The Pelikan Brief

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:27:00.001+01:00

This digital greeting created with Smilebox

Happy Birthday, Elina!

2011-11-20T18:09:00.000+01:00

It's a run of birthdays in November! Today we celebrate Elina Pelikan - our daughter-in-law and wife to Jesse, and mommy to Misha, Elijah and Ella.

Elina, just before Ella was born

Happy Birthday, Elina and Many Years!

Love,

Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

2011-11-13T23:12:00.001+01:00

Christmas 2010 with niece, Ella - She loves her Uncle Johnny

Happy 36th Birthday, Johnny! May God grant you many more years to come!

Happy Birthday, Elijah

2011-11-01T15:44:00.000+01:00

Happy 4th Birthday today, to our first -- and only -- grandson, Elijah Martin Pelikan. We know we are far apart from each other now, all the way over here in Italy, but we look forward to spending lots of your birthdays with you in the future.

You are a very special boy to us and we love you very much!

Your Mimi & Papa

Ah. . . Venice!

2011-10-28T00:09:00.001+02:00

Another slideshow by Smilebox

We finally have pictures of our trip to Venice. We've set them to music for you so they're a little more fun to see. Hope you enjoy them. Our trip was back in the middle of JULY!! It's hard to believe it's been so long since we were there. So much has happened since then. I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog.

Well, here's a start

(((abbracci)))

Papa & Mimi

Nativity of the Theotokos

2011-09-08T14:56:00.001+02:00

Nativity of the Mother of God

This is the day of the Lord; wherefore, rejoice ye nations; for behold the chamber of Light, the scroll of the Word of life hath come forth from the womb; the gate facing the east hath been born. Wherefore, she awaiteth the entrance of the High Priest. And she alone admitted Christ into the universe for salvation of our souls.

+ Doxastikon of the Feast, Tone 6

http://www.antiochian.org/

I love the way Fr. Andrew Damick writes in his blog today when he says, “And just as the Ark of the Old Covenant was carefully constructed and prepared by human hands, so, too, was the new Ark carefully prepared. But instead of the preparation of carpenters and goldsmiths, the preparation of the Virgin Mary was by her quiet and humble obedience to and cooperation with the will of God.”

As a Protestant considering Orthodoxy, this was probably the hardest area for me; anything to do with “Mary” being more—just more anything. I struggled in the beginning, but fortunately I had wonderful mentors (one being my husband), to help me understand the full meaning of what she accomplished for all of us.

Again, in his blog, Roads from Emmaus, the entry today goes on to say, “This is why we honor the Virgin Mary, not because we want to elevate her to the status of a goddess and worship her, but because she is the carefully prepared vessel which bore the God of the Universe, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Through her came our salvation. Through her came a new life for every human being and the whole world. Through her came union between God and man.”

Doesn’t this make such incredibly beautiful sense?

Fr. Damick again saying, “Therefore, we approach her today and venerate her on her birthday because we desire to approach and come close to the Son of God. We respect her and sing about her glory because that glory is the glory of the awesome God. We call upon her here at the center of our worship just as the Hebrews placed the old Ark at the center of theirs, not because she or a golden box are to be the object of worship, but because the Ark is the place of worship, because the Ark of the Old Covenant and now the Ark of the New Covenant are the place where God has chosen to draw near to His people.”

Living here in Italy, we see a Roman Catholic Church practically everywhere we look. They too will celebrate this special day. The Western and the Eastern Catholic churches have some very specific and important theological differences; however, both venerate her (not worship her), and honor her in accordance with the Scripture where she declares in the Magnificat:

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord: And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowliness of His maidservant: for, behold, from henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

Hence forth shall all men call me blessed.” Luke 1:46-55

"As we look upon the icon of the Holy Virgin, we see that she points us to her Son. Today, as we celebrate her birth into this world, may we hear her call to draw near to her holy Son. As we gaze upon the glory that surrounds her as more honorable than the cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim, may we be drawn into a true encounter with that glory, the glory which is God’s and may also be ours if we are in union and communion with Him, just as she is." (Fr. Damick)

2011-08-28T02:18:00.003+02:00

Happy 7th Anniversary to our son, Jesse and his lovely wife Elina. It hardly seems like it's been 7 years already. But when we look at their precious family, we see the fruit of those years and realize it has been seven years and the time truly flew by.

In the Name of the Father, Son , and Holy Spirit:

"God of power and might, You have kept Jesse and Elina together for seven years of marriage. Thank you for the joy of celebrating their life together today and for the many ways their marriage has touched all of us. Indeed, You have blessed us all with Jesse and Elina. Please strengthen them, guide them, and sustain them for many more years with each other and with us, that we all may live in the light of Your love." Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, have mercy on us, and save us, Amen.

Love,
Dad and Mom

Happy 57th Anniversary!!

2011-08-13T23:00:00.002+02:00

High School Sweethearts, Best Friends, Life Partners . . . through it all! That's what it's all about! Congratulations Mom & Dad, on 57 years of marriage!
Friday, August 13, 1954! Who says Friday the 13th is supposed to be bad luck! You've proved them all wrong, time and time again.

WE LOVE YOU!!

World Time Clock & Map - Check Current Local Time Around the World

2011-07-11T23:09:00.000+02:00

World Time Clock & Map - Check Current Local Time Around the World

Saint Joanna the Myrrh-bearer

2011-06-27T11:21:00.004+02:00

Commemorated on June 27

Saint Joanna the Myrrh-bearer, wife of Chusa, the household steward of King Herod, was one of the women following and attending the Lord Jesus Christ during the time of His preaching and public ministry. She is mentioned in Luke 8:3 and 24:10. Together with the other Myrrh-bearing Women, St. Joanna went to the Sepulchre to anoint the Holy Body of the Lord with myrrh after His death on the Cross, and she heard from the angels the joyful proclamation of His All-Glorious Resurrection. According to Tradition, she recovered the head of St. John the Baptist after Herodias had disposed of it (February 24).

St. Joanna is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (http://www.oca.org/)

'Verily, the angel came to the tomb and said to the ointment-bearing women, the ointment
is meet for the dead, but Christ is shown to be remote from corruption. But cry ye: The
Lord is risen, granting the world the Great Mercy'.
St. Joanna was of the household of King Herod Antipas who was tetrarch, or local ruler, of certain areas of Palestine from the years 4 B.C. to 39 A.D. and like his father before him, King Herod, he ruled the area with the permission of the Roman government where, by this time, controlled much of the Mediterranean region. This Herod "Antipas" was credited with building a city on the Sea of Galilee and naming it for his friend, the Roman emperor Tiberius. According to Holy Scripture, he also ordered the beheading of John the Baptist at the request of his own daughter. It makes sense now that St. Joanna, being married to the household steward of the King, would've known where to find the severed head of John the Baptist after it had been disposed of, and as Eastern tradition says, give the head of John the Baptist an honourable burial.

[I've always wondered about that]

Happy Anniversary to John & Rondi Pelikan

2011-06-22T15:18:00.000+02:00

Happy 9th Anniversary today to our son and daughter-in-law, John & Rondi Pelikan!

May God grant you many years!

Help us find a home for "Kong"!

2011-06-21T15:21:00.000+02:00

Create a photo slideshow

Look who showed up in our lives! It seems that animals are drawn to me like magnets - always have been. Well this guy is just the sweetest thing in the world, and deserves to be living with a family that will love him and give him a great home. Or maybe a Sailor or Marine who wants to go for a run on the beach with a dog who won't run away, and will keep ya company during your tour in Italy - Kong is your boy!
He's gentle, funny, and has a gentle bark that is as loud as a freight-train! If you know of anyone that might be interested in this beautiful guy, please leave a comment here on my blog and I'll get back with you right away!

Thanks!

Dancing With The Demon What Brung Ya - Orthodixie - Ancient Faith Radio

2011-06-21T10:13:00.000+02:00

Dancing With The Demon What Brung Ya - Orthodixie - Ancient Faith Radio

Lunar Eclipse

2011-06-16T14:05:00.000+02:00

It's 11:00 PM, and we just looked outside and can still see it - for those who want to run outside and take a peek!
As Papa was closing the shudders for the night, he looked out the window and yelled down to me, "Is there supposed to me a lunar eclipse tonight?" So, I quickly looked it up on the internet and sure enough, a total lunar eclipse was going to be visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and parts of Australia
this evening!

But not in North America! Suddenly we felt very far away from home! This further emphasized just how far away we are from our family.

When we first noticed it the moon was completely in the earth's shadow and had a redish glow. Then as we continued to watch a sliver of white light began to appear on the edge as the moon started to move out of the earth's shadow, I ran downstairs, got the camera and zoomed back up the marble stairs - and for those of you who understand this - Sherman in toe the entire time . . . and somehow snapped these photos! It was June 15, 2011, Naples, Italy!

Buon Compleanno, Luigi!

2011-06-14T18:16:00.000+02:00

Luigi Pisa - 75 years' young

This is the patio of Luigi's home

Paulo and Papa grilling lamb and beef on his "Weber" grill

We received our customary call. “I’m Luigi,” our landlord says in his own special broken-English way. “Venire[come] alla mio[my] festa di compleanno, [birthday party]! settanta cinque[75] anni – years old! Yikes . . . ok, so I’m on the other end of the phone and the listening carefully. The best I could do with this at the time happened to be pretty close – whew! The Italian I’ve been studying was coming in handy after all. Luigi Pisa was turning 75 and wanted us to come to his birthday party the following weekend!

Everyone raved about this cantelope and tomatoe dish!

The Mayor of Pozzouli and Luigi's American friends

Valentina and Giovanni

Gelato and strawberries drenched in a sweet wine reduction!

Yum!

What is the custom in Italy for the man who has everything? So, we asked the protocol officer at Papa’s work – a lady who handles all that kind of stuff for the Admirals. I was so surprised by her answer! She said, “Bring him something American; some kind of food, like Philadelphia Cheese Cake.” (which, of course, we sell at the Base Commissary) So, that’s just what we did. He never really said if they enjoyed it or not or even really knew what it was – but that’s ok! It was the thought that counts . . . and we all know how deeelicious it will be! At first they wanted to bring it out with the rest of the fabulous meal, frozen solid as a rock, and all! We had to explain that it was for the family to eat later and that they should begin to ‘thaw’ it about two hours before eating it. We aren’t sure if we did the right thing. We brought the toppings to go with the cheesecake, and a lovely card in English, which his son read to him in front of everyone, translating directly to Italian . . . and then proceeded to have the most incredible meal EVER!! The mayor of our town, Pozzouli, was one of the invited guests, as well as longtime friends, retired head of the Carabinieri, a Gendarmerie-like military corps with police duties. They also serve as the Italian military police. His entire family, and newly engaged son and soon-to-be, daughter-in-law were there too; an Admiral friend and his wife and young daughter joined by some other American friends. It was quite the evening!

Luigi's grandson blew out the candles

It was a wonderful celebration and we consider ourselves blessed and honored to have been a part of it!

Vice President Biden's visit to Naples!!

2011-06-07T13:36:00.001+02:00

Waiting. . .

. . . and what to our wondering eyes should appear? Our Vice President, with very little notice to spare! Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden made somewhat of a surprise visit to NSA Naples, Italy, this past Saturday, June 4th, to speak to the service members and their families, with what I think may have been less than a week’s notice. As you can imagine, people have been scrambling like crazy to prepare for his impromptu stopover; nonetheless, it appeared to come off without a hitch! (thanks to some mighty fine planning and execution, no doubt!)

A sea of blue . . .

Can you spot the Marine? (ha!)

Me shaking hands and saying a few words to Dr. Biden.

Both the Vice President and his wife, Dr. Biden, were gracious, encouraging and compassionate to the troops and all those on the Piazza of Capodichino on Saturday. They each identified with having a son serving overseas (their son having served in Iraq), and how often the VP would see his wife preparing coffee, for example, in the morning her lips silently moving in prayer for their son.

The V.P. commenting to me that being a Chaplain's wife was one of the
hardest and most important in the military!

They each spoke of their thankfulness for our sacrifice, the service member as well as the families, and how much it means to our country. It was actually pretty inspiring when you’re just a few feet away listening to him. I could feel how genuine he was - they both were! It was a clear, hot day, and the Vice President seemed to go “off-speech” about half-way through his prepared remarks, out of compassion, no doubt, for the fact that it was so hot and that our heads and arms were roasting in the hot sun! He and his wife then took a lot of time afterwards to go around the line of people waiting to say hello and take a photos with them. And he did . . . with far more people than I’d ever imagined he would have. In fact, he ended up staying and extra two and a half hours - until every last person who wanted a picture with him was able to get one. Much to the chagrin of his staff, his courteous lingering with the troops caused Air Force Two to depart much later than originally planned.

This is my favorite picture!

Ci Vediamo ~ Mimi

(this means "so long" in Italian)

The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

2011-06-03T19:02:00.000+02:00

Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ

As the angels, O Savior, wondered at Thy strange elevation, and the Disciples were amazed at Thy dread rising, Thou didst ascend in glory, being God, and the gates were lifted up for Thee. Wherefore, the heavenly powers were surprised, shouting, Glory to Thy condescension, O Savior; glory to Thy reign; glory to Thine Ascension, O Thou Who alone art the Lover of mankind.

--Orthros of the Feast

On the fortieth day after Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He was taken up into the heavens in a cloud. The Ascension of Jesus Christ is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated forty days after Pascha (and thus always falling on a Thursday -- yesterday!

From the Heart: Resting in the Ascension

----------------------------------------------------------------------

By Douglas Cramer

Summer is almost here. It’s a good time to just take a deep breath, and relax. You know, go to the beach if you live close to it, have a barbeque, invite some friends over. I remember doing this on a grand scale as a child growing up in New Jersey. But how often do most of us do this anymore? We’re so busy, we’ve forgotten that true rest and relaxation, the kind that really restores you, is vital to our survival.

This week the Church celebrates the Ascension of our Lord, and our worship since Pascha has been rooted in our joy in the Resurrection. In the light of this glorious, peaceful and fulfilling period of the calendar of our Church we should be totally relaxed and fully in the presence of our Lord. But we still struggle to relax and unclench, to be at peace.

