Merry Christmas - Kala Christouyena! (Literally, "Happy Christ's Birth")
Kittyboy is officially two. He was a very good boy in church this morning, as his mother stumbled through a Christmas Orthros and Liturgy. Services that only come once a year are NEVER done without a comedy of errors, substituting Christmas hymns in the wrong places, or forgetting them entirely. At least I was not the only one singing, there were two sopranos and an alto in the congregation. And there actually WAS a congregation, maybe a dozen people or so. It wasn't Husband and I and Father, the way it's been at least one year that we've been here. That alone was a lovely Christmas present. Although, I didn't get to do my favorite Christmas hymn in English. So here it is!
"Today, the Virgin bears Him the Transcendant One, and the earth offers a cave to Him who is beyond access. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages." (Christmas Kontakion, in the Third Tone).
I also came home to every housewife's Christmas wish fulfilled - sort of. Husband's brother's family is visiting (Eric et al), and while we were at church, instead of sleeping in, Eric DID ALL MY DISHES. I had apologized for the state of my kitchen, and they said it wasn't like I had much time to get stuff done with a toddler running around, and then this morning I came home from church to the sound of dishes clattering and water running. I screamed, "NOOOO! Bad Eric!" He said it was Christmas, what the heck, why not. Merry Christmas!
After his post-church nap, Kittyboy opened his presents. He has a whole set of animals now, parents and offspring of horses, goats, pigs, sheep, and cattle, and he immediately added them to the Nativity scene. Very generous of him. It was a very full stable.
He has also been given what I suppose is every two-year-old's dream - a battery powered four-wheeler. It's an ATV for the preschool set. One-wheel drive and a cruising speed of two miles an hour, courtesy of his Uncle Eric. It is the duty of uncles, I suppose, to give the "somewhat dangerous but incredibly cool" gifts. It's their JOB, like his Uncle Carel buying him his first pocketknife for his first birthday (to be given at some point well into the future). Husband put Kittyboy's little hand on the button that makes it go and pressed, and the thing jumped forward. Ha HA! Kittyboy giggled, and giggled, and giggled, as he lurched across the living room floor. Yeah, that's going to see a lot of use!
Sooo.... we had decent attendance in church this morning, all my dishes are done, and Kittyboy can chase the cats at 2 mph.
Merry Christmas to all!
Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orthodoxy. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
A New Sign
This morning in church, I got a humbling, amazing, wonderful surprise. We have been helping our son, hand over hand, to make the sign of the cross since the day he came home from the hospital (literally, because there was a church service we went to the evening of the day he came home). He's gotten to where he will lift his hand to his head if you tell him to cross himself, but nothing further, and of course you don't expect someone not yet two to know when to do that during the service WITHOUT prompting.
This morning, however, when Father said "Thoxa Patri ke Io ke Ayiou Pnevmati" (Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, in Greek) Kittyboy immediately looked up from his book and moved his hand from his forehead to his waist, twice. He did it again the next time. And the next. And for even more shock value, he did it when Father said that in English, too. He even did it a couple times at other points where you're supposed to cross yourself that aren't as obvious - the benefit of a service that repeats things again and again. So he IS already aware somewhat of the pattern of what happens when. Father says this, this, and this, and then we do THIS.
On the one hand, he's been in church almost every Sunday since he was three months old, and of course the basic service never changes - on the other hand, he's not yet two. NOT - YET - TWO.
So not only does he have the up-down part covered, he knows when we do it! All we have to teach him now is the right-left. It IS a rather complicated sign when most baby-signs are one motion.
What a very aware little boy we have. This is the latest in a long list of things inspiring awe and gratitude:
He couldn't drink without thickener when he came home, but has taken Communion all this time without any issues whatsoever.
Church was the first place he slept happily and without trouble - and sometimes even without weight on top of him.
Church was the first place he would be quietly and calmly awake (when he first came home, THE ONLY place - many Sundays I wanted to move into the basement).
It was also the first place he signed something spontaneously - "More".
And icons are his friends. He waves hello at them.
Sometime last year, a visiting priest's wife complimented me on how quiet my baby was in church. Without going into details about how NOT-quiet and UN-calm he was at home, I just said that church was always where he was most relaxed, and she said without hesitation, "That is because he feels the angels!"
Never underestimate the ability of children to comprehend, experience and appreciate that which is unseen. They know far more than we do.
This morning, however, when Father said "Thoxa Patri ke Io ke Ayiou Pnevmati" (Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, in Greek) Kittyboy immediately looked up from his book and moved his hand from his forehead to his waist, twice. He did it again the next time. And the next. And for even more shock value, he did it when Father said that in English, too. He even did it a couple times at other points where you're supposed to cross yourself that aren't as obvious - the benefit of a service that repeats things again and again. So he IS already aware somewhat of the pattern of what happens when. Father says this, this, and this, and then we do THIS.
On the one hand, he's been in church almost every Sunday since he was three months old, and of course the basic service never changes - on the other hand, he's not yet two. NOT - YET - TWO.
So not only does he have the up-down part covered, he knows when we do it! All we have to teach him now is the right-left. It IS a rather complicated sign when most baby-signs are one motion.
What a very aware little boy we have. This is the latest in a long list of things inspiring awe and gratitude:
He couldn't drink without thickener when he came home, but has taken Communion all this time without any issues whatsoever.
