At the behest of Victoria, when I mentioned that we had parallel lives, I present:

25 years Ago I...
- Was 9 years old and in the 4th Grade
- Read The Diary of Anne Frank for the first time.
- Had Mrs. K and wished I had Mrs. Q. for a teacher

20 years Ago I...
- was 14 and began High School
- lost my Grandfather (may his Memory be Eternal)
-Traveled to Vancouver, BC for the World’s Fair
-Was smack in the middle of my Anglophile Durannie stage (thankfully, my parents still loved me)

15 Years Ago I...
-Was 19
-Had my oldest son
-Got married
-Bought our third and final Hyundai. We drove that Excel for 11 years

10 Years Ago I...
-Was 24
-Worked through the worst cycle in my married life, and emerged stronger than ever
-Had my youngest son at home
-Graduated from College
-Became Orthodox
-Bought our First House

5 Years Ago I...
-Turned 29
-Went through a horrific depression
-Put our first home on the market and entered a contract to buy our second house, construction started in October
-Had one child in kindergarten and one in 5th grade at the same school – the only time they’ll ever be in the same building


2 Years Ago I...
-Was 32
-Attended CKU San Jose
- Um, I’m drawing a blank, I must have done something else this year.

1 Year Ago I…
-was 33
-met Dawn for the first time
-Saw the newly reunited Duran Duran in concert. Oh, yeah, and this other band called U2
-Went to Disneyland
-Had both my sister and sister-in-law get married

Yesterday I...
-Was 34
-Got asked a question about Judiasm by someone who thought I was Jewish
-Worked out for a half an hour
-Watched the Phillies eke out a hard-earned victory
-Finished my Book Club book

Today I...
-Am 34
-Got my links organized on BlogRolling
-Ate two cookies – the raspberry was better than the chocolate caramel
-Am looking forward to watching The Office

Tomorrow I...
-Will still be 34
-Want to workout
-Will plan my scrapbooking for Saturday

Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Troparion - Tone 2

Beloved apostle of Christ our God,
hasten to deliver a defenseless people.
He who allowed you to recline on His breast,
receives you as you bow before Him.
Implore Him, John the Theologian,
to disperse the persistent threat from the heathens,
entreating for us peace and great mercy.

I’ve been reading the bible through for several months, just a page or two before going to bed. A couple of days ago, I finished the Gospels, and was thinking about the difference between St. John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels. While I love all of them (Luke particularly), the depth and theology of St. John’s is wondrous and beautiful. Another thing I was thinking about was how St. John was the Beloved of the Lord, and how that affected his theology and writings. It was particularly appropriate given those musings to find that we commemorate St. John today. And, many years to those who celebrate today as their Patron Saint Day.

The Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of St Joseph the Betrothed. He was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord.

The Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. St John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor.

During the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior's betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart.

At the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: "Woman, behold Thy son." Then the Lord said to him, "Behold thy Mother" (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition.

After the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone.

On the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day... (much, much more on the OCA website