Why? In part, because we live our lives in a kind of emotional and spiritual shallows. We’re so busy, we don’t pause to reflect, to listen, to understand our motivations. We are busy for busyness’s sake. We allow others to set our timetable. We often aren’t aware of the reasons we have for doing what we do. We all act a little crazy sometimes, bustling about with all our tasks and projects and responsibilities. It’s important for us to act. But it’s just as important for us to relax, to quietly find our center, to understand what’s driving us to do what we do, to make sure that our choices and actions flow from our deepest values.

How do we turn this around? We start from the heart!

Know Thyself

The Psalms focus this teaching in to a single verse: “Seek peace and pursue it.” We need peace, but we must be active to find it—we must seek and pursue. What does this mean? What is this pursuit? St. Isaac of Syria teaches us the answer: “Enter eagerly into the treasure house that lies within you, and so you will see the treasure house of heaven. The ladder that leads to the Kingdom is hidden within you, and is found in your soul. Dive into yourself, and in your soul you will discover the rungs by which you are to ascend.”

Seek. Pursue. Enter. Ascend. I’m winded just reading this list. However, this is the language of peace. Jesus Christ proclaims: “The kingdom of heaven is within.” We are called to go within, to find our heart, our center, our soul. And to begin our journey there.

The classical philosophers of Greece understood this basic truth of our humanity even before the birth of Christ. The central teaching of Plato, of Socrates, is “Know Thyself.” We must get out of our inner shallows, our superficial sleepwalking through life. We’re called to wake up, to dive deep.

Read the complete article: http://www.antiochian.org/node/17790

Sicily Rome American Cemetery

2011-06-03T00:15:00.000+02:00

Memorial Day in Italia

2011-06-02T21:32:00.001+02:00

Sicily - Rome American Cemetery
Nettuno, Italy

We had thought about it for quite some time—here we were in Italy, this country where so many of our American military had fought so nobly in World War II; and with the approach of Memorial Day, wouldn’t it be appropriate to visit one of the many American cemeteries in Italy and pay our respects to our brothers and sisters in arms! Usually, a chaplain from our base in Naples is asked to do the invocation and benediction at Memorial Day observances throughout Europe. And so it was in this year. As the Command Chaplain at NSA Naples, Papa made sure that all the “bases were covered” (so-to-speak), with other chaplains this time, which left us free to select which observance we would attend. We elected to be present at the Memorial Day observance taking place at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery that lies at the north edge of the town of Nettuno, Italy, which is immediately east of Anzio, 38 miles south of Rome.

The World War II Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial site in Italy covers 77 acres, rising in a gentle slope from a broad pool with an island and war memorial flanked by groups of Italian cypress trees. Beyond the pool is the immense field of headstones of 7,861 of American military war dead, arranged in gentle arcs on broad green lawns beneath rows of Roman pines. It is an incredibly moving and even “heavenly” feeling being there among those resting in peace among such beauty. The majority of these men [and women] died in the liberation of Sicily (July 10 to August 17, 1943); in the landings in the Salerno Area (September 9, 1943) and the heavy fighting northward; in the landings at Anzio Beach and expansion of the beachhead (January 22, 1944 to May 1944); and in air and naval support in the regions.

A wide central mall leads to the memorial, rich in works of art and architecture, expressing America's remembrance of the dead. It consists of a chapel to the south, a peristyle, and a map room to the north. On the white marble walls of the chapel are engraved the names of 3,095 of the missing. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The map room contains a bronze relief map and four fresco maps depicting the military operations in Sicily and Italy. At each end of the memorial are ornamental Italian gardens.

We rode the bus with the Navy 6th Fleet Band and had the honor of escorting Herman Chanowitz, a 96-year-old American veteran who fought during the war in Italy; beginning in February 1943, when Kasserine Pass became the focal point in the North African campaign - Herman was there! And then on to the landings at Sicily, Solerno and Anzio, then finally the liberation of Rome - Herman was in all of these battles! After the D-Day invasion, he finally finished up in Munich at the end of the war assigned to the unit that liberated the infamous death camp at Dachau. The tragic irony for Herman, he himself being Jewish, is how this made his final operation of the war most profound - He was there!

Backing up a few hours on this Memorial Day morning, we met Herman in front of the NATO Base where he had arranged a ride from a friend to meet us, since we didn’t know where Herman and his wife live. We were bringing him by our car to the bus at the base because he lives fairly close to us in Pozzuoli. So there he was waiting for us at 0400 just as we’d planned, not looking his actual 96 years at all! We were amazed at his quick wit and how spry demeanor even at that time in the morning. After a few minutes and greetings with his friend and driver, we made the transfer and were on our way. And in perfect time, no less! We were due at the bus by 0445 and it was only 0410. We had plenty of time even to spare, just the way we like it! We drove for about 5 minutes before reaching the entrance to the highway, then much to our consternation and shock, hit a very bad pothole and instantly knew that we had blown out a tire! Now mind you . . . it is pitch dark, Papa is in his summer white uniform, and we have very little time to spare!! Yikes! We had never changed a tire in this particular car before and suddenly we are faced with doing so on an on-ramp of a dark highway in what was practically the middle of the night! We both got out of the car and Papa actually said to me, “Well, I can’t exactly strip down and change the tire in my underwear! I’m gonna have to do this in my whites!” So it was hot and muggy, and away we went, as fast as we possibly could. He used his black light-weight military jacket as a place for his knee. Herman had a pocket flashlight – of course! I held the flashlight and Papa just kept praying that things would go smoothly. The first and only glitch we ran into was the car being too low to fit the jack underneath it, so we had to ask Herman to get out of the car for a minute to slide the car-jack underneath it. I could see the sweat-drips running down Papa's face! But, after that, it all went like clockwork! We got everything all put back together with the weird little temporary spare graciously prepared to take us where we needed to go. We all got in the car, turned the key . . . and guess what? The car didn’t start!!! Lord have mercy!

It seems that since we had left the headlights on the entire time, along with the air-conditioner to keep Herman cool, we had sucked up all the juice in the battery, and it was barely making a clickity-click sound! NOW WHAT!! Well, Papa and I both jumped out of the car, lickity-split, and hastily said to each other, “Let’s push and pray and try to pop the clutch.” He didn’t think I could push it with him since it was a little uphill and my arm is hurt, but somehow the whole thing worked! We jumped in the car as it was rolling; started it and we were on our way—time: 0430!!! We actually made it to the base and the met the bus “JUST as it was pulling up.” Now, is that a story or what?

Herman just couldn’t stop talking about “his” experience with us that morning – from his side of things. We are grateful for the outpouring of God’s Grace which kept us both exceptionally calm and trusting in Him that all would work out! Wow! We had made it, and the 3-hour bus ride was a rest well-deserved - for sure!!

What is Happiness?

2011-05-26T12:50:00.001+02:00

"What is Happiness?"

. . . "It is to live as we do now, with L., just the two of us, savoring every hour -- morning coffee, two, three hours of quiet in the evenings. No special conversation. All is clear and therefore so good. If we were to start trying to define the essence of that obvious happiness, we would each do it differently; we might even have an argument! My words would not seem right to her and visa-versa. Misunderstanding! And happiness would become clouded. As one approaches the essence of a thing, fewer and fewer words are needed. In eternity, in the kingdom, only "Holy, Holy, Holy" will be needed, only words of prayer and thanks, only prayer and the brightness of fullness and joy."

From the Journals of Fr. Alexander Schmemann ; pg10

http://www.amazon.com/Journals-Father-Alexander-Schmemann-1973-1983/dp/0881412007

Be Inspired With Hope!

2011-05-24T14:06:00.003+02:00

St. Theophan the Recluse
(1815-1894)

“Labor with all your strength; bring to the Lord all your concerns about success. Trust in God is the foundation of spiritual life. Nothing will happen all of a sudden; everything will come about in its own time. Everything you seek with faith will come. But when? When the Lord is ready to grant it. Be patient, remaining steadfast in the ways you have begun. Be inspired with the hope that the day will come when the light of joy will glow in the heart and it will be emancipated from all bonds, bringing freedom of movement and raising you to that place where the noble images of spirit ascend. Then you will soar in the realm of the spirit like a bird that has been freed from its cage.”

http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Theophan-Prayer.html

“May the blessing of the Lord be upon you. May your Guardian Angel protect you from all attacks of the enemy!”

"If you are not successful in your prayer, you will not be
successful in anything, for prayer is the root of everything."
– Theophan the Recluse

VIP's Visit

2011-05-23T17:22:00.002+02:00

Admiral Tidd, our Navy Chief of Chaplains, visited last week with his wife Jennifer and a team of other chaplains for what we call in the Navy - the annual P.D.T.C. (Professional Development Training Course).

This is a picture of Papa (Fr. Phil) and Admiral Tidd in front of the chapel just after our service and before the next service, where he was introduced to the congregation of the Contemporary Christian Service.

The purpose of this PDTC was to instruct everyone regarding a new governing document that makes Navy Chaplains on the same professional level as any other Staff Corps in the Navy. (i.e., Medical Corps, Supply Corps, JAG Corps, etc.) In other words, chaplains will have a more clearly defined career path like all other officers in the Navy, so they will know how to plan their next assignments, when and where to go for more education, etc.

This is exactly what WE needed many years ago! It's about time that the Chaplain Corps is finally establishing standards for itself!

Me, Jennifer Tidd, and Lois Marshall

Dinner with the local Admiral's and the Marine General at Cafe' Europa
about 50 yards from the exact spot where St. Paul came ashore in Pozzuoli
on his way Rome.

A visit to the Herculaneum

An ancient McDonald's (as the tour guide said). A place
where the citizens could get hot food to-go - 2000 years ago!!!
Wow!

Herculaneum was destroyed in 79 A.D. along with Pompeii, but is much more will preserved. The look, therefore, into the past in the town was absolutely amazing!

Jaroslav Pelikan

2011-05-21T18:38:00.001+02:00

The first time I met “Jary” (which is the way he introduced himself to me), was at the campus of Yale University the fall of 1989 when Phil was in Chaplain’s School in Newport, Rhode Island. He was exactly as I imagined him. A C.S. Lewis type fellow – tweed jacket … suede elbow patches and all! His office was full off books and papers; stacked high in every nook and cranny, in no particular order it seemed to me, reminiscent of Indiana Jones’ office in the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” But he assured me that it all made perfect sense to him—and chuckled! We had an interesting lunch in the teacher’s lounge and spoke of family and theology and the future of our lives. It is a precious memory.

I meant to post a few words and this picture of him on the May 13th, which is the day of his repose but time got away from me—therefore I’m doing it today.

Jaroslav Jan Pelikan (December 17, 1923–May 13, 2006)

May his memory be eternal!

Fr. Philip's cousin Jaroslav

Super Busy

2011-05-21T14:24:00.000+02:00

Be Back Soon ~

Rainy Days and Lunchboxes

2011-04-30T19:34:00.002+02:00

I had this lunch-box

Rainy days were the best kind of days when I was a little girl,at least in my first few years of elementary school! For one thing it meant we’d be inside during recess; we’d play fun games like “Heads-Up, Seven-Up,” and “Whose Missing.” We’d even get to eat our lunch in our classroom! Now, if the first few years of elementary school taught me anything, it was how to fully appreciate the delight of lunchtime. There was no other time like it. It was as though the children began to think about their lunches from the time they arrived at school just as soon as the first bell rang; what was in their lunchboxes, who would be buying their lunch that day or "bringing" their lunch, etc., not forgetting the fierce competition of who had the best lunchbox – Bozo the Clown, The Jetsons, The Beatles, Mickey Mouse Club, Mary Poppins, Barbie, Paldin, and of course - for Papa - the lunch box of lunchboxes, The Satellite Lunch-box! To him, it embodied the vision of all his boyish hopes and dreams for the not to distant future in space, which was typical of many young boys of the 50's and 60's. And each one of these nutrient bearing metal cases had a little matching thermos inside to carry cold milk or hot soup to drink along with your sandwich, piece of fruit and cookie. The lunch-hour was a time of anticipation and bustle; once you were old enough to really appreciate it anyway. In my relatively short life, up to that point, lunch was just lunch, nothing more. You ate it and went on with your day as quickly as possible, hopefully avoiding the dreaded "rest" that sometimes followed. But school lunch-time was a period you could have to yourself or with a favorite friend at "your table"; a time to think, to ponder, and to pretty much either shovel food into your mouth so you could get to recess as quickly as possible, like some did; or to maybe take a little extra time and simply put the food into your mouth, bite by bite, the way your mother taught you as though she were lovingly looking over your shoulder, and get to recess a little after the others.

For me, it gave me time to reflect on just how much I liked my school life. Lunchtime was halfway through the schoolday, but I still remember the feeling of those extraordinary rainy days and I can recall being captivated by the drops on the windows and gazing out feeling the safety and protection of being inside our sturdy¸ sheltered classroom when we had those special "indoor" lunch days.

Papa's very favorite lunch-box, The Satellite Lunch-box, because his
dad worked in the space program and he always wanted to go there!

Today is a day like that here in Naples! It’s raining outside – not too hard though, just enough to stay in the sturdy, sheltered indoors for recess and eat our lunch inside our cozy Naples house. Papa and I had some plans to play outside today. We were headed to Procida, one of the smaller islands nearby, but instead the rain got in the way . . . fair-weather travelers, that's what we are! In its place, we are doing more boring things like studying and catching up on housework! Not as exciting or fun at all, but necessary nevertheless.

Bright Week Peal

2011-04-27T14:13:00.001+02:00

In the Eastern Orthodox Church there is a long and complex history of bell ringing, with particular bells being rung in particular ways to signify different parts of the divine services, Funeral tolls, etc. This custom is particularly sophisticated in the Russian Orthodox Church. Russian bells are usually fixed, and are tolled by pulling on a rope that is attached to the clapper so that it will strike the side of the bell.

On every day of Bright Week all the bells are rung from the conclusion of Liturgy until Vespers.
From Pascha until Ascension there is a treble peal (trezvon) following Sunday Liturgy.

Easter in Naples - A Paschal Collage

2011-04-26T14:37:00.001+02:00

Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church
Saturday, 10:00 PM ~ Sunday, 3:30 AM

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered, and let them hate Him flee before His face.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

As smoke vanisheth, so let them vasish; as wax melteth before the fire.
Christ has risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

So let sinners perish at the presence of God; and let the righteous be glad.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowning life.

