The "wow" in my life...

So now it is New Year’s Eve (in the secular world). We had a wonderful Christmas with my family (Paul’s family lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin). And my sister has been down with her two little one’s (Pavel age 4 and Maria age 2… best friend of my little one, Pavlos age 2 1/2) for almost ten days. What joy, what fun to see these cousins play with each other. My sister and I have had many discussions about how wonderful it would have been if, when we were young, we had cousins our age. There is so much joy and wonder and amazement and happiness in those children.

It makes me reflect on something that Fr. Theodore said in a sermon (it must have been on Christmas Eve morning, I think) about what the different animals and people brought to Christ. The Magi brought gifts. The earth (creation) offered a cave and a manger. The shepherds (this is the best part) brought their wonder. Being illiterate, but being connected to God because of spending countless days in the quiet of the wilderness, tending their sheep, they were simple people on the outside with a depth that I cannot touch (with all the noise and books and learning I have in my life). And I see that wonder in Pavlos (and his cousins) everyday. No, wait, not just everyday, but at least once an hour, maybe even once every ten minutes. Pavlos’ favorite word right now is “wow”. Everything we see or do is a moment of “wow” for him. Where are my “wow” moments, I think to myself? They are, technically, every day, every hour, every minute. But, my heart has been hardened to them by time and sin. When I am told that my salvation is through my child and husband, I realize that through Pavlos, that hard heart may have a crack in it… exposing itself for just a moment. And that with each Pavlos “wow”, there is a small “wow” in my heart, too.

On Christmas Day we found out that our beloved Metropolitan, His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony, reposed after a five week battle with cancer. He was due to retire in the next year. May his memory be eternal!