - what a blast.  We started early in the afternoon yesterday, and went until well past midnight today.

We had a very good turnout: Sanjit, Benja, Vero, Patri, Juan, Gina, Jen and I, to name a few.  Not everyone lasted the whole marathon, but I think most watched 2 of the 3 films.

In between, we ate some good food (thanks Benja and Jen for cooking!) too.  Unfortunately, Benja cut himself quite badly so he missed part of the 2nd film at Emergency.  He returned after getting a few stitches - now that's commitment to LOTR.

Well, here's to a new year.  May it be full of blessings!

Lights of Hope

I got a new tripod for my camera, so I went out and got a few night shots of St. Paul's Hospital.  Not bad, but not great shots either.  But at least, now I can practise taking shots when the sun's down.

Prayer Of A Single Person

Jesus my LORD, who became man and graced us with the beauty of your life and with the example of faith, purity, and love; help me, I pray, to love you with all my mind, heart and soul, and to live according to your teachings.  Strengthen me when temptations strike, that I may remain pure in thought and steadfast in virtue, doing only things that are pleasing to you.  Guide me into your will, and not my own, as I look to the future.  Grant me faith, courage and love, that I may serve you in holiness all the days of my life, through the prayers of the Theotokos and of all the saints.  Amen.

_____

Source: Prayer Book: In Accordance with the Tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Revised 2nd ed., St. Arseny of Konevets, Victoria, BC, Canada, 2011, 53.

Rivendell Day 2: Killarney Lake

I've decided to divide my two full days on Bowen Island in two. Day 1: enjoying God's creation by hiking and taking pictures; and Day 2: Lectio Divina.

With that in mind, here are the pictures I took on my hike around Killarney Lake today.  The weather wasn't ideal: it was pouring rain most of the day.  Still, I managed to take some shots without getting my camera wet!

Breakfast in the "nook":

My bedroom:














View of Killarney Lake from my bedroom window:

Rivendell - a glorious setting, a glorious view:

Afternoon hike: first some meadows, then some hauntingly beautiful forests, and then finally, the lake.  Except for the meadow picture, all others were taken in the pouring rain.

 

At the end of the day, already on my way home, I saw this deer. Amazing. For about 3 minutes, while I got my camera set up, we stood in this pose, about 3 meters apart. In that timespan - which seemed an eternity - the deer didn't take his eye off me once. What was it that kept him from running away? Trust? Curiosity?

In the evening I went to the library and read. Tomorrow I will share some of my thoughts on what I'm reading/contemplating these days.

Rivendell Day 1: Arrival

As I approach my 2nd CPE unit, I'm aware of the strain - theological, psychological, even physical - that goes with such an intense course.  In preparation, therefore, I've decided to spend 3 days far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and in a quiet, remote place.  The aim: to seek God in silence and simplicity.

So earlier this afternoon I took the 256 from Georgia/Granville to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal.  Then I took the ferry, destination Bowen Island.  Then, finally, I took the long treck up the road, towards Rivendell.  I was about 1/3 of the way up, when a kind soul driving up the road saw me lugging my big backpack and and had mercy on me.  Thank you Lord!  She dropped me off at the front entrance, and I had just enough time to drop off my stuff in my room and then run back downstairs for prayer time.

After prayer, I ate dinner, read a little, prayed a little, and then turned myself in for a good night's sleep.  Below are pictures of the ferry ride over, and the view from my room.

Lunch With Zul

I met Zul about 3 years ago, while I was working at Day4. He was the shuttle driver, and I was the materials handler. I enjoyed working with him for about a year, at which point he quit and got himself other work.

The great thing about Zul is that he always kept in touch, something I'm not very good at. So, thanks Zul for doing that.

Today we met up for lunch, for the last time, at least for now. He and his wife have sold their home, and are moving back to Edmonton, where they lived before coming here in the first place.

All the best, my friend. Hopefully we'll meet up again, sooner rather than later.

Plants...Procrastination...Pitty

I started growing plants in January of this year.  I started small, with 2 succulents, a jade, and a rubber tree plant.  It's been over 6 months, and all of them have "made it".  I haven't killed them with kindness (water).

Along the way, I've picked up some more plants: a peace lily and dracaeneas, among others.  And still, all of them are alive, thriving, even.  I keep telling myself that I'll take some pictures of my plants, so that I can track their growth, but I just don't seem to get around to it.

I'll do it soon....

Ancient Bumper Stickers

I came across this today. Priceless!