Glory to the Father and the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Christ is risen fromthe dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

On Saturday night at the beginning of the Paschal Divine Liturgy,each member holds a candle lit from a larger candle symbolizing the eternal flame of Christ. Candles are lit one by one from the priest's candle and hymns are sung.

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs. . .

. . . bestowing life.

Let us attend. The Gospel is read . . .

Shout with joy to God, all the earth.

Cristo 'e risorto! (Christ is Risen)

'e veramente risorto! (Indeed He is Risen!)

With Christianity, the old belief receives new contents, and the egg receives a religious significance amongst the Christians. There exisits a tradition which makes Mary Magdalene to be the originator of the custom of using red eggs on Easter day. After the Ascension of our Saviour, Mary Magdalene went to Rome to preach the Gospel and, appearing before the Emporer Tiberius, she offered him a red egg, saying: CHRIST IS RISEN.” Thus was begun her preaching. Learning about this offering of Mary Magdalene, the early Christians imitated her, presenting each other with eggs. Hence, eggs began to be used by Christians in the earliest centuries as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ and of the regeneration of Christians for a new and a better life along [with] it. The custom of presenting each other with red eggs was familiar to the Christians of the earliest Universal Church.

The red color, which generally is used for Easter eggs, serves to remind us of the precious blood of God the Redeemer, which was shed on the cross for the salvation of all men.

The blessing of the eggs takes place after the morning Easter service. The breaking of the lenten fasting on Easter Sunday begins with eating the blessed eggs. (source: "Orthodixie" Copyright 2004 - 2011, Joseph David Huneycutt)

+ + +

Christ's resurrection Icon is reverenced and the 40-day fast is broken. ...

I hope I've captured some of this experience and that you've enjoyed the pictures from our Paschal Divine Liturgy here in Naples, Italy. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, and we embraced every moment of it!

Christ is Risen!!

A Pelican-in-her-Piety

2011-04-23T18:18:00.001+02:00

The Pelican-in-her-Piety is an allegorical description of Jesus Christ , is both His sacrificial love and resurrection. In an age when literacy was limited, the image of the Pelican-in-her-Piety would have been recognizable as and understood by everyone who saw it, and was in particular interpreted as being symbolic of the Eucharist.

Thomas Aquinas used the allegory in his 'Adoro Te Devote'"O loving Pelican! O Jesu Lord!
Unclean I am but cleanse me in Thy Blood of which a single drop,
for sinners spilt,
can purge the entire world from all its guilt."

"Through icons the Orthodox Christian receives a vision of the spiritual world."
~ Bp Kallistos

From “Orthros of Great and Holy Saturday” (Lamentations Service)

Last night during the Lamentations Service, once again I was struck as the Reader (one of which happened to be Papa) chanted the above lamentation from the Second Stasis. It brought to mind the beautiful traditon and analogy depicted by the "Pelican-in-her-Piety." The pelican was thought to pierce herself in her breast in order to feed her blood to her young and bring them back to life.

Like a pelican,
With Thy side, O Word, by wounding riven,
Hast thou made Thy children once dead to live,
By distilling on them moisture rich with life. ~ Second Stasis

Mourn not for me, Mother, as thou beholdest Me in the grave; for I thy Son, whom thou didst conceive in thy womb without seed, shall rise and shall be glorified. And being God, I will ceaselessly exalt and ennoble those who in faith and longing magnify Thee. ~

Holy Friday

2011-04-22T16:08:00.000+02:00

Greek Orthodox Church in Naples, Italy
(late last night)

On Great and Holy Friday, the Orthodox Church

commemorates the sufferings of Christ: the mockery, the crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the thirst, the vinegar and gall, the cry of desolation, and all the Savior endured on the Cross.

"Today He Who hung the earth on the waters is hung on the tree," sing the solemn worshippers. Beginning with the Orthros of Holy Friday on Thursday evening, and ending with Vespers on Friday afternoon, the day is one of solemn observation and strict fasting. The richness of the liturgical actions and hymnography on this day, are unsurpassed.

We worship Your passion and Your burial,

for by them, You have saved us from death!

the daffodil principle - a longtime favorite

2011-04-19T12:03:00.018+02:00

HOLY TUESDAY

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."—Hebrews 12:2

Don’t worry if you don’t feel joyful on feastdays or other times when you “ought” to feel joyful. Joy is a gift, like life and sunlight and air and flowers and food. It comes and goes, according to its own rhythms and seasons, and its presence doesn’t mean someone’s holy, any more than its absence means someone’s doomed. In spiritual life, feelings are not as important as acts and habits.

We must build the habits of prayer and life in Christ, and let the feelings follow when (or if) they may.

"And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at His
teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came
together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, to test Him.eacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like
it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
depend all the law and the prophets."

"Daffodils" read by Jeremy Irons

2011-04-19T11:48:00.000+02:00

Palm Sunday Reflections

2011-04-17T15:08:00.001+02:00

O Christ God, when before Thy voluntary sufferings Thou didst explain to all the confirmation of universal resurrection; Thou didst raise Lazarus in Bethany by Thine exalted might, after he had been dead for four days. And to the blind Thou didst give sight; for Thou art the Giver of light, O Savior. Thou didst also enter the city with thy Disciples, sitting on an ass, fulfilling the preaching of the Prophets, as though riding upon the cherubim, and the Hebrew youths received Thee with palms and branches. Wherefore, we also carry olive branches and palms, crying out to Thee in gratitude, Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He that cometh In the Name of the Lord.

Orthros of the Feast

"In our liturgical celebrations, we remember events of the past. But the whole meaning and
power of Liturgy is that it transforms remembrance into reality. On Palm Sunday this reality
is our own involvement, our responsibility to, the Kingdom of God. Christ does not enter into
Jerusalem anymore, He did it once and for all. And He does not need any "symbols," for He
did not die on the Cross that we may eternally "symbolize" His life. He wants from us a real
acceptance of the Kingdom which He brought to us... And if we are not ready to stand by the
solemn oath, which we renew every year on Palm Sunday, if we do not mean to make the
Kingdom of God the measure of our whole life, meaningless is our commemoration and vain
the branches we take home from the Church."

[taken from] A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week
by
The Very Rev. Alexander Schmemann, S.T.D.

"In other words, in our making a remembrance of that unique momentous event, which we do with palm branches processing into the church, the intent is to not merely perform a symbolic reenactment, but to allow God, through the Holy Spirit to make that past event reality in our lives now and forevermore. And that which He makes real in us is nothing less than the Kingdom of God itself. And since what He did through His entrance into Jerusalem in such a royal manner was to establish His Kingdom here on earth as the King of King and Lord of Lords, it is that same Kingdom that is established in our lives in the here and now through this act of worship."

~ Papa

Trusting God

2011-04-16T12:50:00.001+02:00

Look at the beautiful butterfly, and learn

from it to trust in God.

One might wonder

where it could live in tempestuous nights,

in the whirlwind, or in the sunny day;

but I noticed it is safe and dry under the

broad leaf while rivers have been flooded,

and the mountain oaks torn up by their roots.

~ Jeremy Taylor

Burned Biscuits!

2011-04-11T14:22:00.000+02:00

Burned Biscuits

I read this little story today and thought it was "a keeper!"

"When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his Biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my
Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what
he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your
momma put in a long hard day at work today and she's real tired. And
besides... a burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not
the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just
like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to
accept each other's faults and choosing to celebrate each other's differences,
is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and
lasting relationship.

So...please pass me a biscuit. And yes, the burned one will do just fine!
Life is too short to wake up with regrets... Love the people who treat you
right and [pray] for the ones who don't.

"The tongue of the righteous is like choice silver. The heart of the wicked is of little worth." (Proverbs 10:20)

When I was a kid I used to believe ...

2011-04-09T17:48:00.000+02:00

When I Was A Kid

When I was a kid I believed all kind of interesting and silly things - didn't you? It's fun to collect stories and snippets here and there from people and books, remembering what we all used to think about when we were kids. Starting this week I'm going to post on my side-bar a little section called: "When I was a kid I used to believe . . .

I'm borrowing the title from a book by the same name, but the book has a second half to the title - "butter comes from butterflies" - and I will be quoting often from the book, as well as other sources over the months!

Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:

When I was a kid I used to believe . . . that birds grew from birdseed. ~ Jen

When I was a kid I used to believe . . . as a child I would sing along with the Beatles' "Eight Day's a Week."

For years afterward I thought I was miscounting , because I couldn't name the eighth day. ~Eric

When I was I kid I used to belive . . . that "Be Thou still near" in my bedtime prayer had something to do with my ear and that maybe the significance of it was something I would learn about later in life.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
when in the morning light I wake
Bloust an ear (Be Thou still near)
for Jesus sake.
~ Papa Pelikan

I hope you enjoy this addition to the side-bar and our sojourn down a memory lane from our youth.

A Giorno Chiaro!

2011-04-07T14:59:00.002+02:00

Sherman likes the view too!

A Clear Day!

Vineyards and citrus - smells so good!

I’ll bet the blue sky in the picture above the ship – the Royal Caribbean – in my last post gives you the impression that it was a pretty day, right? Well not so! Compared to today, it was just a so-so weather day. At least it wasn’t raining that day, but yesterday was a rainy and very windy one, which means there’s always a good chance that the following day would turn out to be as pretty as a picture. And sure enough . . . look what we got! I woke up this morning to such a perfect day. The drive to my Italian class this morning was breathtaking. Now why couldn’t the weather have been like this for Jim’s visit on Monday?

Today we learned how to say things in the “past tense” . . . which is very helpful. Little by little (poco poco) this beginning attempt at Italian is actually making some sense. Yesterday, I was even able to tell our landlord (not needing the past tense form) that we couldn’t come for Sunday dinner this weekend because we are in the middle of Lent, and we would have to wait until after Easter. Believe me, it wasn’t a very elegant sentence, but we got the message across to Luigi and that in itself is a huge victory! Yeah-who!

I forgot to mention in my post on Monday that our nice neighbor just behind and below us, with the beautiful vineyard and lemon trees, threw up some lemons for us to “catch” in overhand pitch style, like a baseball while Jim was visiting.l! (unlike last week when he passed them up to us in a bag using a long tree branch) The lemons are as big as softballs! Unfortunately, Jim couldn’t take them with him on the ship. Our neighbor asked us if we’re enjoying the lemons, and of course they are so delicious and thanks to my "baby" Italian, we at least were able to tell him that in Italian - i limoni molto deliziosi! Grazie mille (Your lemons are very delicious - thank you so much!)

A picture of the long tree branches used to pass the lemons in a bag

Italians use lemon juice on everything! Steak, fish, veggies, salad . . . you name it! The lemons here are not as bitter as American lemons. A very nice dressing for a salad, for example, is to add some of these fabulous lemon slices (some of the juice mixed in) tossed with a little olive oil some salt and pepper added, for a yummy local fare. We eat this (without the lemon slices) each time we have dinner at our landlord’s house; so light and refreshing.

Our neighbor's beautiful yard! Our view from our middle terrace last week.

Here we are in front of our house

It so great to have friends visit! We hope to have so many more visitors come to our home.
What fun to have Jim see where we live and picture our lives.

Time Stops For No Man?

2011-04-06T15:21:00.000+02:00

After countless . . . conversations over the past few months trying to remember the last time we actually saw our friend Jim Barnett, his ship finally came in, (ha) to the Port of Naples, that is! A few months ago he contacted us on face book to let us know that he would be in the Mediterranean in early April and that his ship would be docking in Naples! How amazing is that?! At the time I was thinking, “Wow, that’s awhile from now.” It’ll be half-way through Lent, all that much closer to finding out about the Board results, and there could even be the possibility of sunshine and nice weather in the forecast by then. These were some of my thoughts! It’s been a harsh winter – heavy-duty winds that move any and everything in their path and most of the time the cold, biting rain to go along with it!

But, sure enough, before we knew it the day arrived. The night before, the phone rang and there was his familiar voice saying my name, “Tami? It’s Jim Barnett,” as though we had just talked to each other a year or so ago. But, “it is we who use time; time is not measured . . . it is just the tool for measurement”, and for us – suddenly – 25 + years were filled in and there we were, talking as though it was as natural as anything. Where had all that time gone? Well, we had used it all up!

Earlier that Sunday afternoon, Papa and I spent a number of hours driving my little car all around Naples (risking our lives for friendship, mind you [ha]), making sure we knew where we were going and how to get to the port (for sure), how to find at least a few of the historic sites to show him, and double-checking our time-line for getting him back to the ship on time. Monday morning traffic in Naples is busy and crazy, so of course we wanted to be prepared! We parked at the port where the ship would be docked the next morning at 0700 and went up the stairs to the new shopping galleria. The grand opening is scheduled for next week. That was unexpected and fun! We were able to acclimate easily after that and then figure out the best way to get home. We wanted to bring Jim to our house as well and show him Pozzuoli and a little of our area. Isn't that amazing!

Jim is traveling with Royal Caribbean International, assistant in charge of the music for the entire ship of over 5000 people - something like that - and will be in the Mediterranean for the next several months. They'll be in and out of Naples at least 10 times or so! We are really looking forward to a number of visits together.

We picked him up at 0900, spent the day just like we planned it and had an absolutely wonderful time together - as if time had somehow stopped or skipped along the mountain tops. We each have had our deep "valley" experiences, but somehow they didn't matter - on Monday!

Since arriving in Naples we keep hearing that this is the place where the Apostle Paul first stepped ashore before his last long journey on foot to Rome on the Appian Way!

When Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner, Luke tells us in Acts 28:15 that Paul was coming up the Appian Way from Naples with his guards, and that the Christians in Rome “had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.”

Papa and I had heard that there was a marker somewhere in the Port of Pozzuoli (5 minutes from our house) to mark this momentous occassion, but in our previous attempts had not been able to find it. But on Monday - with Jim - we found it! On the left and in the center are the markers for the Apostle Paul, and on the right is a marker for the visit for Pope John Paul IIwhen he visited this same historic spot. Beautiful!

