Morphing Into Me

and that's all i have to say about that.

 Once upon a time, there was a very tired lady who had attempted college no less than five times and finally had her BA in her sights.  She was pleased, and terrified.  What if something goes wrong, she thought, trying to imagine all the ways she could circumvent tragedy in the next four quarters.  - - this person is me.  

I have learned that I can't really apply for the jobs that I might be most likely to get until I've actually graduated.  So nervousness is abounding just about now.  Also, I've finished my first 20+ page paper and am hoping it is deemed worthy by my prof.  Next paper is air compared to it -- a little 6 pager on Shamanism's effects on the Korean culture and people.  That really ought to be a dissertation in itself, I think.  But no, 6 pages. . .  I have no idea how I'll pull that off, but I'll give it a go.  Anyway, it will be a welcome break from the History of Chondogyo.  

Well, all, I'm prepared as I can be for the next quarter of school. 

My friend Marlene is considering illustrating Hygbald Helps Out.  I'm so grateful for her support!  She's a really talented artist and i trust her not to change my message with the pictures.  One of the artists who tried to help me conscientiously tried to undermine the intent of the story.  So no more working with her.  I don't mind having a stamp of originality -- as a matter of fact I want the artist to effect that.  But not at the cost of the meaning of the story.  children are very sensitive to what they see and hear and will copy what they see sooner than what they hear.  So that was a big problem.  I've been through several artists.  I hope Marlene finds the challenge conducive to creativity.  I know she will be both original and faithful to the tale.

And, if you've read this blog's earlier post, you know I'm  working on a story about a little girl's guardian angel who gets quite a workout protecting her from things when she's trying not to do things to make him work. :)  It's cute.

Each of my stories are for a particular child.  There are two right now who are getting stories, one from me as Thea Maria-Magdalene and the other as his little sister in Christ.  That always seems to make his mother giggle, because the little fellow is 4 or 5, but he was always Orthodox and I was only initiated into the faith when he was maybe 2, so he is my big brother in so far as the length of his friendship with Jesus is. ;)  I like making people laugh.

The little girl, for whom I am Thea Maria-Magdalene, is, oddly enough, Roman Catholic.  Her mommy wants her to have a wide range of influences and she knows that I will stick to those things our churches agree on.  While pointing out that we need to pray about the other stuff really hard.  She also knows that i will give the child the example of that and not just lipservice to the concept.  

Well,s igning off for the moment!

MM

It was November 8^th, the Synaxis of the Holy Bodiless Powers and 6-year-old Angela was very excited.  She had talked of nothing else to her Mommy and Daddy for almost 2 days.  This was her Nameday; the day she remembered her patron saints – the Angels.  Angela, being homeschooled, was having a big party today for her friends from her Orthodox and Roman Catholic homsechool group.   Everyone was excited, because of all the children, only Angela’s and the other two Orthodox families in their group celebrated Namedays.  Everyone was excited to go to Angela’s party and some even had gotten permission from their parents and priests to go to Church with Angela for her special day. 

But long before the party and the going to Church were the careful preparations.  And Miss Angela wanted to be the one to carry them out in honor of her guardian angel and all the bodiless powers.  Weeks before the liturgy, Angela had had to let Mommy take care of talking to Father Joseph about having the special party in honor of the angels in the social hall after liturgy; and having so many special guests who didn’t belong to her Church.  “It would have been ok if he said there wasn’t time,“ Angela thought.  “We’d just have had the party at our house!!”  But then she got to thinking what would have happened if Father had forbidden the party!  She almost cried, but that hadn’t happened, because Father was kind, merciful and knew how closely-related her Roman Catholic friends were in the Faith.

            On the second day before the Liturgy, Angela, after consulting with Mommy and Daddy, decided that a good thing to offer to honor the angels would be a cake of some kind.  She picked Angel Food cake with a rich winter fruit sauce on it, sprinkled with powdered sugar because it just seemed right.