All Of Us Sin

“All of us sin constantly. We slip and fall. In reality, we fall into traps set by the demons. The Holy Fathers and the saints always tell us ‘It is important to to get up immediately after a fall and to keep on walking toward God.’ Even if we fall a hundred times a day, it does not matter; we must get up and go walking toward God without looking back. What has happened has happened — it is in the past. Just keep on going, all the while asking for help from God.”  - Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

If I’m learning anything in these days of solitude and arduous, long drawn-out healing of my leg and knee, it is that “Our Thoughts [do] Determine Our Lives.” No matter where we are, or what we are doing, we are “constantly harvesting the fruit of our thoughts and desires.”

Cotton Harvest 

God knows why He has put us in the position where we find ourselves; we will most certainly get the most out of it if and WHEN we learn to be humble. Therein lies the struggle.

This is why St. Isaac the Syrian says, “Preserve your inner peace at all costs, and do not trade it for anything in this world. ~






The Pelikans

Catching Up!

Okay, okay! I'll do it! I will, once again, write entries in what many have called their "favorite writing of mine." I started a different blog last year, but it never really caught on, so I'm back! And besides, I love looking back at all of the pictures and history recorded here on the pages of this blog!

If you are a new reader to The Pelikan Brief, welcome! And, welcome back to our many friends from around the world who were faithful readers in the past! I look forward to hearing from many of you! Please consider being a follower of The Pelikan Brief.

Yesterday, was a significant day in our lives, and an appropriate time, I think, to begin making entries again. It was nine years ago, on January 27, 2008, that Fr. Philip was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

It was an amazing day! Family and friends made many sacrifices to be with us for Fr. Philip's Ordination in Jacksonville, Florida. We are so very thankful and humbled for their participation and witness, as well as the swift and timely decision made ultimately by Metropolitan Philip (of Blessed Memory), to bring it all about so promptly. It wasn't to be long before Fr. Philip deployed to Afghanistan for one year; therefore, time (and training) was of the essence. 

Those days are a story within themselves. Our youngest son was unable to attend with his wife and daughter, since he was still with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan, himself, at the time! Thank God he and his dad weren't both there at the same time! 



John did join his family, and our eldest son, Jesse, and his family, to be received into the Orthodox Church that following Holy Saturday, the day before Pascha (Easter), April 26, 2008. Thank God!

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It's hard to believe that nine years have slipped by since that Ordination Day. So much has happened in our family since then. Elijah, our third grandchild, had just been born that previous November in California. In just a few days from now, our sixth grandchild will be born! We are blessed to have our sons and their families living within a few hours of us and each other, here in North Carolina. Our oldest is 12 now, and the youngest will be three in May. Here is one my all-time favorite group Christmas pictures of the *nestlings*:

Much of what has happened over these past nine years I've written down on the pages of this blog, so how can I just let it sit here being neglected? Bad Mimi!         

Just to name a few of my favorite amazing things over the past several years: My father miraculously recovered from very serious skin cancer; my mother made it through several serious surgeries; my nephews have graduated from college, gotten married, started amazing businesses, had babies, and my brothers, our sons, and those they love, are successful and happy in each of their fields of endeavor ... life is good!

So much is happening, and so much will happen! Let's share the joyful journey together, shall we?

Affectionately,

Mimi and Papa+

Retirement Plans

Is life supposed to go according to plan? I always thought so. I'm not sure why really, but I always felt that everything would work out for the best somehow, and that there was a life-plan in motion. One thing I know now is that this very well may be true, but my plan isn't always His plan. Actually, looking back, it seems my life-plan is rarely His plan. Strange. I've always wanted it to be though.
On the outside, military life looks very neat and tidy. There is an order to it. You are told where to live, what job to do, how to behave, how to dress, and when it's time to move again. Life seems simple and paid for. It's easy to become complacent.
For me, before you know it, 25 years has gone by and it's time to retire. How did that happen? Where did the time go? I'm still processing ...
All in all, the plans we made didn't really work out the way we thought they would, but somehow our life turned into a lovely tapestry of fabulous experiences, sad endings, painful revelations, pure joy, and an inexplicable love for one another.
Not bad! Not bad at all.

Labor in Hope

Labor in Hope:

“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.”  

                                St. Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894)

“Now that you are retired, what are you going to do?”

“Now that you are retired, what are you going to do?”

Wow! It’s amazing to me that people are even asking us that question. Where has the time gone? It doesn't seem like 23 years ago that someone else (the United States Navy) packed up our belongings and moved us to our first duty station – Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms, CA. What an amazing feeling! We stationed there for four years, and here we are 19 years later.

As many of you know, our last duty station was also with the Marines – Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, which ended this past August, 2014. This time we only stayed for one year. (That is a whole story in-itself.) Rather than rent, we stumbled upon a fabulous opportunity to buy a home very near the base, one street in from the water. It’s our dream home! Retirement plans were working much as we had planned.

But then …

Boy, howdy!How plans can change.

Over the coming months, I’d like to write about retirement and what it I thought it was going to be, what it is, and what, perhaps, it ought to be – from my perspective.

