A Visit from Granny and School's End

We had the wonderful privilege of hosting Granny up in Pennsylvania just after Pascha. Like so many of us this past year, we have not been able to see family and friends, that is, to really see them, in the flesh. Too many grandmothers, like Granny, have not seen their new grandbabies either, and it is time to resolve that.

She was able to be with us for about one week, and though we didn't do anything great and grand, it was wonderful to see her sitting and playing games with the kids and holding that new baby.

Not too long after she left, the school year at the seminary finished up, and at St. Tikhon's, that means Work Week as soon as finals are done. I haven't worked that hard in a long time. As a seminary, we did everything from painting, to mowing, to cleaning out closets, to cleaning the church. As for me, there was a lot of landscaping, and my back is still reminding me of the activity of the week. The kids even got a chance to go and plant some flowers for the monastery.

Immediately after graduation, our family left for a short, two-week trip to visit our home parish out in Oregon. In the middle of that, Senia and I will leave the three big kids with some of their friends while we go on a short pilgrimage to Alaska for a few days. Children and adults, alike, are thoroughly enjoying being together with old friends, even though we so appreciate our new-found friends at seminary.

We hope you all enjoy your summer as well, and have the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends that you haven't seen for a while.