Xenia Kathryn

The New Cathedral (above)
The old Cathedral (that's St. John's outer robe/ mantle draped on the stand right there!!)


How kind of me to leave you with that stunning image of me with a BB gun for the past two weeks. Just what you want to see, right? And should I have somehow never had the chance to blog again, that would have been the last impression I'd ever made on you. Lovely!

We returned from our Thanksgiving adventure to Santa Rosa, CA, on Monday. We were gone for five days. The girls were terrific travelers, and since we rented a car, Job enjoyed driving above the speed limit without worrying about various car parts falling off. I couldn't believe we made such great time on our trips... then I'd check the speedometer as he drove and I'd say, "What? We can't be going that fast... the car isn't shaking! The engine isn't deafeningly loud!" I guess I'm well accustomed to old clunkers.

Our trip was wonderful. We had a great time with my sister, brother-in-law and my precious little niece. Vasi was very insistent on visiting both the "Charlie Brown Museum" and St. John Maximovitch in San Francisco. Two very different pilgrimages in their own rights. But we did visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum, which was an impressive and very modern facility. We really enjoyed it, and some of us (not me!) even skated next door at the Snoopy indoor skating rink! My sister was very disappointed that they weren't playing music from "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown." You know that wonderful Vince Guaraldi jazz? :) Oh well.

Saturday was my sister's birthday... AND we got to visit the holy sights of St. John Maximovitch. We went to the older Cathedral on Fulton Street, where we were given a special tour by the wonderful and gracious hieromonk Fr. James. He read special prayers for us and we were greatly blessed. Later that day, we visited the new Cathedral on Geary Street. Just before Vespers we attended a moleban (sp?), and were able to submit names of loved ones for prayers. Then we venerated St. John's tomb, which I can only describe as an overwhelmingly grace-filled experience. It was wonderful to pay respects to someone I consider a close friend, who is very special to our family. Even the girls were attentive and eager to venerate and re-venerate his relics! What a blessing.

After the prayer service, the cathedral lights were brightened, and light illumined the expansive church interior. Out of every corner of your eye, there are beautiful frescoes, icons and images painted everywhere. It is doubly overwhelming, to see such otherworldly beauty. It's like staring up at the night sky, and admiring the stars, and then being rocketed upwards for a closer look at the very edge of the heavens.

What a week of true Thanksgiving! We give thanks for safe travels, for the hospitality of family, for time with loved ones, for shelter and food and health, for Truth and Light and God's good grace.

Last night Job got out the Christmas decorations. Vasi helped me put up some decorations today. I'd like to keep it fairly simple, for now at least. Maybe we'll slowly build up as Christmas draws closer. I really want to keep the feast for the 24th-25th, and the days that follow. I'm trying not to go too crazy so that I'm not too burnt out on Christmas by the time it actually arrives :) But, nevertheless, I did put up our Nativity scene, and our stockings, and our Advent/ Nativity calendar (from last year). It still seems so early, but then again, before I know it it will be the middle of the month, and I'll be shocked that I "haven't done anything yet!!!" This weekend we'll get a tree, enjoy St. Nicholas Day, and perhaps put some lights on the house (I'll let Job do that...no ladders for this prego mama).

Other than some stockings and candles, our house is also decorated in crumpled, soggy Kleenex. Yuck. I'm not feeling too hot. Let's hope it gets over quickly, so I can have the energy to tackle LIFE in general... not to mention all of these gift ideas that haunt me like Dickens' Ghosts of Christmas.

Blessed Nativity to you all, and Happy St. Nicholas Day this weekend!