Church was the first place he slept happily and without trouble - and sometimes even without weight on top of him.
Church was the first place he would be quietly and calmly awake (when he first came home, THE ONLY place - many Sundays I wanted to move into the basement).
It was also the first place he signed something spontaneously - "More".
And icons are his friends. He waves hello at them.
Sometime last year, a visiting priest's wife complimented me on how quiet my baby was in church. Without going into details about how NOT-quiet and UN-calm he was at home, I just said that church was always where he was most relaxed, and she said without hesitation, "That is because he feels the angels!"
Never underestimate the ability of children to comprehend, experience and appreciate that which is unseen. They know far more than we do.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Kittyboy and Icons
Kittyboy has been fascinated by icons about as long as we've been pointing them out to him. (Icons = sacred art in Orthodox churches and homes, depicting saints and events of Christ's life). His patron, St. Patrick of Ireland, has teethmarks on one corner, and got flipped off of his nail a couple times before we decided that while above the crib was a nice location in theory, it was time for the icon to move further out of reach. Icons on low shelves in the hallway are not safe either - more than once I have come out of the family room to find Kittyboy sitting on the floor surrounded by 2-D friends, perhaps petting one affectionately. And we don't have anywhere SAFE to store them. Sigh. Well, he's got the right idea, in so far as a toddler can.
He just recently began kissing things - it started with his reflection in windows (he would kiss every window he passed), then walls (who knows why), stuffed animals and dolls, and now icons and anything like them.
I should explain that Orthodox Christians kiss a LOT of things - icons, crosses, priests' hands, etc. It's how we honor them. So as we enter church, we cross ourselves and venerate the icons in the entry way, and the Gospel book if it's out there. Kittyboy was lifted so that he could kiss the icons, and the Gospel book (which he also likes because it's covered with brass), and then we went in. But as I said in my last post - we went in and out and in and out a LOT this morning. And of all the times to pick up on something - every time I tried to get him back in, he ran over to the stand with the icons. He kissed the wood he could reach below the shelf, then looked at me. I told him okay, we're going in now, and he reached and pointed at the Gospel. I said "Yes, that's the Gospel, let's go inside." He kept pointing, and started into the "Mm mm mm!" and "Mrrrrrrr..." noises. Those get louder if unaddressed. So every single time we went back into church, he had to be lifted to kiss the Gospel at least. It was time-consuming, but SO CUTE. "Mommy, I can't go in yet, I have to kiss the shiny book! And perhaps St. Anthony too!" And next time, same thing. And again. He takes kissing things very seriously. Not of three-dimensional PEOPLE, but of everything else!
I think his favorite icons in church (on our side of it at least) are the Annunciation in front, St. George (who has a cool white horse!) in back, and Ss. Cosmas and Damian in the middle. They were the Holy Unmercenaries, basically they were doctors who treated people for free, and I've pointed them out several times as the Patron Saints of Early Intervention! Our therapists do get paid, eventually, by someone, but it's sporadic and slow sometimes, and insurance especially drags its heels a LOT. But they keep coming anyway! So I decided Ss. Cosmas and Damian were their patrons. And since I began pointing them out to him and talking about them, now he wants to go look at them at least once a service. He likes his shiny picture-friends. He often waves at them. "Hello St. George! Hello horsie!" etc.
He just recently began kissing things - it started with his reflection in windows (he would kiss every window he passed), then walls (who knows why), stuffed animals and dolls, and now icons and anything like them.
I should explain that Orthodox Christians kiss a LOT of things - icons, crosses, priests' hands, etc. It's how we honor them. So as we enter church, we cross ourselves and venerate the icons in the entry way, and the Gospel book if it's out there. Kittyboy was lifted so that he could kiss the icons, and the Gospel book (which he also likes because it's covered with brass), and then we went in. But as I said in my last post - we went in and out and in and out a LOT this morning. And of all the times to pick up on something - every time I tried to get him back in, he ran over to the stand with the icons. He kissed the wood he could reach below the shelf, then looked at me. I told him okay, we're going in now, and he reached and pointed at the Gospel. I said "Yes, that's the Gospel, let's go inside." He kept pointing, and started into the "Mm mm mm!" and "Mrrrrrrr..." noises. Those get louder if unaddressed. So every single time we went back into church, he had to be lifted to kiss the Gospel at least. It was time-consuming, but SO CUTE. "Mommy, I can't go in yet, I have to kiss the shiny book! And perhaps St. Anthony too!" And next time, same thing. And again. He takes kissing things very seriously. Not of three-dimensional PEOPLE, but of everything else!
I think his favorite icons in church (on our side of it at least) are the Annunciation in front, St. George (who has a cool white horse!) in back, and Ss. Cosmas and Damian in the middle. They were the Holy Unmercenaries, basically they were doctors who treated people for free, and I've pointed them out several times as the Patron Saints of Early Intervention! Our therapists do get paid, eventually, by someone, but it's sporadic and slow sometimes, and insurance especially drags its heels a LOT. But they keep coming anyway! So I decided Ss. Cosmas and Damian were their patrons. And since I began pointing them out to him and talking about them, now he wants to go look at them at least once a service. He likes his shiny picture-friends. He often waves at them. "Hello St. George! Hello horsie!" etc.
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