~The butterfly counts not months but moments,

and has time enough.~

Hum a Song of Friendship

2011-04-01T14:44:00.001+02:00

"This guy found this baby hummingbird after it was attacked, and he nursed it . . .back to health until it decided to stay and be his pet. Very charming video,

and be sure to have your sound on. The song in the background is almost as

good as the video itself." ENJOY :-)

http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird

ps . . . thanks to Sue Dietrich for sending this to me today! Loved it and had to share!

2011-03-31T21:11:00.000+02:00

You Know What They Say About Fools...

It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt.--Mark Twain

However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. -- Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux

[Politicians] never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. -- Thomas Reed

[Sadly] Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. -- Elizabeth Gaskell

There is more hope for a stupid fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. -- Proverbs 29:20

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. -- Proverbs 12:15

Family

2011-03-29T18:45:00.023+02:00

Papa

We must see God in the faces of our children and give God's love to our children!

My grandpa (Starr Pop) holding his great-great-granddaughter, Karis. (Fall'04)

"A family is a lot like a pond. If one person in the family does something - be it positive or negative, good or bad, it's like dropping a pebble in the pond - there's a ripple effect - like the ripples in a pond that fan out in all directions. (a pebble of love, a pebble of forgiveness, a pebble of happiness) That's the way it is with families -- what happens to one of us, happens to all of us!"

~Papa and Mimi ~

Five Generations

Four Generations

Misha Rose - just born! (Oct'05)

Our two sons

and their first-born daughters

Karis Lei - just born! (July'04)

A family picture in front of my parent's house Oct'09

Our Four Grandchildren!

2011-03-26T18:23:00.001+01:00

Many have asked me when I was going to post some pictures of our grandchildren. "Soon, I promise," I kept saying. So here you are. I've finally posted a few of my favorites.

Misha, Elijah and Ella Pelikan are the children of our first son, Jesse, and his lovely wife Elina.

Our newest addition, 1-year-old "bella" Ella

A grandmother is a mother who has a second chance.
-- Author Unknown

Ella's big sister, 5-year-old Misha

Handsome 3-year-old Elijah

Pretty Cousin Karis

Karis was the little girl we had always hoped for. She is our first grandchild and a little girl, at that, after having two boys. It was so exciting! She is the daughter of our youngest son, John, and his wonderful wife Rondi.
Karis captured all of our hearts!

6-year-old Karis

Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls.

-- Author Unknown

More like sisters than cousins!

If nothing is going well, call your grandmother.

-- Italian Proverb

Misha with her brother Elijah

Christmas Cousins

It's impossible to describe what it's like being away from these little love-bugs, but we are missing them more and more with each passing day. We are storing up hugs and kisses for them and the next time we see all 4 if them, it will take days and days before we unload them all from our hearts!

Love, love, love, Mimi & Papa

Spring Ahead in Italy

2011-03-25T10:49:00.000+01:00

That God once loved a garden we learn in Holy writ.
And seeing gardens in the Spring I well can credit it

~Winifred Mary Letts

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.

~Margaret Atwood

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.

~Henry Van Dyke

*Don't forget, for those of us in Italy, it is time to spring ahead this weekend! The time changes officially at 2 a.m. Sunday, Mar 27. Set your clocks ahead one hour.

Great Idea For Wet Boots & Shoes!

2011-03-24T11:39:00.000+01:00

I saw this great idea today for wet boots and shoes as I was perusing the Martha Stewart webpage, and just had to share!

"Make a boot tray by the door even better: Fill it with stones (found at garden centers). Ice and snow [mud & rain] will melt and drain through the rocks to the bottom of the tray, so your boots won't stand in a puddle. Most of the moisture will evaporate, but you should clean out the tray regularly."

Groovy! As Papa is so fond of saying these days!

The rainy days of April and May sure mess up the carpet with muddy, caked on foot prints. (or in our case here in Italy, the tile, which then becomes very slippery!) This seems like a great solution.

*note that on my side-bar I have a link to an *organizing tip of the day* from the same website. Just for fun! Check back from time to time to see what other interesting things I add for our enjoyment. =)

Grocery Shopping in Italy

2011-03-22T17:02:00.002+01:00

So far, today has been an enjoyable Naples day. I woke up to nice weather and what was to be the beginning of my second term of Italian, by driving through the town of Pozzuoli and then a short but scenic drive down the coast before arriving at the NATO base to start class by 9:00. Before leaving class today our ‘professoressa’ asked us what we were doing after class (in Italian, of course). My answer - grocery shopping on the way home at a large, American-style, Italian supermarket, by the name of Ipercoop (pronounced EE-per-cope). We are fortunate to have one conveniently located very near our home.

coin-releasable shopping carts

Let start me begin by saying that buying groceries at this kind of Italian supermarket is pretty much the same as it is in any stateside supermarket, with a few exceptions. You can see one of them in this picture.

Some enormous Italian supermarkets (kind of like a Wal-Mart) will charge you 1 Euro for a cart. You'll need a 1 Euro coin to free the cart so you can push it around the store. Once you return the cart and lock it into place, your coin pops back out and is returned to you. And, yes, I did have my 1 Euro coin handy for the cart today. Believe me, there have been times when we’ve had to get back in the car and drive home just because we didn’t have a coin. So far I’ve not seen these kinds of carts in the small supermarkets in Italy, thank goodness.

Trash can for the gloves, scale/sticker printing machine

Today I realized there are really just a few more differences worth pointing out, and they happen in the produce section of the store. I had to put these little disposable plastic gloves on while handling loose fruits and vegetables (makes perfect sense, really). So, that’s the first thing. Next, of course, you find plastic bags (near the plastic gloves) and fill them with your desired fruits and veggies, but then . . . here’s the catch, you have to look for and remember the code on the bins' label! Then walk over to a different area (still remembering the code of your desired produce), place your bag on the scale and push the button that corresponds to that code (usually a number, or a number and a picture), and then wait for the printed sticker to come out of the scale/sticker-machine and stick it on to your plastic bag.

The amazing thing is you did this whole thing in complete silence, not knowing a word of Italian; or, as in my case, starting to be able to read a little Italian.

However, and this is a BIG however, today I messed up big time and somehow forgot I was in an Italian supermarket and I didn’t put the little stickers on the plastic bags of apples and oranges. Maybe they just looked too yummy! It took forever in the check-out line, and when I finally plopped my purchases onto the conveyor to slide up to the checker, she was pointing judgmentally at my plastic bags, obviously trying to tell me that I needed stickers and must go back. I certainly didn’t want to have someone at the store do it for me, so I just told her never mind – not with words, mind you, all with hand gestures that she must have easily understood. People behind me were already getting impatient and starting not to like me very much. They were probably thinking something like, “Who is this stupid American that doesn’t even know that she should put the stickers on her produce?”

The other difference in an Italian supermarket is that you might have to pay a small amount for a bag to carry your purchases, but today I didn’t have to . . . although I did have to ask for the bags for some reason. I had to tell the checker that I wanted two bags. Everyone else seemed to have their own eco-friendly-reusable bags. (*note to self . . . next time buy a few of these bags!) After the items are scanned they were shoved into a holding area where you are expected to bag them yourself. This is best accomplished with two people (but not today), one to do the bagging and the other to try to figure out how much to pay. Paying isn't always as easy as just holding out a bill larger than you think you'll need; Italy is habitually short of small change, so it's likely that they'll pester you for your coins. Ugg! Then, as soon as you're done paying, like I was today, the next person’s groceries begin to move into a holding area sectioned off next to yours; and since this "foreigner" was evidentially taking far too long! Whew! By now, I just wanted to get out of there and “practice” this again another time.

Little by little I’ll get better at this; just not today. It was still kind of fun though!

March Equinox & Father's Day in Italy

2011-03-21T12:17:00.001+01:00

March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar -- the March equinox. There are 285 days remaining until the end of the year. An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earths's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equinox. Basically, these are the days where sunrise and sunset are closest to being exactly 12 hours apart.

*************************************************************

St. Joseph and the Christ Child

Two days ago, on March 19, Italy celebrated Father's Day! We just learned of this yesterday as Papa and I were doing our usual run through the commisary and base exchange after church. Our Orthodox church service is early, 0800, and we arrive at 0700 for the 'preparation service' that Fr. Phil must do beforehand. We usually finish up by a little after 9:00 and hang around for fellowship and coffee for a little while; however, the commissary doesn't open until 10:00. It's very convenient, since it's right next the the chapel, although 35 minutes from our house. So on our way home yesterday, after our trek through the stores, we ran into a lovely employee of the Base Exchange who got to telling us about some personal things in her life, but also how her family had just been together on Saturday to celebrate Father's Day, Festa del Papà, and the Saint of the Day, (Santo del Giorno) San Giuseppe - Saint Joseph, the earthly father of our Lord! Every year on this day all those who are named after Guiseppe, which, it Italy, seems like every fifth person or so (ha) will celebrate their onomastico - their Saint's day or "name day," in a way that is very similar to the way they celebrate their birthday.

Festa del Papa, the Italian name for Father's Day, is celebrated on March 19, St. Joseph's Feast Day in Italy. Households prepare traditional spreads of special Italian breads and cookies. This is the day when families show their gratitude to their fathers with favors and gifts. Here's how to celebrate Father's Day in Italy:

1. Start your Dad's day with a delicious breakfast. Prepare Zeppole, the most common pastry treat for Father's Day in Italy. Gather all the ingredients required for the dish in advance so that you can spend most of your time with dad.

2. Serve the breakfast on a tray decorated with attractive ribbons and a bunch of red roses. The red rose is the traditional flower of Father's Day. Little extra efforts such as this will fascinate your father.

3. Take him out to an elegant restaurant or cafe for a hearty meal. It could be for brunch, lunch or dinner. Choose his favorite Italian or non-Italian restaurant or a new restaurant that serves the cuisine he enjoys.

4. Don't forget dessert. Choose from traditional Italian desserts such as tiramisu, gelato, zabaglione, Zuppa Inglese, cannoli, Genoise cake and so on.

5. Consider treating him to a lavish meal at home by cooking some of his favorite dishes. Remember to include dessert which you can either make at home or order from a nearby bakery.

6. Do away with normal gifts like ties and wallets. Give him a traditional picture of St. Joseph with a handmade card that includes a nice message for him on the inside. Also consider giving him grappa, a strong Italian brandy. Or search for and order a gift online (see Resources below).

7. Reserve your day for him. Time is the most precious thing you can give him. Do some of his favorite things together--hiking, fishing, watching a sports game, going to the movies or whatever else he enjoys.

8. Arrange a party for your dad. Invite family friends and relatives. Prepare a few words for your father in advance to be spoken at the party. Let dad know how much you love him. [ehow.com]

Click to read about Father's Day around the world!

http://www.loveyoufather.com/around-the-world/index.html

Help Yourself to Happiness

2011-03-19T16:05:00.005+01:00

Japanese Kanji for - Happiness

Help Yourself to Happiness

by Helen Steiner Rice

Everybody, everywhere

seeks happiness, it's true,

But finding it and keeping it

seems difficult to do,

Difficult because we think

that happiness is found

Only in the places where

wealth and fame abound---

And so we go on searching

in "palaces of pleasure"

Seeking recognition

and monetary treasure,

Unaware that happiness

is just a "state of mind"

Within the reach of everyone

who takes the time to be kind---

For in making OTHERS HAPPY

we will be happy, too.

For the happiness you give away

returns to "shine on you."

~ click post title to donate to the American Red Cross/Pacific Tsunami - Japan Earthquake disaster relief efforts ~

Happy Birthday, Rondi!

2011-03-10T23:33:00.001+01:00

When we first met you (almost 11 years ago), we knew right away that you were perfect for John. Then when we finally introduced you, there was no doubt in our minds . . . and eventually no doubt for the two of you either!
You so easily fit with all of us now ~ a special warmth and closeness that grows stronger through the years!

Happy Birthday, Rondi ~ May God Grant You Many Years!

With much love . . .

Mom & Dad+

Happy Birthday, Ella

2011-03-08T18:18:00.001+01:00

Buon Compleanno, Ella! Today is your very first birthday, but Mimi and Papa are far away in Italia.
We wish we could be there to celebrate with you, but we hope that we will have lots of chances to do that in our future.
It seems like it wasn't that long ago that your mommy and daddy were in the hospital parking lot, unable to make it into the hospital ~ since you decided to make your appearance a little too quickly ~ and daddy delivered you himself . . . in the car!! Wow! What a day!
So here you are one year later, as cute as ever, making us miss you even more!
We love seeing you on Skype and are saving up lots of hugs and kisses for when we see you in person again!

Love, and many, many years!

Mimi & Papa

The Amazing Skidboot - This is why I love Australian Cattle Dogs!

2011-03-03T15:16:00.000+01:00

Knowing how much we love our own 9 year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Sherman, our daughter-in-law's mother, Lynne, shared this amazing video with me. As you will see, there is no way I couldn't post it and share it with everyone! It's very special! Skidboot died in the spring of 2007, when he was 15 year's old, but as his owner David said, "He's had a wonderful life!"
This breed is so smart, as you can see. David Hartwig is a living example of humility and integrity, constantly reminding us that we should try to find the joy in all that we do! Also proof that we don't always know how the Lord will use us!

"Life is too precious to be upset!"

Happy Birthday, Jesse!

2011-03-02T16:03:00.003+01:00

In honor of Jesse Pelikan's 37th birthhday today, I want to show this very funny video about cats. Jesse and Elina have an adorable cat named Heidi, so I think they'll get a kick out of this too!

Joy and Laughter, Jess! Happy Birthday!

The True Meaning of Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:03:00.000+01:00

St. Valentine the Martyr

St. Valentine is a martyr from before the year 312, commemorated on this 14th of February. He was probably martyred on that date, but nothing else is known of him. (A priest of Rome named Valentine, and bishop of Ternia also named Valentine), are both commemorated on 14th of February, and are now generally assumed that be the same person. In many parts of Europe, it was once said that birds began to pair off for the nesting season in mid-February. Since our forebears often spoke of a given day by naming a saint connected with it rather than by giving the month and the number of the day, we find them saying that birds choose their mates on St. Valentine's Day.

