Most Favorite Orthodox Reading

I've been asked to recommend some reading for those interested in becoming better acquainted with Eastern Orthodoxy. Here are the books I recommend:

Bishop Kallistos Ware The Orthodox Way. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (SVS)
Alexander Schmemann Great Lent: Journey to Pascha. SVS Press
Alexander Schmemann For the Life of the World SVS Press (a classic!)
Vladimir Lossky Orthodox Theology SVS Press
Vladimir Lossky The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church SVS Press
Jaroslav Pelikan The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700) U of Chicago
David Bradshaw Aristotle East and West: Metaphysics and the Division of the Church Cambridge University Press

Also, I regard each of these as essential read for those seeking to understand Orthodoxy:

St. Athanasius On the Incarnation SVS Press
St. Basil the Great On the Holy Spirit SVS Press
St. John Chrysostom On the Priesthood SVS Press
St. John of Damascus On the Divine Images SVS Press
St. Theodore the Studite On the Holy Icons SVS Press

I have also posted various related writings at Just Genesis. Here are a few of those:

St. Basil's homilies on the Six Days of Creation (one a day) begin here: http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/01/in-beginning-god-made-heaven-and-earth.html

Fr. Seraphim Rose on Genesis is here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/10/eastern-orthodox-approach-to-genesis.html

St. Ephrem the Syrian is here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/07/st-ephrem-syrian-on-genesis.html

St. John Chrysostom is here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/07/st-chrysostom-on-lamech.html

and here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/07/st-chrysostom-on-lamech.html

St. Augustine is here:
http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2008/05/st-augustine-on-divine-illumination.html

Memorial Day Poems and Songs

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman (1819–1892)


"Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground" was composed by Walter Kittredge on October 8, 1834. The night before he left to fight in the Civil War, he sat beside the window looking out across the New Hampshire fields. He reached for his violin and inspired by sadness, regret and thoughts of his life as a soldier, he composed this song.

We're tenting tonight on the old camp-ground
Give us a song to cheer
Our weary hearts, a song of home
And friends we love so dear.

Chorus
Many are the hearts that are weary tonight
Wishing for the war to cease,
Many are the hearts looking for the right
To see the dawn of peace.
Tenting tonight, tenting tonight
Tenting on the old camp-ground.
We've been tenting tonight on the old camp-ground,
Thinking of days gone by
Of the loved ones at home that gave us the hand,
And the tear that said, "Good-by!"

Chorus
We are tired of war on the old camp-ground;
Many are the dead and gone
Of the brave and true who've left their homes;
Others been wounded long.

Chorus
We've been fighting today on the old camp-ground,
Many are lying near;
Some are dead, and some are dying,
Many are in tears.

Last Chorus
Many are the hearts that are weary tonight,
Wishing for the war to cease;
Many are the hearts looking for the light,
To see the dawn of peace.
Dying tonight, dying tonight,
Dying on the old camp-ground.

My Perfect Neighbor

Alice C. Linsley

Her tightly laced world chokes me.
Her flawless nest ensnares my spirit.
Her dusted god, neatly on display
glares at me from the china cabinet.
Order is her mask,
her grand show.
No ambiguities distress
her tea time pleasantries.
She smiles at my reply
holding back a spearmint yawn
with her tissued hand.
I am here sipping tea from the fragile lip
of this smooth porcelain cup.
I want to flee, but pray for grace
to love my perfect neighbor.

On the Isle of Patmos

Mystic Exile
by Alice C. Linsley


An island is no broad earth and yet
a universe of stones
where sands deny the foot firm ground
and wave hot fingers at the shade.

Here St. John in curling dunes
with mystic sight beheld
the wick of faith sputter and dim
the kingdoms roar and crash.

His prayer-trained ears heard trumpets blast
and pounding hooves gave way
to shouts of joy and glad refrains
across the watery stage.


(Published in Ancient Paths, Issue 13, 2005)

Psychometrics of Mystery Readers?

People with lower self-esteem prefer crime and detective stories that confirm their suspicions in the end, while those with higher self-esteem enjoy stories with surprise endings. This creates a challenge for fiction writers, since we can't know who will buy our books. Then again, we may have to find a way to confirm the guess of the reader with low self esteem while still providing an element of surprise.

“Personality plays a role in whether a person wants to be confirmed or surprised when they read mysteries,” said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, co-author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University.

“People with low self-esteem like to feel they knew all along who committed the crime, probably because it makes them feel smarter.”

From here:

Print on Demand Self Publishing

Here is information about an online self publishing service bureau called Lulu.com. There are others out there, but this one looks especially good.