Retirement from the Navy - and what that means

I was just looking at the date of my last post, and can hardly believe how long ago it was. So much has happened since then that I can't even go into it all. Needless to say, it's best to begin today and not where I left off.
We are only weeks away from Fr. Phil's retirement ceremony (August 4th), and then his official retirement from the Navy on September 1st. We knew there would be a lot of changes, but nothing could have prepared us for the overwhelming stress and decisions to be made. We are living life one day at a time, however, planning the best that we can and once again learning to live life with a completely different vision.


What that entails, only God - and time - will tell!

Suprised By Italian Toilet Repair

We got a call from our landlord, Luigi, yesterday, who said in his very broken English, "Bonna serra, Tamera. I'm Luigi. Tomorrow come to fix bangno . . . eight o'clock. Ok?
 
It seemed a little early, (especially in light of my last post), but what could I say? "Grazie, Luigi. Siamo felici." (Thank you, Luigi. We are  happy.) All three toilets are running continuously after flushing, especially bad in the evening and during the night when we're trying to sleep! Grrrrr! 
Well, first of all Luigi really meant to say 9:00, but he got the English mixed up. I was up far too early. Double grrrrrrr! Three workers finally arrived at 9:20 with all kinds of equipment to start smashing up the tile behind the toilets to get to what they call "the cassettes" and then replace them.


Surprised by ripping out the tile to put in what they
called "replacing the cassette."

At this very moment, three workers are pounding simultaneously making it sound more like a construction site in my house than what I thought was just going to be a simple toilet fix. As I watched them pound and chisel away, I couldn't help but think about our recent trip to Florence and our visit to see Michelangelo's "David." All that marble and chiseling! And my-oh-my, how noisy it must have been for him! I'm sure he had hearing loss.

If I need to say something to the workers, I take my computer with google translate and ask my question. It's a system that works pretty well.

As far as I can tell, most residential Italian toilets (like ours) are deep, steep bowls with a few inches of water at the bottom of a dark recess of porcelain.  Compared to the American toilets with large, shallow, gently flowing bowls of water, Italian toilets swallow up their contents with the force and swiftness of airline bathroom strength suction. The sound and force reminds me of flushing on an airplane, but with more water. It's over about that quickly as well. You get used to it after awhile, but I must admit I did think that the Italians would have very modern toilet and bathroom fixtures.




This is not the case, however. Traveling throughout Italy can be a toilet adventure. You might find anything from a hole in the floor, a toilet with no seat, and even the Japanese style of toilet with the porcelain toilet built flat on the ground. All with the omni-present toilet brush designed especially to leave the toilet cleaner than when you arrived!

The pounding continues . . . it's 3 and 1/2 hours later. They have just moved to the second bathroom; my bathroom upstairs. The sunny day has turned to gloom and pouring rain, and ironically . . . I have to go POTTY!



*Tamera

Getting to Happy

*Cross myself and greet the Lord.

• Before getting up each morning, set an intent for the day.

Unlike some fortunate people, I'm not exactly 'awake' when I first wake up. It takes me a little while to rouse into the world of the living. One the other hand, unlike some unfortunate people, I have the pleasure of being at home in the morning and not having to set the alarm clock most days to be at any specific place for any specific reason.
When I do have to be someplace early, I've always been a snooze-button hitter when my alarm is responsible for waking me up; I'm loathe to admitt, I don't just wake up naturally at the crack of dawn. It's best for me to puff up my pillows, sit up for a bit, and assess the day. Ideally, 20 minutes is perfect! Once the groginess of sleep has cleared my brain, I find that it's good to go over my day and set an intent for the day. (I do this even before morning prayer; I'm not quite ready for that yet.)

In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says, "Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it."

The Psamist, David said, "Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee (my whole nature is designed to long sumpremely after God), in a dry and thisty land where no water is." (Psalm 63:1)

Like King David, I should seek God first thing in the day for His plans and purposes, when I set an intent for my day, before other things come to distract and divert my attention, and well before other influences come in to take control and direct me. The Psamist wasn't searching for real water or any earthly thing, but for sprititual manifestations of God and direction for his life. It's difficult to find that as the day progresses, just like the cool morning dew evaporates as the heat of the sun blazes down on the day.

I don't want the daily intent that I set up to be just another "to do" item on my ever-increasing list. It has to be more than that. I want it to be something that makes a great difference in my day. Something like: "Enjoy today's significant moments" or "work hard and be nice today." It might be a little more specific like "saying thankyou to loved ones today" or "making the day a completely positive day, with no negatives in it."

God's promise made to Solomon can certainly apply to me: "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

Whatever the case may be, I do it; with God's help I will set the intent for the day. Setting out into the day with purpose, and not just aimlessly wondering into it without direction or a path to follow.


How will I get to "Happy" if I do that?

How will I get anywhere if I do that?