Historians have speculated that St. Valentine came to be given this title because his feast day fell around the time of Lupercalia, a pagan Roman festival of carnal love that later took on a more Christian character as well as the saint's name. For this to happen – if it is true – St. Valentine must have been highly regarded by the early Roman Christians. The saint is described as a brave, righteous and wise man and a kind and conscientious friend to those in need.

According to tradition, St. Valentine also cared deeply for the young: He taught lovers to read and write letters to one another, presented flowers to newlyweds and helped married couples in difficulties. As a priest in the 3rd century, and according to legend, St. Valentine ignored Emperor Claudius’ decree that no more marriages were to take place. Claudius had forbidden marriages because he believed that they cut down on his potential crop of soldiers. St. Valentine, viewing this as unjust, continued to marry people, encouraging Christian soldiers to marry their girlfriends despite the imperial prohibition, was caught in the act and sentenced to death. It is even said that a girl, one whom St. Valentine had healed of blindness, fell in love with him and visited him every night in prison. Before his execution on February 14th, he sent a note to the girl and signed it “From your Valentine.”

Permit me to reprint a portion of an article written last February 14, 2010 [Sunday] - Bulletin 15, Volume XLVII

Love and Forgiveness
Written by the Very Rev. Vladimir Berzonsky

"The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and forgiving sin and rebellion" (Numbers 14:18)

"All too rare that Forgiveness Sunday opening onto the Great Lent falls on the same day when our nation celebrates Valentine's Day -- and so serendipitous to merge those great spiritual virtues into one. Several legends surround St. Valentine, who is as elusive as our beloved St. Nicholas and almost as beloved -- at least in his legacy of love. Let's take the best known tale. It records him as a priest or maybe bishop imprisoned in Rome by Emperor Claudius II, and condemned to execution [as written above]. His meals were served by the daughter of the jailer, and it seems that he left on his tray for the girl to take away a brief message signed: from your Valentine.

To the extent that myth is true, it speaks to both love and forgiveness. Not the passion we think of as love, certainly not the sentiments of all the valentines sent on this day between lovers, but a natural affection, perhaps gratitude for some kindness or sympathy from an innocent maiden for an old gentleman who would soon be put to death. Assuming the saint had imbibed the attributes of the Lord whom had given His life in service, he was slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and forgiving his jailer, the emperor and of course the girl who brought his meals. Is it possible that he could forgive them without loving them? Hardly. Conversely, could he love them as sinners without forgiving them? Again, not so."

Surely, as we give candy and flowers, and we also send cards to our loved ones, for most of us, like St. Valentine, these are expressions of a deeper kind of love - God's Love! Let this Valentine's Day be a reminder to all of us that perhaps we need not just give, but "give up" a little of ourselves for the sake of another to indetifiy with the true meaning of Valentine's Day -

“Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous, love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Happy New Year?

2011-02-01T17:16:00.018+01:00

That's right! Better late that never, I say . . . Happy New Year!

It' hard to believe that this time last year Papa was miles away beginning his New Year busily taking care of 15 chaplains in Afghanistan! We were more than half-way through his year-long deployment, but the Holidays were making it drag along for both of us, for sure! This year, however, was so much different. It's been so great to be together, and even though there is a great hole in our hearts from missing our family miles across the ocean, it's hard to find the words to describe how great it is just to be with one another again!We welcomed in the 2011 ~ together this time ~ in the most amazing way! We've never seen such fireworks [in person] in our lives! Of course there are extravaganza-type fireworks at Disneyland or the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, but this was different! And from our own terrace in Pozzuoli, Italy, to boot. Since we moved in, we've been hearing from lots of people, "Just wait until New Year's Eve! You will not even believe the fireworks display put on by the Italians!" And let's just say, the Italians did not disappoint!

We could see a panorama of fireworks displayed from one side of the Bay of Pozzuoli to the other! We couldn't even count them all!

At the last minute we invited some friends and their children over to celebrate with us, but we really didn't have any idea what we were about to witness. HAD WE KNOWN, we would have had a full blown firework's-viewing party from our terrace *this year*! We had no idea what we were about to see.

As I was writing this post, I asked Papa what did he do to ring in the New Year when he was in Afghanistan, and he says he barely remembers New Year's Eve last year. He thinks the guys in Afghanistan gathered around the TV to watch the New Year's Eve ball countdown in Time Square with very little fanfare. I do know that he called me to say Happy New Year when it was just midnight and turning to the New Year in North Carolina, but it's not surprising that the whole thing is a bit of a blur for him. He was in the midst of some very busy planning at the time.There are a number of things that I want to *blog* about at the moment, but the time flies by and quickly slips away from me without a word on the page! BAD girl! Nevertheless, here are just a few of the highlights:

We had the opportunity to meet our very best friends in the whole wide world, Lance & Maureen, in Rome, Italy, for the day on the 4th of January!
In the past month we also traversed an extremely high mountain to tour the Abbey of Montecassino just south of Rome, which is the monastery established by St. Benedict in 529 AD.

Later that same day we visited an agritourismo, which is a restaurant that's in an old Italian farmhouse and uses 80% of their own produce, wine and meats. It was very charming and delicious!

I was waiting to hear if my Level I Italian Course at Texas College would have enough people in it (9) to continue. I just heard that the class is a “go” and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I have officially set out on my journey to learn Italian! Yikes!

It's the second of February today and in keeping with family tradition, tonight Papa and I will watch the movie "Groundhog Day" as we do every Feb 2nd - *Groundhog Day* . . . both Fr. Phil and I really enjoy this movie! Do you think Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow and spring will arrive early this year? Or will we be waiting around until the end of March?

Perhaps William Blake may have been experiencing similar thoughts when he put pen to paper those many years ago as he contemplated the coming of spring . . .

The Spring
William Blake (1783)

O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!

The hills tell one another, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn’d
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth
And let thy holy feet visit our clime!

Come o’er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.

O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish’d head,
Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.

~

Roman Holiday - Part I

2010-12-11T21:17:00.017+01:00

Roman Holiday – Part I

Most birthdays come and go and we mark them with the traditional singing of “Happy Birthday”; friends and family give cards and gifts; we remember fondly the day we were born and the “lore” surrounding the day. In my case, my mother has many wonderful stories about my day. One of my favorite is of me being born on my exact due-date! Normally it wouldn’t be that unusual, except for the fact that in her naiveté, my Mother (to-be) informed my (soon-to-be) Daddy that since it was so far from their house to the hospital (practically all the way across the Mohave Desert to Edwards AFB), and that since “the baby” (me) would be born today (after all, it was her due-date), she had better drive into work with him (even though she wasn’t even in labor yet!) Ha! And . . . what do you know - I was born that very day! Right on time! Amazing!

Well, fast forward to this year, and we were looking forward to making my 55th birthday something special. After all, I was turning 55 and I was born in 55 – 1955 that is! (A shared birthday with the original Disneyland, by the way). So, guess what we did? We just took a simple day-trip to ROME – that’s all! Now, how cool is that! I’ve wanted to see the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, for as long as I can remember. Not to mention the many, many other famous sites in the city. We knew that we could only go for the day, but it would be worth it for our first peek at the famous city. There is plenty of time for travel to this magnificent city while we’re stationed here in Naples over the next few years, to see the myriad of other places on our list. It’s only an hour away if you take the fast train and two if you have a little more time and want to save some money.

Our trip started very early the morning of November 12th. Friday shouldn’t be as crowded as the coming weekend, we thought, and it was still close enough to my birthday that it felt like a celebration. Phil took care of purchasing the train tickets, as well as the bus tickets needed to get to the train station beforehand, so all we had to do was get a few things together the evening before and drive our car to the same place Phil goes to work every day. We commented that it seemed strange not having to pack *anything* at all for a trip to Rome, and even more strange that we’d be returning that very evening to our own house! It all still seems so very surreal. After driving to the base, which is next to the airport and the bus station, and then taking the bus to the train station; and then enjoying our leisurely, very fast trip from Naples to Rome on the train, we arrived at the Rome train station by 11:00 AM. Not really sure of what to do exactly, other than wanting to see the Colosseum, we set out on foot to get our bearings.

We quickly realized that we needed a map! So, we bought a map (Can you believe we didn’t have one yet? Silly, Mimi!) But, it’s not like a person couldn’t buy one on EVERY corner! As we were looking at our map and deciding what to do and what to see, a guy came up to us who spoke perfect English (of course) and asked if we would like to go on a tour. After listening to his spiel, we thought it was actually a pretty good deal and a great way to spend the next few hours. This way we would see many of the major sites (Monuments of Rome) in the city, and be

able to use the tour bus all the rest of the day.

We would go back to the Colosseum after the tour and take that tour then as well, which is what we did! It all worked out quite nicely, actually, and we enjoyed our day immensely!

. . . to be continued

Fair-weather Blogger

2010-12-02T12:05:00.003+01:00

"A *fair-weather friend* is the type who is always there when times are good but forgets about
you when things get difficult or problems crop up."

On the 12th of November, the day before my last blog entry,
Papa and I travelled for the day - and for my birthday - to Rome! It's less than
an hour by train and it was the perfect way to mark my 55th birthday -
unforgettable! On the way home, however, as we were waiting for the train in
Rome at the train station for our return train, my throat began to hurt more
and more by the minute! I found myself unable to swallow very well, and in dire
need of a throat lozenge (a bit problematic with the language barrier). By the
time we reached our home in Pozzuolli, I was genuinely sick! Fever and all! For
the next two weeks I was rarely out of the house, doing my best to kick the bad
cold! Every-once-in-awhile I would say to myself, “Since I’m just lying around
the house doing *nothing* but coughing and sneezing and feeling yukky - I
should work on my blog” . . . still I couldn’t bring myself to write anything
feeling the way I did! But . . . once I did start to feel a little better,
well, you can imagine, wa-haayyy too much catching up to do!

"Stuart was frightened, but he was a brave mouse, even when he had a sore throat." (from Stuart Little by E.B. White)

The good news, I am 90% better and able to engage in all the
activities going on over here for the Holidays. Not to mention finishing up the
*un*packing and the putting away of our household goods!! “Almost there . . .
almost there . . .”

I’ll blog soon about our trip to Rome and finally getting our
second car and me *driving* in Italy for the first time! Just wanted to check
in though, especially for those who’ve been asking, “Where are you?” . . . with
not a little concern in their *voices*!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

2010-11-13T16:36:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday, Johnny!
It's your birthday today and we celebrate it with you!
We hope you enjoy your day.

God grant you many, many years!

Love,
Mom & Dad

Veteran's Day ~ 2010

2010-11-11T21:56:00.001+01:00

2nd MEB Memorial Service ~ April ' 2010

Veterans' Day ~ 2010

Naples, Italy

Almighty God, when men gathered at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 to sign the armistice agreement for what they thought would be the conclusion of the war to end all wars, they had no idea that in the 92 years that would pass until this gathering here today, America would have to endure at least one more global conflict, and more than five additional major conflicts. As we commemorate the service of all veterans on this day, let us not forget the sacrifice of so many in these terrible past seasons of unrest in human history, as well as in the campaigns that continue even as we speak today. Let us not despair, however, over the losses, but instead celebrate the victories that came not to satisfy the egos of tyrants, but to ensure peace and security for ordinary men and women everywhere. May this be an inspiration for us today, as well as for our future …and a solace for the losses of the past. Give us hope for a future where wars will finally cease, and where men can enjoy fellowship together at a common table of tranquility. Bless the food we’re about to receive, and the gracious and giving hands that traveled so far to provide it and prepare it for us. In your holy name we pray.

~ Amen.

* Fr. Philip [a.k.a. Chaplain Pelikan] said this prayer this morning at a special steak and egg breakfast provided to service members and their families on the base by "Chefs from the Valley." They are a volunteer group of business men and women from the San Joaquin Valley in California who brought 3,500 steaks - paid for out of their own pocket - and all designed to honor the troops and their families on this Veterans' Day!

Happy Birthday Marine Corps!

2010-11-11T00:25:00.000+01:00

Born in Tun Tavern, 235 years ago today, the United States Marine Corps has served our country with a distinction, belying its inauspicious beginnings. From its somewhat scandalous origins, the Corps has built a reputation for skill and intrepidity in war fighting that is second to none.

We are proud to have been associated with them for 10 of the 21 years that we’ve been in the Navy Chaplain Corps.

Happy Birthday Marines and
Semper Fidelis

Birthday, Balloons & the Blues

2010-11-08T17:09:00.014+01:00

Tomorrow is my birthday - for the first time in Italy. But I was just thinking how it was 35 years ago - tomorrow - that I was "in" the hospital with false hopes, as it turned out, awaiting active labor and the birth of our second son - already a few weeks overdue! They sent me home, however! "It won't be long now." they said. 4 days later, our second son finally made his entrance into the world!

We've had, and will have, a number of birthday celebrations during these fall and winter months. Funny, I thought I'd be okay [sort of] with all of it. But it's really hitting me now, and not really turning out that way. As I see pictures and read the posts and emails about all the festivities, it tugs at my heartstrings more than I realized it would.

75 . . . 55 . . . 35 . . . 5 . . . and these are just the birthdays ending in the number 5 this fall/winter! Super-special years, and aching to be there celebrating the day these specal people in my family were born! And there are others!

What's to be done . . .

Papa and I watched Walt Disney's, Pollyanna, the other night, to see if would help cheer us up - definitely one of my all-time favorite movies! In that movie, Pollyanna, played by Haley Mills, is a cheerful young orphan girl who goes to live with her aunt Polly, in a small town after the tragic death of her missionary parents. She is somehow able to bring the love of life to all the people in the town though a view of life she learned from her father. He taught to her through a game called, "The Glad Game" and by the time she must leave them through a tragedy of her own, she has transformed the community with her incredible will to see the good side of even the worst situations and brings about the betterment of all those around her.

I came across a simple version of "The Glad Game" and thought it might be enjoyable this Holiday Season:

"The Glad Game"

Inspired by the classic, Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter.

Simple Solution

"The very name “Pollyanna” has come to mean someone who is eternally upbeat and optimistic, who spreads positivity and good will wherever she goes. Before you decide that such unremittingly cheerful behavior is truly nauseating and deserves a good smack, think of this: people who take time every day to count their blessings are truly happier (and live longer) than those who don’t.

So spread a little good cheer in the New Year with this great game that helps you to focus on the glad, not the bad. Your heart--and everyone who knows you--will be grateful. It only takes a minute.