Print on demand (POD)
A tale of self-publishing on the web by Paul Lima

Could traditional book publishers be heading the way of traditional music companies, which are heading the way of dinosaurs, thanks to the internet? They could, but for different reasons.
For one, people are not endangering the traditional publishing industry by downloading books for free over the internet, the way music downloading continues to mushroom. However, many authors are eschewing traditional publishers and book retailers in favour of online print-on-demand (POD) companies.

I am one of the many.

When I first approached a traditional Canadian publisher with my how-to book about freelance writing, I received tentative interest. The publisher wanted to know if I could guarantee 2,000 sales. If so, the publisher was willing to print 4,000 copies and put the other 2,000 into circulation. This was not a vanity publisher, it was a legitimate publisher of popular fiction and non-fiction titles.

Lulu.com boasts a network of 500,000 visitors. (Lulu.com)

I could not guarantee the sales and was not willing to buy that many books to flog at my seminars. So I approached another publisher. By the time the second publisher replied, I had discovered Lulu.com, an online POD company.

Read it all here.

The Anticipated Fish

This is the final of the 3 Spanish short stories written by Spanish II students at Midway College. I hope that you enjoy them.

I'm proud of these students. They worked hard on these stories and have produced work beyond level II Spanish.

Have a wonderful summer, Sheila, Suzanne and Katie!


El Pescado Prevido
Katie Tierney

Hizo buen tiempo y Miguel Hernandez echaba una siesta. Estaba andando por la acera de la plaza lentamente, dejando su mente a vagar. De repente, vio una tienda que cogió su ojo. Era una tienda de pesca, que se llamaba “El Mundo de la Pesca”. Miguel siempre había querido tratar de pescar. En seguida, en ese día bonita, Miguel decidió a entrar la tienda y buscar equipo para ir de pesca. Hablaba con el dependiente de que necesitaría para pescar. El dependiente le mostró una caña de pescar y otras cosas que necesitaría, y en menos de media hora, Miguel estuvo preparado a pescar.

El resto del día, Miguel no podía pensar en otra cosa. Tan pronto como llegar a su casa, habló a su esposa de sus planes. Explicó, "Tengo que ir esta tarde porque mañana no va a hacer buen tiempo." Su esposa, Esperanza, respondía cariñosamente porque quería cocinar pescado fresco para la cena. Miguel recogió enérgicamente su equipo de pesca y salió pronto.

Miguel llegó al río y echó la línea. Entonces esperaba … y esperaba … y esperaba más. Ningún pez mordió. Miguel echó la línea otra vez, fuertemente, y más lejos. Pero los peces no mordieron. Miguel pasaba una hora pescando y no tomó ni uno pez. Por último, tragó su orgullo y tristemente embaló sus cosas.

Mientras manejaba a casa, Miguel recordó que Esperanza querría pescado por la cena. ¡Estaba esperando pescado fresco! Miguel había gastado tanto dinero por su equipo nuevo y había estado tan emocionado a pescar que no pensó en el deseo de su esposa. Supo que no podría regresar a casa sin el pescado prevido. Así, fue en seguida a una pescadería para comprar el pescado fresco.

Durante el regreso a casa, Miguel pensaba en lo que iría a decir a Esperanza. "¿Debo decir que yo tomé el pecado del río?"

Al llegar, dijo que él había cogido el pescado pero Esperanza supo que el pescado no vino del río. Ella simplemente se sonrió a su esposo y le dijo, "¡Tú eres el mejor pescador de todos los pescadores del mundo!"


The Anticipated Fish
Katie Tierney

It was nice weather and Miguel Hernandez was taking a siesta. He was slowly walking along the plaza sidewalk, allowing his mind to wander. Suddenly, he saw a store that grabbed his attention. It was a fishing store called "The World of Fishing." Miguel always had wanted to try to fish. Right away, on that beautiful day, Miguel decided to enter the store and look for tackle to go fishing. He spoke with the store clerk about what he would need to fish. The clerk showed him a fishing rod and other things that he would need, and in less than half an hora, Miguel was prepared to fish.

The rest of the day Miguel wasn't able to think about anything else. As soon as he arrived home, he spoke to his wife about his plans. He explained, "I have to go this afternoon because the weather tomorrow isn't going to be nice." His wife, Hope, responded affectionately because she wished to cook fresh fish for dinner. Miguel energetically gathered his tackle and shortly left.

Miguel arrived at the river and cast his line. Then he waited... and waited... and waited some more. No fish bit. He cast the line again, more forcefully and farther out. Still the fish didn't bite. Miguel spent an hour fishing and didn't catch a single fish. Finally, he swallowed his pride and sadly packed up his things.

