A journey into the eyes of your husband or wife. The look of their eyes and our stay there.
The coffee they make for us with such love, the characteristic aroma of the coffee and its vapours, as they sit beside us and we enjoy it together. Our children that run, play, quarrel, cry about meaningless things.
The beauty of our home, regardless of how poor it may be, and even if it is a wealthy one, the furnishings, the photographs of our children from past seasons that do not return.
In the evenings in the garden of our home, either single or married, the flowers in their pots, the cry of the village rooster heralding the dawn of the new day, that reminds us of the fall of Peter and the keys to Paradise that he was given.
Eating a sweet, such as one served on a spoon with a glass of cold water, on days of fasting. The '15 days of August' fast is a time when the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the most solemn feasts for the Mother of God.
The food they made for us, the food that was burnt. The cold refreshing water brought to us just as we finish the digging of the garden or the tidying up of the storehouse.
Conversations with our children, in the afternoons, even in the evenings when we are all sitting together. All these and many more if we truly live them and enjoy them in their very moments, what else could we want?
These relieve us, give us joy, comfort. If all these I mention, perhaps objectionable to some reading these words, we do not live them, then of which type of holidays should we speak? Which true holidays will relax us?
Naturally, I not only refer to those who are married, but to all and everyone who may be single, and each to understand and make their own analogies. This means live your life...as a doxology!
If we go, wherever we may go, we will carry our own difficult selves and we will be constantly moaning, forcing our loved ones to wish they had not gone on holidays with us.
In the end, the greatest of holidays starts with a sensible person, he who finds joy in things of little value that are beautiful, the person who lives with an attitude of life as a doxology alongside his creator.
Truly, when have we said a glory to God for everything we see and enjoy all that surrounds us?
When have we said a glory for the water that we are worthily given and take to quench our thirst?
For the children God graced us with that we haven't enjoyed, yet we have passed on many of our own bad behaviours?
When did we give thanks to God for the husband/wife He gave us? For the food made for us by our partner, and in many situations when we didn't say "Thank you my dear for all the delicious food you make", for the sweets made for us, for the water brought to us...!!
If we were to instigate this then we would have never-ending holidays, and wherever we go, in any situation, we would have a lovely time as people who love the beauty of the soul and all that surrounds us.
A true relationship with our God leads us to the right stasis in how we understand life and the things that come together to make life, bringing us to the right stasis within ourselves. This true relationship directs us to those closest to us, our first closest being our parents, especially for all those not married, and for others their partners.
That which I want to convey is how we pass our days, the months, the years without really enjoying ourselves, without effectively living because we simply learnt to live with whinging. Plunged in a variety of thoughts we lose the moment and this is a great sin.
Many may have an objection and say but how?
How can we be happy if we are separated or divorced?
How can we be happy and enjoy the moment when God has not granted us children?
How can we not have thoughts and reflections when our years have passed us and still we are without a partner?
How can we have serenity and peace when we are ill from this weary disease?
Objections...and again objections.
We are rightly so. Tell me though, when will these afflictions in our lives end?
For this reason, let us live our lives my loved ones as I have explained above. No other solution exists.
With these few words, I leave you as the time has come to go away for a few days on holidays (towards the end of the upcoming week) as everyone does, but the main reason is for the children.
I leave you with my blessings and wish for all of us to have the heart of a child.
Here I will share something that a child ask her father:
-Dad, a star is blinking. Will it fall?
What do you think? Will it fall?