You can play this game when you’re driving in your car, or taking a walk, or sitting at your computer--pretty much under any circumstances.

Start small: just think of ONE THING that you’re glad for. Maybe it’s the taste of the special coffee that Aunt Ruth from Winnetka sent you for Christmas. Maybe it’s the fact that the holidays are over. Perhaps you have a new love in your life, or an interesting new project to work on. Or you could be glad for your family, or your dog or cat. Really think about whatever it is for a moment. Allow yourself to smile over it. Feel your heart open and glow with gratitude for whatever it is.

That’s it. But tomorrow, try thinking of two things you’re really, truly glad for. Expand the field of your gratitude every day. Really take time to appreciate the many many blessings you enjoy. You’re alive: you have the capacity to be a beneficial and positive presence on the planet. You are needed--or you wouldn’t be here. Enjoy this life that you have been given! And be glad."

I'm already feeling "glad"!

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

[the real "Glad Game"]

Happy Birthday US Navy!

2010-10-25T15:52:00.001+02:00

Navy Ball ~ 2010

On Friday, October 13, 1775 ~ the United States Navy was born as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet - if you can call "two sailing vessels armed with ten carriage guns and swivel guns" a fleet! The two ships were manned by crews of eighty and were sent out for three months at a time to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British Army in America.

This was the original legislation, out of which the Continental Navy grew and as such constitutes the birth certificate of the United States Navy.

"Over the course of The War of Independence, The Continental Navy sent to sea more than fifty armed vessels of various types." The Continental Navy began the proud tradition carried on today by our United States Navy, and whose birthday we celebrate each year in October."

This past Saturday night, we, CDR & Mrs. Philip J. Pelikan, attended the 235th Navy Ball in Naples, Italy! And rather than trying to manage taking a nice picture when we got there, we took this picture at the house just before we left (in our repaired car - by the way - ['all dressed up and somewhere to go'] navigating the narrow road just fine).
We had a great time! Papa was honored to give the Invocation during the ceremonial portion of the evening. In attendance were six Admirals, one General, a plethora of senior officers and distinguished guests - including the US Consul General and over 360 in attendance (mostly US Navy). We enjoyed meeting quite a few new people and even some that we've known in the past. The food was delicious, the band was exceptional, and the venue a complete success!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Helpless, Helpless, Helpless!

2010-10-18T12:03:00.001+02:00

I learned a little more about myself Saturday evening as I trudged up the hill from the "dead" car in the middle of the road; I much prefer my personality in happier times! Also, I would rather write when I'm lighthearted than when I'm sad . . . so, it pains me to write today. I wanted to tell you what happened to us last night though, so I must write! With this in mind, I will try to eek out some words and divulge how the other night, I came to be slowly making my way up the very steep Roman road that winds its way to our recently acquired Italian home, rather than enjoying the lovely evening planned with colleagues and friends at the idyllic Italian restaurant we were headed to. As I was laboring up the very steep hill in my nice clothes, and Papa in his, I could just make out the faint echo of an old Neil Young song from my teenage days in my mind, and felt 'Helpless, Helpless, Helpless' with each agonizing step! It was all I could do not to be extremely upset at my husband as he zoomed on in despair ahead of me, since he was the one who'd backed into the wall and rendered our very recently purchased car - "dead in the water!" (not a good testimonial as to my attitude, but there it is nonetheless) It's difficult to even describe how narrow the road is, and the car we have is just a little too wide. We should actually have something a little smaller, and having to back up was not good . . . it's actually never good! Everything seemed to converge at once that evening; the rain, the darkness, cars coming in both directions, no where to pass, etc. It was the "perfect storm." An accident waiting to happen, I suppose. To top it off, we were on our way to a "Hail and Farewell" and WE were being hailed!! There was no way for us to get to the dinner and say good-bye to the outgoing XO after "the rendering of the [car] death." We don't have a second car and we needed to be at the scene of the accident to make sure a tow truck came to move our car out of the road as quickly as possible. We were "all dressed up with nowhere to go" - literally!

Obviously, we had to do something, but WHAT? We tried to find numbers from our orientation class notes and call the base emergency 911 number so that an interpreter could help us get someone to come out on a weekend, at night, to tow the car. We finally got that worked out. And it's a good thing we had enough Euro, otherwise . . . there's no teller nearby, our neighbor was out of town, we aren't within walking distance of the train or bus! It was looking grim! The towing company only takes cash! 50 Euro to tow the car 1km!! Yikes! But, fortunately we had the cash; why, because we were supposed to PAY for our [sniff] nice dinner earlier that evening!
I was rapidly sinking into that sadness hole I was talking about earlier! But stop and think, I said to myself, all in all, this situation is more of a hassle than anything else. . . it could've been so much worse!. At least no one else was involved and we weren't hurt, apart from our muscles being a bit sore from the sudden stop. As I sat on my couch later on, clicking away on the keyboard with my mom in the states on msn instant messenger, for the first time since moving here to Naples I felt small and far away! I guess it all just hit me. So, after I "hung up" from chatting with my mom, I sat on the sofa for the longest time just feeling a bit sorry for myself! I "typed" to mom that I needed to be by myself for a little while and pray and think things through. You just do what you have to, even when you don’t feel strong enough or brave enough or even well enough.

I went to bed a lot earlier than usual Saturday night, which for me is kind of a big deal (those who know me well can attest to this), wishing we could live the day over somehow. But, alas, we couldn't and it's a new day. We're doing our best to plod through the steps of getting the car fixed and getting another car, or a rental car, etc. Papa has to get to work, we need to live and drive around. We are stuck here at the moment!
The tow truck was just here (silly me didn't take a picture of it) and hauled our car off for an estimate! Again, the fellow driving was desperately hoping we at least spoke a little Italian (poco), but his countenance fell as we told him we spoke no Italian. He spoke no English either. So, there we were again with our trusty cell phone posing as the in-between translator while our Italian friend explained what the tow-truck driver wanted to say to us and what we needed to say back to him. Ker-aa-zee Baby!

The Hebrew phrase "Jehovah 'Ezer" is translated as the "LORD [my] Help" or the "LORD [our] Help." Am I - as Neil Young says, "Helpless, Helpless, Helpless? Of course not! Still, is it okay to feel that way sometimes? You bet'cha! Just so long as I don't wallow in it.

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

For Fun

2010-10-14T12:58:00.000+02:00

Looking out our living room door before furniture

Hi,

I'm borrowing the router from the neighbor again today, and it's working pretty well actually. For my regular readers, I have an idea for you all . . . why not take some time to check out the side-bar on my blog. I have some handy little things I've put there and I'm working on update it. (If I ever get a full time Internet connection [grin] )

I have a "Picture of the Week" that I promise to keep more current, and I'll try and select a picture that I haven't posted on the blog before. And I just added a new feature, one where the program scans the entire blog to find the most popular posts and shows a thumbnail picture from that post and a few lines to pique your interest. I also have a cute little pool ball graphic with the current time here in Naples, and a link to the weather here as well. There are some interesting podcasts and family blogs, etc. So, check it out and let me know what you think. I have enabled the comment capability, so I would love that! And . . . there is a section for "Followers" too; please become one. Some of the sections are being updated, so you may notice there haven't been changes in quite sometime, but keep looking. I've designed the side-bar so that it's a place you'll want to return to regularly. I will make additions as I find what will be of interest. My Japanese friends, for example, really enjoy the "Idiom of the Week." Let me know if there's something you'd like to see here.

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Anticipation

2010-10-13T21:52:00.000+02:00

So there I was this morning, tea cup on the nightstand next to my bed; pillows strategically stacked three-high so that leaning and typing would be oh-so-comfortable as I composed my most current blog post, "whilst" gazing out my bedroom window at the islands of Ischia and Procida! The sun just peeking through the clouds with a slight promise of sunshine after a night of rain, when what ghastly thing do you suppose happened? EEEK!! An Italian message appeared on my computer screen, promptly asking for a password due to "obvious" modem problems (boo hoo). My puffy, happy day was being dashed to pieces, right before my eyes! I can't call the Internet/telephone company myself. I must wait for "an English speaking representative to call me." I am not a lot better off than I was a few days ago . . . but, Italian life does go on.

So here I am on our neighbor's borrowed router - AGAIN - with the teensiest of connections, telling friends and family that it will be a few more days before I'm writing again in earnest! That's "if" a technician can get to our house to fix the problem "in a timely manner."

Ah, Italia!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Moving Day

2010-10-12T13:28:00.000+02:00

What woman doesn't want a perfectly organized moving day? She has imagined it going just a certain way since the pack-out of her belongings on the other end. The "arrival." The "planned placement" of everything. You know what I mean; the organized look of it all when finished! Ha! Of course it didn't turn out that way. I did have hopes though. There's been this little voice inside my head saying, "It'll be okay. Don't worry." And, in the grand scheme of things, of course it will! Compared to the more serious things in life, on a scale of one to ten, this is not far up there!
As the first nip of fall cuts the air of Naples, I'm so happy to be posting a blog from the living room of our
new home! It's starting to "feel" like home and even a little bit "cozy." It's somewhat hard to believe that it's already been 11 days since our moving day . . . and yet, here it is.
Initially, it was to be on Thursday, the 30th, but the schedule kept changing, almost daily. The Express Baggage shipment was due to be delivered on a separate day, which would've been much easier, but as it turned out, both Express and Household Goods were delivered on Friday, October 1st! We had appliances (Refrigerator, microwave, freezer, 3 wardrobe units, etc.) delivered the day before. These are on loan from the Navy while we live out on the economy.)
At last . . . we cast our eyes upon "the goods." And for the most part things are in pretty good shape.
There have been some "heart" broken belongings, some of them beyond repair and some will just need a little TLC, but I suppose this was bound to happen in one of our moves. We have been blessed throughout our career with very good pack-outs all around.

We are almost halfway through putting things away now and the adventure continues. Tomorrow I will tell you about the "invasion of the flies."

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Internet, Telephone, Hooray!!

2010-10-11T20:26:00.002+02:00

A view of the vineyard

This must be quick, yet even so, I wanted to make one brief post to let everyone in on some good news. We received a phone call this morning asking if we would be home for the next 30 minutes. Fortunately, the rain had postponed plans to harvest grapes on our landlord's vineyard today, so we were home working on our house. The telephone/Internet guy happened to be in our area, and would be doing a favor by stopping by to get us all hooked up, as long as we were available on very short notice!

Our landlord showing "Padre Filippo" his veneyard

To make a bit of a long story short, here I am writing to you on my own Internet connection with a telephone that actually works in our Italian home, as well! Life is good!

It's been almost 3 months since turning off utilities in our North Carolina home, so I am actually feeling a bit euphoric preparing to post through "my own connection" today. Whoo Hoo!

All this to also say . . . a rather lengthy post is being scratched out as we speak.

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Be Patient With Me

2010-10-03T11:34:00.000+02:00

Just leaving a quick little note on my blog here. We drove into the base (30 min) very early this morning (0630) to do our Divine Liturgy, and then did a quick swing by the commissary to buy some food and check email. I'm not sure how long it will be before I can post regularly again, but I will do my best to figure out a way to keep in touch.

Gotta run. Lunch today with our new landlord. More about that later . . .

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Going Pewter

2010-09-29T22:00:00.001+02:00

GOING GRAY? Maybe you’re not, but I sure am! For the past, oh I don't even know how many years, I've been coloring my hair once-a-month because it grows so darn fast, and then when the silver roots start to show, the contrast is not too dissimilar to that of a skunk in all of her glory! I've been watching as both my brother's hair turns gray, thinking that it looks nice, distinguished even, and envying them somewhat, wishing, at times, that I didn't have to spend the money or take the time to deal with this whole "hair thing" and just chuck it all and go natural! Maybe the color will be platinum. Or pewter! Maybe I will look like Jay Leno. It won't look like my natural birth color anymore, but it will be my natural color now, and it will be easy, honest and truly me!

I read once that, "If we change the way we think about gray, about the fading, the aging, and think about it as a viable color choice, it changes our way of thinking about gray hair."

So, when we got our orders to come to Italy, I took the plunge. The first thing I did was cut off my hair into a very short hair cut. The next step was to put blond highlights in so that when the gray hairs started to show it wouldn't be such a "skunk stripe" and I'd be able to deal with that for awhile. The third step is where I am now . . .
It's a good thing too! From what I've been told, and what we're now experiencing, this water over here is the worst water - ever! Basically it's volcano water! From Mt. Vesuvius. Very high in mineral deposits which wreak havoc on your hair. Even Papa's super short hair is brittle and unmanageable. Imagine what it's doing to my colored hair. It feels like a Brillo pad.
My mom gave me a pair of these really cool scissors called queeving (sp) sheers. They have big chunks missing evenly between the blades as you cut, so only part of the hair is removed, but the other part stays just as it is. The effect (hopefully), is a similar haircut with shorter pieces toward the root and spikier hair sticking out toward the top. Well, I figure after 13 years as a manicurist (in another life), and watching stylists cut hair, for a little while anyway, I'm going to cut my own hair! So far so good! I've cut my hair twice, and it doesn't look too bad yet!

I'm surviving my transitioning process so far, but my true test is coming up!! Dun-dun-dun! The "Balls" - The Chaplain Corps Ball, The Navy Ball, The Marine Corps Ball, etc. And of course I have to go . . . yukky mid-transitioning hair and all! It's all I can do to not make an appointment and get a "little touch up" for those pretty pictures we'll be taking at the balls! And Papa being the Command Chaplain and everything too!! Oh well! I'll just have to do my best and use lots of gel.

I'm just at the stage now, I'm noticing, where people are taking an extra long gaze at the roots of my hair to figure out why on earth would she be letting her hair "look like that?" "Can't she find a hair stylist!!! No doubt . . . I would be wondering that myself. It's all I can do to not say something every time I see that look. Ugh! Torture!
But, only 6 or so more months to go, and it will all be over. I can cut it short enough to get down to all that gray!

Transitioning . . .

"Just as we don't say “yellow” for blond hair, we don't have to say gray. Giving your gray a new name is more than semantics. It implies an attitude about gray, an acceptance of its natural beauty. Its pure, yes, color. It's time for the way we perceive gray to change. When people compliment my “gray” hair, I say “Thank you, but it’s really pewter with ice highlights.” Try it."

