38 • Yum

Yum

This evening provided a stark juxtaposition of food. We started the night at a restaurant, where the meal was expertly and meticulously prepared with attention to both taste and presentation. A pinch of this, a gentle warming of that, a searing of this, a sprinkling of that. Our bellies were nourished, yes, but also our taste buds and our eyes were entertained and delighted.

And then we went to see Oceans, Disney's new documentary about underwater life. Again, our eyes and ears were delighted -- it was stunning to see. But I couldn't help noticing how differently food was portrayed in the animal kingdom. It was snatched, swallowed whole, with little attention even to removing, say, the shell from the baby turtle. At best, a creature might break the leg of the crab to suck the meat out -- but another creature just vacuumed the bottom of the seabed, sucking up not only green grasses but also sand, debris, and surely fecal matter from other fish. Food was nourishment -- in fact, I would say it was a barrier to enjoying life, because it was the primary task one had to accomplish. Whales traveled literally thousands of miles, meanwhile shedding hundreds and hundreds of pounds in hunger, in order to find their feeding ground in the north.

It all makes me a little less grumpy about my not-so-difficult task of preparing three certainly-more-delicious-than-any-of-that meals every day for my family.

37 • Gold

Gold

I was thinking about the Robert Frost poem this week, Nothing Gold Can Stay.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

It seemed particularly appropriate as I walked past these beautiful lilac trees yesterday -- all the sweet smells and charming colors of spring last such a short while. Lilacs bring vivid memories of my Yiayia Jennie, my dad's mom. She loved lilacs, and had them her yard. The smell takes me right back there, eagerly bringing stems of fragrant flowers into her kitchen as if they were a brilliant surprise. She too was gold -- as we all are. We come, we radiate (we hope!) joy and beauty to the world around us, and then we fade away. We are stunning, and we wilt. I don't mean it to be depressing -- it is just the truth. A reminder to enjoy it while it is, because at some point, it won't be any more. And if we don't notice, see--experience--this gold that surrounds us, it will vanish and we won't even have the memory. How grateful I am to, even for a moment, be back in Yiayia's yard tossing lilacs like confetti across the grass, or peering through the water-glass vase of purple petals as the adults talked over coffee. Nothing gold can stay.

36 • Yawn

Yawn

We all feel tired from time to time (some of us more of the time than others). This tiger's yawn not only looks tired, but a little angry as well. It's such a great visual for when the alarm blares at you before dawn, or the clock seems to be stuck at 4:00 (both for those who work and those who anticipate the workers to come home), or when you're waiting up for your teen to come home in the wee hours of the morning. More tired than angry, but wouldn't it be great to have teeth like that to flash when you felt like it?

35 • Spring

Spring!

Forgive me for not being able to decide between these two photos. I am absolutely in heaven walking around the neighborhood, drinking in the scents and the gorgeous colors and textures of spring. How the earth does love to welcome the warmth of the sun after a long, dead winter!

34 • Miracle

Miracle

I continue to be amazed at how a little seed yields a new life. We hope to transfer these seedlings into the backyard garden in a few weeks.

33 • Art

Art

Niko and Stefanie attended an "art party" for two of their friends today. They had so much fun creating these projects. Every once in a while I am really amazed by what their minds and their hands work together to create. The top row are Niko's pictures, and the bottom are Stefanie's (including a portrait of me in the middle!).

32 • Surprise

Surprise

All this wonderful pink and blue is to celebrate the impending arrival of my koubara's next baby. Aren't babies such a beautiful blessing? There is much to say about this subject -- about how popular culture could greatly benefit from an increased appreciation for the joy and spiritual fruit of "growing" families -- and about the emotional benefits of spending time in person with our (facebook) friends, but I am going to leave all that for another post, and just let you know that those cupcakes tasted as good as they look. =)

31 • Perfume

Perfume

I've made a totally rookie photographer mistake -- trying to capture something that can't be captured by a camera. This bush smells so wonderful right now, thanks to the sudden appearance of these little flowers, that I felt compelled to photograph it. No matter what kind of picture I took, though, there is no way to show you how wonderful, down into your lungs, the air smells as you stand next to this bush. It's sweet, but not drippy sweet -- sweet like a hug from a dear friend. It smells sweet like the smile of a child after he's blown out his birthday candles. But you can't smell that looking at this photo -- and I'm sorry!

