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.