I like the sound of this, don't you?

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Sunday Satisfaction

2010-09-27T00:22:00.003+02:00

Week three and we already have a new family attending, as well as an inquirer! Sunday Divine Liturgy was so much more fulfilling having people there to participate with us. The couple that came was just so happy and truly blessed that God had answered their prayers to have a place where they, as Orthodox Christians, could feel involved as part of the military community, instead of muddling along in an Italian speaking Orthodox church, barely understanding what's being said and only going a few times a year, most likely, because of it, they said. Their 16 year old son is in the high school band and was away this weekend, but his parents said he would be glad to be an altar server in the future with Papa. That is such an answer to prayer for Papa, as well, because having to keep the sensor going, to prep the water and the zeon for communion, then not being able to process the incense makes it extremely challenging for one person to do - especially in the tiny, cramped little space we're using. In sharing with them a bit after the service, one of the most touching moments was the realization that God had not only answered their prayers to provide them with a priest, but that God had answered our prayers as well because He knew that we needed people in order to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. It was a bit of an emotional moment for all of us - and a genuine blessing! An interesting irony in all of this is that this couple actually knows Fr. Nicholas, and have been blessed by his ministry in the past, when he was a visiting priest at a mission church in Virginia where they were attending back in the mid '90's.

After church we went out for a light breakfast and then went back to our room and picked up Sherman, another small load of some clothes and miscellaneous stuff, and then took car ride out to the new house. As I mentioned yesterday, we are trying to take a little there each day, so that we'll be done by Thursday.

Sherman on the rooftop

It was fun to show Sherman his new home for the first time! He "met" two cats (from a distance, of course), and the cats laid their eyes on him as well. I wish I had the camera in my hand so that I could've captured our neighbor's cat frozen in her perfect Halloween pose for at least 1 or 2 minutes! Sherman was sitting like a gentleman next to me, however, eyes locked on the target but behaving like he was being told to and sitting still - not exactly relaxed, however! We let him loose in the house and he sniffed his way through every nook and cranny! It was an adventure to rival even Blues Clues . . . in Sherman's world anyway - I'm sure of it. He was busy for a very long time. Lots of new and interesting things to see and smell for the Sherminator.

Little breezy today

The old Roman road leading up to our house

While Sherman went exploring, Papa and Mimi planned where all the furniture needs to go. When the movers bring everything we need to tell them exactly where to set it down and unwrap it. Then the movers have to take all the wrapping materials away with them that day! Ugg!

Can you believe this is two lanes?

So . . . onto the next stop!
There's a beautiful facility owned by the Navy called Carney Park. A sprawling, peaceful, multifaceted recreation area inside an extinct volcano. I'll write more details about it later, but for today what we were looking for was the little dog park, inside Carney Park - hoping no other dogs would be there! Sure enough, not a single dog was there and Sherman was able to run and catch the ball for the first time since we left North Carolina.

Very ancient looking

Now, we are sitting on the couch watching "In Harms Way" and Sherman is dead the world! He's so tired that he's hard to even get him to move of the couch in our pet apartment. On the way back in the car, he actually slept as we cruised down the hwy in our sporty little Alpha Romeo (albeit '2001 - it's not like it's new or anything), going 120 km per hour. (not that fast really, 75 mph . . . it just seems like it over here). But Sherman was racked out!

All-in-all, it was a very nice day!

Now . . . Mom! This is mostly for you:

I took a few more pictures today of the outside and inside of the house and the road leading up to our house . . . stuff like that. You (all) keep asking for more pictures, so I'm just going to post some extra pictures for fun after this post. So, enjoy!!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

1st Floor Bathroom

View from the roof terrace

Roof Terrrace

Kitchen sink and cupboards

Roof terrace, nieghbors glass panes dividing our terrace from theirs and roof stairwell

Rooftop terrace stairwell

Livingroom Entrance

Garage

I backed up a took another picture to give you a better idea of the size

The back door of the kitchen

The livingroom with marble stairs and a view into the kitchen

Little front yard

Side terrace of the little front yard

Carney Park

Dog Park

Doesn't Sherman look happy?

I think these trees look like we're in Africa or something

All done playing

IKEA in Italy!

2010-09-25T21:50:00.000+02:00

We've had an interesting past few days; signing up for our utilites and appliances, making sure everything is delivered on time, finding out that it will be 1 to 3 months before we have a telephone and ADSL in our home, etc. But it's hard to top the trip we had to the IKEA store this afternoon! There were literally thousands of people there. I'm not exaggerating!
We slept in a little, since it was Saturday, and then after breakfast drove out to our new house to see if our electricity was on yet, and to take a few boxes there from the room with us as well. Yay! The electricity is on. We were able to open the garage door with the garage door opener and Papa practiced backing down the very steep driveway and pulling into our giant garage. We turned lights on inside the garage for the first time too, which was nice, since we could then maneuver around so much better in what didn't seem so much like a dungeon any longer. We met our neighbor, Tim (a doctor) for the first time, all 4 kids had to come over and say "hello" of course, and it seemed like all the cats in the neighborhood showed up for a community paw-parade. (Boy do they have a surprise coming when Sherman arrives!) The family next door has two cats, but they've been warned and we're going to be especially careful until their cats learn about Sherman.
On the way back from our house adventure, we decided to drive to IKEA (pronounced "ee-kay-ah" here in Italy . . . or so I've heard). There are a few things we need for the house and we thought we could take a "quick" look around and get an idea of what they might have to offer over here. Once we finally arrived, we couldn't believe our eyes. There were hundreds and hundreds of cars in the parking lot. It looked like the Christmas Season at the mall back home. We both wondered if there might be a sale going on or something, but we never did find out how it could possibly be so crowded. It may be that it was the weekend and this was one of the only IKEA stores in the area - I don't know. We entered the regular line to find a parking place and went into the store. Oh my goodness! There were thousands - literally thousands of people in the store! We were bumper to bumper people in IKEA! It was amazing! Eventually we found our way out of the store, but it was no simple task. IKEA stores are designed to keep you going in circles anyway, but it seems they never want you to leave this store. We finally had to stop and ask someone how to get out! Fortunately he spoke a little English, since our Italian is sorely lacking at this point. We felt like mice in a maze with no way out.
We found some items that are perfect for our home, but here's the question: Should we go back?
Not on the weekend, that is for sure!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Moving Day Is Coming

2010-09-22T20:31:00.000+02:00

I’ve heard the expression more than a few times already, “Vedi Napoli e poi morire?” Hopefully implying, see Napoli and die happy!! Even though Naples is not one of the “go to” places of Italian tourism these days, it is surrounded by some real contenders for the catalog: Pompeii, Vesuvius, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Ravello, the Greek Ruins of Paestum, Capri, Ischia, and other famous Italian spots, all as stunning as the crystal clear view from the terrace of our new home. Standing together in a little bit of shock that day at the breathtaking view, we could all but see the windows of the buildings resting on the island of Capri as the sunlight sparkled off her coastline! Dazzling! On a clear day like that, we could even see Ischia and the entire Bay of Naples.

"I think no other birds so happy as we.”

People in Naples seem to live loud and live large! Coming from Japan a few years ago, where life, in general is somewhat subdued, the grandiose hand-gestures and loud voices of the Neapolitan people can seem overheated, maybe even angry sometimes to the hesitant, untrained eye and ear, but we are finding them to be loving, friendly and fun. I heard a perfect description of the people of Naples just the other day: They are just "highly uninhibited, highly animated and highly caffeinated!” Ha! Cute, don’t you think?

Papa, Perla & Luigi signing the contract

Well, today was a big day! We signed our paperwork at the housing office and scheduled our move-in day! We are going to become residents of Naples! At least for a few years!

NEXT THURSDAY, September 29th!!! HOORAY!!! A little over a month from when we left North Carolina.

Our appliances and transformers, etc. from the base; Our House-Hold Goods; Our Express Baggage Shipment; The Electricity will be on; And all of it will be delivered on this day!

Septembre

Can you imagine it? WOW!! What a day that's going to be! All the trucks the people to unload it all will be there throughout the day. I can only imagine the chaos ~ can't you ?

Our new landlord has given us a key to the house, even though there won’t be any electricity yet. That way we can start taking belongings from our apartment on the base over to the new house before we have to check out nextThursday morning. The goal then is to have all the initial moving done by Wednesday (the day before we move in) with very little to do but check out on Wednesday night. Not so much craziness that way! Sherman's crate alone fills up most of our car. It's going to take many trips ~ once or twice a day ~ just to get the things in our apartment out there.

If all goes really well, we may even have Internet hooked up to the house by then too. We shall see. The power takes up to five working days to get turned on ~ from today, and then we can put a work order in for Internet, etc.

So . . . it all begins! Finally!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Foolish Fears

2010-09-21T12:20:00.000+02:00

The little cares that fretted me,

I lost them yesterday,

Among the fields above the sea,

Among the winds at play,

Among the lowing of the herds,

The rustling of the trees,

Among the singing of the birds,

The humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what might pass,

I cast them all away

Among the clover-scented grass,

Among the new-mown hay,

Among the rustling of the corn,

Where drowsy poppies nod,

Where ill thoughts die and good are born --

Out in the fields with God!

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The Weekend

2010-09-19T17:31:00.004+02:00

Blessed Sacrament Chapel

Today:

Our Second Divine Liturgy

A peek at the rest of the chapel

Fr. Philip had another good opportunity to "practice" the abridged version of the Liturgy we use in the military in this new and somewhat strange setting, with the comfort and safety of just me participating. It's a bit of a daunting task without a Deacon, Cantors,or a Reader, and all the literature and sheet music that goes along with them. But since this Liturgy is written for use in military field operations, and therefore shorter and a bit less complex to fit within the Sunday morning chapel schedule, we manage to get through it fairly well.

The one downside, so far, is that the only time slot for us to have our little Orthodox service is at 8:00 in the morning. Which means, of course, that Papa and I are at the chapel quite a bit earlier than that. But the concern is really for those who will attend this service in the future, and if this time slot is going to be too early for them. Hopefully not. Some Orthodox folks have already begun to surface and expressed their desire to attend. Our first new family should be with us next week!

After service

Some interesting side effects . . . the incense wafts throughout the building into the two other auditoriums where other church services go on, not only sparking interest as to what we are doing in our little corner of the building, but is most certainly affecting them with a clandestine blessing. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, itself, (which is a dedicated Roman Catholic space where the Sacrament is on display continually) is already starting to smell like an orthodox church all the time.

This is our pet apartment (2nd floor/right)

Yesterday:

Can you find Papa?

Papa and I looked out our window to a fine Saturday morning and thought, "This is going to be the perfect day for a football game." A clear, warm day with the sun shinning brightly in the direction of the field. By the time we arrived, the game had just begun and our friends we'd known in Japan years ago were waving us upward to the seats they'd saved for us. Their son was playing, so excitement was buzzing all around, and drove the volume of conversation to a surprisingly loud and exuberant level. Fun times on Saturday, as we joined many new friends and watched the first high school football game we've seen in many years.

"Here we go, Naples, Here we go!" . . . "Get in there . . . Keep your head down . . . Keep go'in!" Yeah! Touch Down Naples!!

(Over the loud speaker) "Nine seconds left in the third quarter and Naples sscooores!!!!"

Sitting with friends

75 cents for cookies

50 cents for bottled water

$1.50 for a hot dog -- a good portion of the base, it seems, turned out to "root, root, root, for the home team!" The Naples Wildcats won the game 39 to 0!

Here we go, Naples, here we go!

Making the extra point

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Awake Is The New Sleep

2010-09-17T15:00:00.000+02:00

"What's that sound?!" say's Papa, in his groggy morning voice. Of course, I'd been hearing it already, being the very light sleeper that I am. At first, all I heard was this screaming noise; a high-pitched, irritating whiny sound! As the fog of sleepiness cleared from my brain, I realized this irritating reverberation was the hair dryer from the apartment in the room directly above us ~ UGG! The time . . . 0515!!! Ok! That's a military base for ya!

Am I glad we're moving off-base!

So, I'm thinking this will stop in the next little while, and then Sherman and I will be able to go back to sleep. (It woke him up too!) Oh, no! The drying of hair obviously was continuing on, and did so for the next, count them, 45 minutes!! Until 0600 . . . at which time Papa's alarm was due to go off anyway ~ in just 15 more minutes. Hence, he got up, and I was awake! Oh, by-the-way, Papa slept through most of it.

What a gift!!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

Life Is About To Get Better

2010-09-16T10:37:00.004+02:00

This morning was our pre-contract signing. Papa and I gathered around a table in the housing office with our new landlord, Luigi, and our housing officer/interpreter. We went over each detail of the contract and each aspect of what will be expected of him and of us over the next three years (mostly him). Normally, at this point, we would've set up a final inspection of the house, but this had already been done in June so we are good to go, as you might say, and ready to move in. We have our final signing of the contract next Tuesday morning.

After that appointment, we will set up the move . . . which is a story in itself.

We had an email waiting for us just yesterday informing us that our household goods and express baggage shipment have both arrived. So now everything is here! Hurray! One step closer to moving into our Italian home.

I know one "boy" who will be so happy to see that day come. Sherman won't have to lay on the hard, bare, cold, tile floor anymore. We did purchase a special over-sized cushy pillow for him to lounge on, but he truly misses his own stuff! He will be so happy to see "his" rugs unfolded and "babies" unpacked! He'll be especially thrilled when our sectional sofa is put in place. Even though we don't like him to lay all over it, and do set aside one special "covered" section just for him, he seems to gravitate to the other sections of the sofa when we aren't looking. Silly Sherman! We may just overlook this for a short while and roller up the doggy hairs for the time being. It's been a tough few months for the Shermanator! Long airplane rides and hours and hours in his crate with strangers watching him; in his crate every 4th day when the cleaning crew from housekeeping come to change towels and clean our room/pet apartment, and no real place to run and fetch a ball with his favorite buddy, Johnny (We have to be careful not to say his name out loud when Sherman can hear us because he then looks around for him, sadly unable to find him. The same goes for Abbie, my mom and dad's dog), and things like that. Life is about to get better for The Sherman though.