While driving home, Miguel remembered that Esperanza wanted fish for dinner. She was expecting fresh fish! Miguel had spent so much money for his fishing equipment and had been so excited about fishing that he had not thought about his wife's wishes. He knew that he would not be able to return home without the anticipated fish. So, he went right away to a fish store to buy fresh fish.

During the return home, Miguel thought about what he was going to tell Esperanza. "Should I tell her that I caught the fish?"

Arriving home, Miguel told her that he had caught the fish but Esperanza knew that the fish didn't come from the river. She simply smiled at her husband and said, "You are the best fisherman of all the fishermen in the world!"

Another Spanish Short Short

El Padre Equivocado
Suzannne Casey


Diego Morales es meterológico popular de la televisión hispana en La Florida. Ha sido meterológico hace muchos años y es bien conocido por sus prognosticaciones correctas. Mucha gente hace planes por actividades al aire libre basado en las predicciones de Diego.

La familia Morales consiste en la esposa, Elena, un hijo Diego Jr., y dos hijas: Marie de diez anos y Cristina de tres anos. Los Morales tiene un perro pequeño que va con ellos a todas partes. El perro se llama Pepe.

Una vez la familia miraba la televisión mientras Diego describía el tiempo. Dijo que el día siguiente haría sol y sin la lluvia. Su familia estaba emocionada porque ellos han planeado una excursión a la playa.

La mañana próxima, todos estaban ocupados paqueando el coche con las cosas que necesitarían: sillas, comida, paraguas, juguetes y, por supuesto, Pepe. Era un sábado hermoso y había muchos coches en el autopista. Cuando llegaron a la playa los niños comenzaron a correr y Pepe saltaba con ellos en la playa. Soplaba una brisa suave y fresca del océano. La arena estaba caliente y blanda en los dedos. Pepe fue en busca de modera flotante y otras cosas apestosas.

Elena preparaba la manta y la comida y después de treinta minutos llamó a la familia venir a comer. Todos comían y descansaban por un rato cuando de repente comenzó a soplar un viento fuerte. Los platos se dadan vuelta y el paraguas se cayó. Se formaron nubes oscuras sobre el océano y había el sonido de trueno. La tormenta que se aproximaba les fascinaron a todos.

De repente vino el granizo. Los niños estaban asustados. Elena corrió al coche para subir las ventanas. Comenzó a llover, formando charcas por todas partes. Todos miraron a Señor Morales, pensando en su predicción de ayer. El no había dicho nada de una tormenta. Diego se sentía avergonzado. El "Gran Meterológico" se había equivocado.

Todos corrieron al coche donde esperaban la terminación de la tormenta. Nadie dijo algo a Señor Morales. Nadie aún pudo mirar a él. Habría mucho tiempo antes de ellos podrían creer sus prognósticos otra vez.


The Mistaken Father
Suzanne Casey

Diego Morales is a popular weather man on Spanish television in Florida. He has been a weather man for many years and is well known for his correct predictions. Many people base their plans for outdoor activities on Diego’s forecasts.

The Morales family consists of the wife, Elena, a son, Diego Jr., and two daughters: Marie age 10 and Cristiana age three. The Morales have a small dog that goes everywhere with them. The dog’s name is Pepe.

One day the family was watching the television while Diego was describing the weather. He said that the following day would be sunny and without rain. His family was excited because they had planned an outing to the beach.

The next morning everyone was busy packing the car with the things they would need: chairs, umbrella, toys and, of course, Pepe. It was a beautiful Saturday and there were many cars on the highway. When they arrived at the beach the children began to run and Pepe was jumping with them on the beach. A soft and fresh breeze was blowing from the ocean. The sand was warm and soft on their feet. Pepe went in search of driftwood and other smelly things.

Elena was preparing the blanket and the food and after 30 minutes called the family to come and eat. Everyone ate and rested for a while when suddenly a strong wind began to blow. The plates swirled and the umbrella fell. Dark clouds formed over the ocean and there was the sound of thunder. They were all mesmerized by the approaching storm.

Suddenly there was hail. The children were frightened. Elena ran to the car and put up the windows. It began to rain, forming puddles everywhere. They all looked at Mr. Morales, thinking about his forecast yesterday. He had said nothing about a storm. Diego felt ashamed. The Great Meteorologist had been mistaken.

Everyone ran to the car where they waited for the end of the storm. Nobody said anything to Mr. Morales. No one even looked at him. It would be a long time before they would be able to believe in his weather predictions once again.