30 • Truth

Truth

I almost didn't choose this picture for today because the flower wasn't as pretty as it probably was just the day before. But the more I thought about it, I loved the composition and the colors, and I also loved that it was true. True usually means imperfection -- but thanks to photoshop et al we don't often have a true understanding of Truth. Family sitcoms don't depict constant need-meeting of motherhood (diapers, feedings, sleep routines, night wakings, etc). Magazines don't depict cellulite, body hair, or even unpainted faces. We don't tell ourselves the truth about what things cost (even if we do pay with cash, most of what we buy is made in a country that pays pennies on the dollar -- which means it is artificially lower-priced than it should be).

But despite the truth that this flower is already decaying, and its days (nay, hours!) are numbered -- I think this is a beautiful picture. There is a beauty in what this little piece of creation is doing, in the warm sunlight of this spring day -- and I'm glad to have captured it.

29 • Tree

Tree

Isn't this tree amazing? The lady who lives next door to this tree says it's an "awful thing." I found her raking up the few dozen petals that had fallen onto her nearby patch of grass, not looking up except to shake her head at a new escapee making its way down. She had not an ounce of interest, patience, or admiration for what I think is one of the most beautiful sights of spring. The tree soaks up all kinds of wonderful nutrients all summer and stores them carefully all winter so that she can welcome the first warm days with brilliance and gusto. There is hardly an ounce of green on this tree because she did all the hard work last year preparing for her coming-out party. The other trees are making their debut with flimsy little yellow-green leaflings, building up their strength for the flowers and seeds to come. I for one am glad to have these robust, proud petals proclaiming spring's arrival. (But then again, I don't have one to clean up after.) =)

28 • Newly Illumined

Newly Illumined

This sweet baby was baptized on Sunday. What a joy to witness! Fr Andrew took him behind the altar as part of the ceremony, and as they re-entered the church nave, the sun broke through the hazy clouds and seemed to dance on the two of them. Their expressions seem so similar -- the slightly furrowed brow, the vague upturned lip -- but one face has the lines of many years, and the other is a cherub of innocence. Worry and joy and peace certainly can each be felt -- but in such vastly different ways for the old priest and the infant child. A few more favorites.

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Some of you have noticed my lapse in daily postings. Like so many good habits, if you break from the routine even a day or two, suddenly it's been 10 and you have to struggle back into it. I have posted a picture for each day that I took them, and will start fresh tomorrow. Thank you for the encouragement!

27 • Pascha

Pascha

Wow, it was really hard to decide on a picture for this day! It was so special to me to photograph the children with their great grandparents participating in these wonderful Greek Orthodox traditions. Here Stefanie is exuberantly cracking eggs with Yiayia. Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Her eggs were absolutely demolished by the time she was done -- as they should be! The tomb is opened -- destroyed! -- and Jesus Christ lives! (Click here are a few more pictures from the day.)

26 • His Eminence

His Eminence

The first resurrection is, for me, the first exhale of Pascha. It is the celebration of Christ's descent into Hades and His crushing of the gates as He preached the Good News to the souls there. This day is marked by our dear bishop, Metropolitan Iakovos, joyfully throwing flowers around the church as he says "Arise O God! (and judge the earth)" (Anasta O Theos!). The children love this sweet man for his attention to their little plastic baggies -- he happily blesses them with handfuls of flowers stuffed directly into their zip-locks. The procession around the church is filled with the scrambling of little bodies across the floor as they gather the bay leaves and fresh flower petals in His Eminence's wake. The joy of the first resurrection, and the joy of this holy man connecting in such a tender way with the children, is my first exhale of the weekend. The fast continues, the preparations continue -- but the hope is real. The morning sky is lit, though the sun is not yet visible.

25 • Red

Red

My mother takes great pride in her red eggs. Some might say "it's just an egg" or, despite spots and uneven color might quip "Well, it still looks red." Those are not words my mother would ever utter, not on Holy Thursday in preparation for Pascha. Her eggs must be the perfect shade of red -- not pink, not brown. They must be consistent -- not splotchy, not spotted. They must shine. It is quite a process, which I photographed this year (much to her chagrin). Here is a link to the album.