Life is about to get better for all of us!

Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi

Murano in Naples

2010-09-15T14:32:00.009+02:00

It was 9:30 on a Wednesday and the girls are headed out. Four of the chaplain's wives (me included) were headed out to a wholesale place where they sell Murano glass from Venice. Two of the wives are getting ready to move and wanted to pick up a few items before leaving and I just want to see for myself.

So beautiful! I wish I had taken my camera, but I just didn't think a camera and GLASS ~ together ~ were a good idea!

So, how about a little history about Murano Glass instead:

In most of the English speaking countries of the world at least, glass blowing is usually seen at carnivals, amusement parks, craft shows and festivals, where they blow glass while you watch and then can later buy in one or some of their gift shops. But there was time when glassblowing ~ actually glass making in general ~ was an elite profession dominated by craftsmen in the Venetian Republic of Italy, most notably on the island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon.

Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th Century and by the 10th Century it had grown into a prosperous trading center with its own coins, police force, and commercial aristocracy. Then, in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano because the glassworks represented a danger to the city of Venice, whose city buildings were built mostly with wood at the time.

It wasn't long until the glassmakers were the leading citizens in Murano. Artisans were granted the right to wear swords and enjoyed immunity from prosecution from the notoriously high-handed Venetian state. By the late 14th Century, the daughter's of the glassmakers were allowed to marry into Venice's blue-blood families.

This did have one catch, however. Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the Republic. If they did, they risked assasination or having his hands cut off by the secret police. (Although, in reality, these defectors were never treated quite so harshly.)

One of the things that made these Murano glassmakers so special is that they were the only craftsmen in all of Europe that knew how to make glass mirrors. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries.

New technologies developed and the colonist emigrated to the New World, so the world of glass began to change as well. Murano is still an exporter of mirrors and exquisite glassware and jewelry, and its factories produce modern items such as faucet handles, glass lampshades, and electric chandeliers.

So, even though I didn't take a trip to Venice and the glassmaking island of Murano today, I did have a little glance at the beauty of Murano "through the glass" . . . so to speak.

New friends, new places, it was lovely!

Ciao, Bella! Mimi

(PS Karis and Misha ~ see if you can find Murano on the the world map. If you can't, I know for sure that you can find Venice)

Getting Lost With A Garmin

2010-09-14T17:35:00.011+02:00

"Bridge, this is the Captain. How can you have a "Yellow Alert" in space dock?" Like the Captain of USS Excelsior who asks this question in the movie Star Trek III, our journey today to meet with the landlord at our new house in Pozzuoli, Italy, begs a similar question, "How do you get lost with a Garmin in Italy?" Well, evidently, it's easy!

In no time at all we found ourselves in the middle of one of the adjacent bustling towns on the outskirts of Naples, with no idea where we were ~ weaving in and out as we were going down the road in the middle of these narrow little streets with cars coming from the right, coming from the left, and cars headed right at us as well . . . while the navigation system calmly said in 300 meters enter traffic roundabout, then take second exit, then turn right, then it said proceed 1.2 km and turn left. (there were far too many of these little traffic circles) Suddenly, in front of us was a construction zone and the road we were supposed to continue on was completely blocked and we had to take a detour. All the while, we couldn't read the signs because they're in Italian and we didn't know where we were, so we couldn't get our bearings. The "Garmin Girl" kept saying, "Recalculating, recalculating . . ."
Or even to just get headed in the right direction. We stopped and zoomed out on the Garmin map to see if we were even close to our destination and the best way to describe the look of the asymmetric pattern of the city roads in Naples is to say that it resembles a black widow's spider's web!! The roads follow no discernable pattern. They crisscross and fork in such a way that it even confuses the best satellite navigation. Interestingly enough though, the seemingly chaotic traffic flow on Italian roads is actually less stressful to Papa, than the rigid, regimented style of driving in the states. In America we remain stopped at a light even if there's no traffic crossing in front at the intersection, but here you never know if the Italians are going to stop for the traffic signal or just continue on through. If they see no opposing traffic they simply proceed whether the light is red or green. And then if you don't follow them through, you risk being honked at by the cars behind you. We are told to exercise caution when stopped at a stop sign because we may get rear ended, or at least nudged by the person behind us if there's no one in front of us. . . so stop can actually mean go if there's no obstructing traffic! Although this all sounds somewhat unnerving, the whole driving experience has a surreal, almost calming effect to it (that I have yet to experience). . .according to Papa, because everyone keeps moving. To quote the old beatniks from the '60's, "Crrrazzy baby!!" It is crazy over here. All we can say is we are definitely glad we didn't bring the Aspen!! With all due respect to Garmin, it's only trying to give us the shortest route. But we're learning

that the shortest route is rarely

the best one! And hardly ever the fastest! (Above is a picture of our car as we waited in it for Francesca)

We finally stopped in a fairly open area where a lot of cars were parked, across from what seemed to be a very popular cafe. I called our Italian realtor to tell her we were lost and she asked, "Where are you?" I then quickly jumped out of the car and handed the phone to a random Italian man sitting in the car next us with his window down, so that he could explain where we were to her in Italian. He said, "Italiano?" "Si," I said, and with relief on his face (glad to not have to try to speak to me in English, I'm sure) he told Francesca where we were parked. She was there to rescue us within about 10 minutes! Whew! Very reminiscent of Japan. Just able to read the signs ~ only not able to understand yet.

We went to the mall afterward and I promptly bought a very good dictionary! And Papa bought a "man purse" ~ which everyone has here in Italy! (But I will save that for another story on another day) Sherman was waiting for us, as usual, and can't wait to be in his new Italian home.

Cia0, Bella! Mimi

Strange Sunday

2010-09-12T20:21:00.003+02:00

Sundays should never seem strange, but today did. It was the first real day celebrating the Eucharist without our Raleigh church family and our precious Pelikan family.

Papa had prepared the small Roman Catholic chapel the night before by setting up a small icon box and a prothesis table (Karis and Misha ... have Mommy and Daddy explain this to you and what it means), arranging things so that the Orthodox Divine Liturgy could be celebrated. The little chapel seats about 20 people - plenty since I was the only one in the congregation this morning. It's in the big chapel building, in a smaller room next to the main chapel hall, where all the other church services on the military base take place. Papa left earlier than me to prepare and then I arrived a little before 8:00 for the Divine Liturgy.

It's a bit problematic when there is no one else to sing or chant, no Deacon and a limited amount of time, and the fact that a different service will be starting soon in the next big room. We are working through these challenges and are very grateful to have a beautiful little space like this at all. Little by little, we will be able to set up the space to look more like what we're used to for Orthodox worship, but for now we know that this will take time.

Next week I will try to take some pictures for you to see what it's like.

For now I say . . .

Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi

Mimi's House-Hunting Trip

2010-09-11T15:14:00.015+02:00

Doesn't it just figure that when you have something planned and you're hoping for good weather, it's raining the night before? Sherman, our dog, woke me up at 4:30 in the morning, licking my hand and waiting for some kind of movement from me. Once he saw that I was awake, he was off toward the door - his signal for, "I have to go potty real bad!" It was still raining! :-(

We went back bed quietly, so as not to wake Papa, with hopes of nice weather for our house-hunting morning. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! The alarm goes off and what do you think we see? Beautiful, puffy white clouds on a crisp sunny day. Hurray! Happiness for Mimi and Papa!

Francesca came to pick us up right on time - exactly 9:30. She was born in Naples, Italy, so she speaks perfect Italian. She is married to a Navy sailor also who works on the staff of Sixth Fleet. That means they're in charge of any Navy ships that come into the Mediterranean Sea.

The first house we were going to see, she said, has a breathtaking view and we might not want to look at any other houses after we see that house. So, it's funny. We turn on the road up to the house and it turns out to be the same road we were on this past Sunday with our new found friends who took to this amazing restaurant at the top of hill. To get to this restaurant there is only what "seems " like single lane Roman road where drivers have to pull off to one side of the road to let cars going the other direction go by. And then only when there's enough room for a turnout. Otherwise . . . someone has to BACK UP!!! It's good to have a little car on this road!

On our way back down this steep road from the restaurant on Sunday, our friends said there was a house up there that we might be interested in renting and that maybe we should check it out. We didn't follow through with this for some reason, but here we were again going back up this road - huh, go figure!

From the moment we saw it, we loved it! The neighbors have 4 young children and they asked us, "Do you like children?" So cute!I said that we love children and we have 4 grandchildren of our own and that I was going to be writing to them today about this house-hunting trip. But, I said to them, I do have a dog!! They were really happy about that! They said that at least if we didn't have kids, second best would be having a dog!

There's a nice little wall and fenced in front yard with grass and fruit trees leading up the marble walkway and steps to the front door.

Once you're inside there are beautiful Italian white tile floors with a marble staircase leading up to rooms with shuddered windows opening up to the fresh air outside and a view of the Bay of Naples from each one. Downstairs is one large living room with a fireplace

and a kitchen and bathroom in the back of the house. When you walk out of the kitchen, you experience the first of three large terraces - one from the front yard, one just out side of the kitchen in the back, and one on the very top of the house that has the spectacular view you see in the picture.

Just behind us is the town of Bacoli and there are two little islands behind that. The biggest one is Ischia and Procida is there as well.
The panorama is of the entire Gulf of Napoli with Capri on the other side. (Why didn't I take a picture of Capri?)

Then the landlord took us down to the garage!! What a shock! It was at least three times the size of our garage in America, with places for storage, cars, games, and there's even a third bathroom down there! It was amazing! Very secure. We took a stroll down the street to look at the surrounding neighborhood and saw the roads and vineyards - so very lovely! How could we not say yes to this house?!

Ciao, Bella! ~ Mimi

Tomorrow

2010-09-10T16:17:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow should be interesting . . .

We're going on our first "actual" house viewing tour with a real estate agent. Her name is Francesca and she happens to be from Naples and married to someone in the Navy stationed here - the best of both worlds, it seems. She will pick us up in the morning (Saturday) at 0930, and will have lined up quite a number of houses for us to see. My goal is to take pictures of the houses to share with "you all" (especially you two, Karis and Misha ) so that you can see the pictures and get an idea of what it's like for us when we're out driving around and catching our first glimpses of our future life over here.

It should be a little slower pace tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to take some notes to remind myself where we are/were, and then I can relay that to you!

It should be fun!

Ciao, Bella ~ Mimi

PS. . .

These lemons and tangerines are huge - the size of a baseball - filled with some kind of heavenly tasting filling. Just wanted to take a picture because it was so surprising. This picture didn't do it justice, however, since there wasn't anything to compare with and see just how large they are. Three times as big as regular lemons, I think.

2010-09-10T15:43:00.002+02:00

Ella at 6 months! "Now this is love . . . hmm hmm hmm, la la la, hmm mmm mmm." Too cute for words.

Pictures, at last!

2010-09-10T01:13:00.005+02:00

It's late in the evening, but I finally uploaded a few pictures and wanted to post a few of them, at least, before calling it a night. I wish I would have taken a notebook with me to jot down the names of the places we were when we took pictures . . . as it was, I was "the" only person with a camera out of I don't even know how many people . . . dozens! We were zooming around like crazy scoping out the lay of the land and trying to get our barings - two big busloads of us! All newcomers to Italy. It was quite the tourist day!

Although it was not a very clear day, it was still breathtaking to see Mt. Vesuvius jetting up near the edge of the city of Naples. There are over 200 old churches in the city of Naples and we saw almost all of them at once from this stone wall viewing site. It was marvelous!

We also had our very first world-famous Naples pizza. All I can say is it is like no other pizza I have ever tasted! YUM!! I commented that it was like the difference between a taco shell from Taco Bell and handmade tortillas in Mexico - there's just no comparison! This is a picture of our guide, Terri, just before she ate hers.

Well, enough for tonight. If I don't go to sleep soon I will be back on North Carolina time.

I've learned now that a sweet way to say good-bye to friends and family is "Ciao, bella!" It basically means (at least I was told), "so long, my dear friend." I thought it meant "good-bye, beautiful", but ciao can mean "hello", "hi", "good-bye", or just a casual "bye."

So, I bid you . . .

Ciao . . . bella!

Facebook Posts

2010-09-04T11:18:00.004+02:00

For my non-fb buddies,

From time-to-time, I've promised to post the fb posts here on my blog for those of you that don't have fb. Here is the first of that installment:

August 25th ~

Just and update as promised. We made it. We are in Naples!
Sherman did very well during the flight and is staying with one of the chaplains until we get a
pet apartment on Friday. We are tired! The end of a very long day (really two days rolled into one) we'll keep you posted as we get more settled. ~

August 27th ~

We're in our Navy Lodge pet apartment. So Sherman is back with us now... hurray! Very busy with area orientation (AO). But happy to all be together. All is well!

It's a bit strange for Sherman. No cozy rugs yet and only one "baby" of his that we brought along with us, but he's happy just to be with us and waits patiently for our return - always! We should find a permanent place to live within a month or two.

August 28th ~

We ventured out today with one of the chaplains and his wife to a nearby shopping mall. We tasted gelato for the first time. Yum! And had a good chance to just sit and watch the Italian people. Beautiful! Such lovely families! We went to a big WalMart type store, also incredibly amazing! Bought fresh mozzarella cheese lifted from a vat of water. Very fun! And saw what must be the longest pasta aisle in the world.

August 30th ~

Monday~0700~**Fireworks**3rd day in a row!! . . . and first thing in the morning no less! Something to do with August being a festival month throughout Italy (I'm sure we'll find out more about this later), and fireworks go off every time there's a birthday, a wedding, a birth, a wedding, etc. . . poor Sherman!! It's very close and sounds like we're under attack! ~1500 **Fireworks** again on the same day!! Same story. It doesn't seem to matter that it's daylight outside . . . who knew!

August 31st ~

Back to the "pet apartment" to let Sherman out of his crate during our lunch break from our orientation class. Every 4th day we have to lock him up so the housekeeping team can clean, or they won't do it. We've both passed our driving tests and can now drive in Italy. Yay! Next step . . . buy a car. All this walking and lugging groceries, etc... for many blocks/miles is really wearing us out!

September 2nd ~

Yes! 38 years ago today we said "we will."