Spanish Short Story: A dog named Lucky

The following short story was written by one of my Spanish II students at Midway College. It appears with the English translation below.


Mi Perro Afortunado
Sheila Holsclaw

Mi madre y yo andábamos enfrente de la tienda de mascotas rumbo a casa. Veníamos del supermercado. En el escaparate, había un perrito precioso de color blanco con manchas negras. El perrito ladraba y coleaba.

Dije a mi madre que yo quería ese perro y ella me sorprendió cuando
me dijo sí. Yo lo nombré “Afortunado.” El parece exactamente como el perro “Afortunado” en la película 101 Dalmatians.

Durante el regreso a casa pensaba en todos los hechos que yo le enseñaría a Afortunado. Por supuesto mi madre me dijo que el perro sería mi responsibilidad. Yo limpiaría el excremento que el perro deja en la casa o en la yarda. No me importaba porque quería tanto a mi perro.

Afortunado era tan divertido. En una semana le enseñé a hablar, darse la mano, y darse la vuelta. Próximo, le enseñaré a saltar por un aro. Es un perro hábil y le amo mucho.

Tuve Afortunado para dos semanas cuando él y yo estábamos en un lío. Yo olvidé poner el perrito en el patio detrás de la casa antes de ir a la escuela. Cuando mi madre y yo llegamos a casa por la tarde, descubrimos que Afortunado había destruído la sala. La ropa estuvo despersada por todas partes, y la lámpara estuvo en el suelo. La planta de mi madre se había volcada y las hojas y tierra estuvieron derremadas por toda la alfombra. Afortunado había hecho unos huecos en el sofá y varias almohadas se habían rendida a trisas.

Ay! Mamá estaba furiosa. Yo estaba triste porque la culpa era mía. Después de seis meses de entrenamiento Afortunado se hizo bien portado. Afortunado estaba para hacer algo que le ganaría su nombre.

Mamá planeó un picnic y me dijo que podía llevar Afortunado con nosotros al lago. Me emocionaba. El día hacía sol y calor. Yo fui a nadar tan pronto como salté del coche. Afortunado se quedó con Mamá mientras ella arreglaba la comida en la manta.

Yo no pagaba atención y nadé demasiado lejos de la orilla. Yo comencé a gritar ¡Socorro! ¡Socorro! Antes de saber lo que pasaba, Afortunado estuvo a mi lado, ayudándome. Yo agarré a Afortunado y él me arrastró a la orilla. Mama lloró y se rió y me daba abrasos y a Afortunado también. Ella nos dijo que nos quería mucho y consideró el nombre "Afortunado" ser perfecto para él. Ella se sonrié y me dijo que estaba feliz que yo había escogido este perrito de la tienda de mascotas. Afortunado es una parte especial de nuestra familia.


My Dog "Lucky"
Sheila Holsclaw

My Mom and I were walking by the pet shop on the way home. We were coming from the supermarket. In the display window was a cute white puppy with black spots. He was barking and wagging his tail.

I told Mom that I wanted the dog and she surprised me when she said "yes" to me. I named him Lucky. He looks exactly like Lucky in the 101 Dalmatians movie.

On the way home I thought about all the neat tricks I would teach Lucky. Of course Mom told me that the dog would be my responsibility. I'd have to clean the mess that the puppy leaves in the house or yard. It didn' matter to me because I loved my puppy so much.

Lucky was so much fun. In one week I taught him to speak, shake hands and roll over. Next I’ll teach him to jump through a hoop. He's a smart dog and I love him alot.

I had Lucky for only two weeks before he and I were in trouble. I forgot to put Lucky in the backyard before I went to school. When Mom and I arrived home in the afternoon, we discovered that Lucky had wrecked the living room. Clothes were all over the floor, the lamp was lying on the floor. Mom’s plant was turned over and leaves and dirt were all over the carpet. Lucky had even chewed holes in the couch and several pillows had been shredded.

Boy! Mom was furious. I was sad because I was to blame. After six more months of training, Lucky became well behaved. Lucky was about to live up to his name.

Mom planned a picnic and said I could take Lucky with us to the lake. I was so excited. The day was sunny and warm. I went swimming as soon as I jumped out of the car. Lucky stayed with Mom while she arranged all the food on the blanket.

I wasn’t paying attention and swam too far from the shore. I started to yell “Help, Help”. Before I knew what was happening, Lucky was at my side, helping me. I grabbed hold of Lucky and he pulled me to the shore. Mom cried and laughed and hugged me and Lucky too. She told us she loved us and that Lucky’s name was perfect for him. She smiled and said she was glad I had picked out this dog at the pet store. Lucky is a special part of our family.