Avere un buon giorno,



Mimi

 

How To Feel Better Today

   
     I'm going to talk about feeling better at home. I'm home most of the time these days for one reason or another, so I got to thinking: How can I 'feel' better while I'm at home. Don't get me wrong. I'm not writing this for you. I'm writing this for me! I want to feel better at home. I love my home. I don't always want to take a walk in the woods or a drive to the beach to feel better. I don't even necessarily want to be outside. I just want to feel better while I'm at home.
     For me, and as anyone can attest to who knows me, I always feel better at home if my bed is made. It's remarkable how a few minor little tweaks and adjustments to my daily routine, like making my bed, can become the agent to a meaningful change within my day. But its true, and always has been true. If my bed's undone -- I'm undone.
     My home is an extension of who I am. What I do within the walls of my dwelling place shapes my mood, affects my productivity, and influences my entire outlook on life.
Karen Miller, wife, mother, Zen priest, and author of "Hand Wash Cold" and Momma Zen" explains: "The state of your bed is the state of your head." She is definitely on to something. When I walk out of my bedroom with my bed in a massive bundle of covers, I start the day on the wrong foot - already feeling defeated by my bed! Even my dog knows something is wrong if I don't throw all of the pillows on the floor and start making the bed before I walk out of the bedroom. He looks and me with that look. "Are we getting back in?" We are both loath to get the day started. It's pitiful!
     On the other hand, when Sherman (my dog) and I step back and have a look at our freshly made bed, I have to admit that we are happy. I think about how nice it will be to pull back the covers that evening after a long day as all three of us (husband, dog and me) go through our evening routine. And as I walk out of the bedroom and invariably look back at the pretty made-up bed, I say to my room, "So long you cozy little cave of tranquility. I've created you with my own hands and you are as you once were. Until we meet again." Somehow I'm ready to tackle the day. Happier!

 Sogni d'oro (sweet dreams),

Mimi






http://www.ehow.com/video_4756201_make-bed.html

http://youtu.be/0KQHXc4cBvQ

Time is Unfair Sometimes

     Time has been a little unfair to this blogger. I considered transferring all of the information on this blog
 to a different host after months of trying to figure out how a 'coloncleansingcompany.com' was hacking into my blog every time anyone logged in, including me! I tried everything: erasing posts, spending hours with my Internet security company while they took over my computer and zoomed around at the speed of expert, while I just watched in amazement, but nothing! I tried many (amateur) attempts myself at working through the problem, with little success. It wasn't until today that the mystery solved.

     I received a long awaited answer back from Google Blogger. It seems the 'coloncleansingcompany.com' people had hacked into one of my Google Gadgets - the one that counts how many visitors come to my blog. That makes sense, right? Each time they visit my blog, my visitor would be helplessly redirected to the hacker's website! Grrrrrr! 
     All I had to do was erase that Gadget from my side-bar and voila . . . problem solved. I have my blog back with no nasty hackers trying to steal my faithful readers from me! In the meantime, I did make a little change. When you used to get to my blog by this address: http://tpelikan.blogspot.com; now you only need type: thepelikanbrief.com to get here (which you already know if you are reading this). So, please spread the word. Changing to my personal domain name was one of the attempts at fixing the problem. Now that I've decided to keep it, it's a lot easier to remember.

     As a result, I've got a lot of catching up to do. About a year's worth, it would appear. I'll do my best to combine the two, with a few fun changes along the way.

(((Abbracci))) e benedizioni, 

Mimi (a.k.a. Tamera)

Undo edits

Happy 5th Birthday, Elijah

Happy 5th Birthday, Elijah Pelikan

Dear Elijah,

     Today is your 5th birthday! This means so many things for you:
     You are half-way to the age of ten, and we bet you can do things like skip and jump and hop now, better than ever! Can you stand on one foot with your eyes closed? That's what you can do when you're five!
     You can copy a triangle and spread peanut butter with a knife.
     You can name all of your primary colors and count to ten. You know all the names of the coins in your Dad's pocket. And, we think you probably say "Why" a lot.
     You are growing about 3 inches a year (or maybe even more in your case), and you are behaving more responsibly now. Have you noticed that? It's easier to apologize for your mistakes and to be more peaceful. You like to imagine things more when you're five-year's-old, like a trip somewhere.

     When you are five it's fun to read together, and learn rules; you will like to play with other children and go to interesting, new places.
     And you know what else you can do when you're five? You can start to do little chores around the house. Mimi and Papa know that you get the mail every day, but now that you are five you can add some more things. You can help set the table, and pick up your toys after playing with them without being asked. You can even start to learn to make your bed yourself!  Five is Fun!

For Elijah

Happy Birthday
Our sweet little man,
We love you very much
We'll see you and hug you as soon as we can.

Dream big dreams today
Of God's wonderful plan,
He sees you and is with you to lead you every step of the way.
He loves you very much.

Just remember if you ever need us
We'll be right there,
And no matter where we are
You are always in our heart!
Love,

Mimi & Papa

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

Happy Birthday, Misha

Today Misha is 7-year's old! Happy Birthday to our creative, funny, happy, and sweet little granddaughter. We look forward to the days when birthday celebrations can be at Mimi and Papa's house again,

Buon Compleanno . . . birthday love and hugs!

Happy Birthday, Elina!

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!



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

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!

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

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)

*

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!!

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

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

Saint Joanna the Myrrh-bearer

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]