three years, five months, and nine days ago...

Thanks, Victoria for passing on this photo. Look how young Jesse looks! Fr. Dennis looks a little different too!

Our friend Ryan Szarko made these icon-printed t-shirts and gave them as gifts to me, for being the sponsor for his chrismation, and also to Krista, Fr. Phillip, and Fr. Dennis for their encouragement along the way. We've really enjoyed getting to know Ryan this past year since he wandered into St. Herman's for the Litya of Palm Sunday Vespers last year. He is a multi-talented, all-around good guy, who, in addition to creating these wearable holy images is finishing his Master's in Speech Pathology, is an accomplished musician, and also teaches aquasize!

Here you can see Krista's shirt picturing St. Seraphim of Sarov during his thousand days of prayer on the rock.




And here's yours truly, wearing the image of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner, which was very fitting since I'm currently reading Bulgakov's book on St. John, Friend of the Bridegroom.

Thanks, Ryan, for these thoughtful gifts.

H2O and the Waters of Remembrance

This past weekend I walked with Krista along the banks of frozen Lac Beauvert. {At least, it was mainly frozen. Every once in a while we would hear sharp rumbling noises as the ice cleaved and cracked.} We were there as guests of Krista’s parents, who had brought us to the venerable Jasper Park Lodge, as a generous family Christmas gift. It was here, over a weekend when we remember the renewal of all creation in Christ – commemorated by the blessing of water – that I had the chance to reflect upon the goodness of the past two weeks.

We were out in BC for ten days with family and friends: carols with my Mom and Dad, Vancouver with Kim, Deep Cove with Ryan Wugalter and my good old friend Erik Hermans (who I haven't seen in years), walks at Cultus Lake with the Lanteignes, and, of course the Jordans' epic New Years’ party. It was a Psalm 133-type of holiday, in that the goodness of simply being together broke up most of the clouds of gloom that often attempts to haunt holidays with family and friends.


Krista and I skipping stones with Amy and our Godson Owen Lanteigne at Cultus Lake.

It is intriguing to me how much of our liturgical worship focuses on water. Not surprisingly, most of the 32 readings for Theophany are entirely centred upon images of water. Likewise each Vespers (for the day begins at sundown) lifts up Psalm 104, rehearsing how God provides water for all of His Creation. From each of our own places of imprisonment we have been offered a "way out," literally an exodos through "water and the spirit."

Some years ago, Ivan Illich wrote a compelling essay entitled "H2O and the Waters of Forgetfulness." in which he contrasts mere "H2O" to the allusive element we call "water." His argument highlighted our constant temptation to reduce the good through comodification. In myth and Scripture, water takes on a much more potent, and polyvalent meaning than simply its chemical ingredients. In Genesis, as in Gilgamesh, water stands for chaos. But it is also charged with holiness as it close to death and life. It is the void out of which dry land is redeemed. The sea usually takes on this chaotic character. It is wild, untamable and free. Rivers are places of transformation - often cleansing and healing (think of the Jordan River or the River that flows through the New Jerusalem). This year, storms compromised the city of Vancouver's water, forcing millions to change their daily routines and stand in temporary solidarity with those for whom clean water is a luxury.

So I raise a glass (of water) to our dear friends and family near and far. With the Feast!

The Trees are Glad You're Back

Krista and I have been listening to our friend Amy's new album The Trees Are Glad You're Back since Saturday night. In honour of the title, we dropped by her new place last night with a spruce-scented candle (and to pick up a few more cd's for friends). Anyway, these songs are excellent, and rightly garnering some critical acclaim. Here's what CKUA's Luka Symons had to say when Amy was her feature artist on Nightcap October 12th:

"Take a piano. Put it in your living room by the wood burning stove. But not too close. And write. Write until you can't help but want to play the songs outside of your living room. That's Amy Seeley. Originally hailing from Montana but now calling Edmonton home, The Trees Are Glad You're Back just out on Shameless Records is the first full-length release by this budding piano songstress. Here is a gifted songwriter, crafting painfully vulnerable reflections with an uncanny sense of dignity. Her captivating performances continually strike and emotional nerve with her audience. Trees gives listeners the heartbreaking magic they have come to hope for in any Seeley tale."

Congratulations, Amy!

good times with old friends...

I had a meeting out in east central Alberta tonight, so I stopped in Wainwright this afternoon to take a look at some buildings and also to catch up with some good old friends. Ryan is the pastor of the Nazarene Church there and we've been friends since camp days as kids back in BC. His gracious friendship has continued to be a blessing to me over the years, and visits with him are always life-giving for me somehow. We met up at the Church (which is launching expansion plans - the drawings looked quite beautiful), toured the new home he and Rachelle and the boys have built and are just about ready to move into, and then went for coffee. While we were visiting, lo and behold my good friend and college roommate Sean walked by outside! Brilliant. I'd been hoping to see him, so I dashed out and got his attention. Sean teaches Grade Six there in Wainwright, and is quite a gifted apiarist, amongst other things. He joined us for coffee, and we caught up a bit and just enjoyed the slow ryhthms of afternoon coffee that takes place in all small towns, everywhere. We joked at the high number of Nazarenes teaching in the elementary school there... nine? ten?! All in all, it was very good. No anxieties, no pressures. No earth-shattering news. Just life, together, as it comes, and the goodness of being with people who you know and who know you in return.

Dutch Blitz with Genius Friends

What follows is a pleasant domestic and non-philosophical post, somewhat random...

Here's our lovely Victorian friends Mira and Matthew D. in our dining room, getting ready for an exhilarating round of Dutch Blitz. As I recall, Mira won, and Krista came in second, with the two sorry gentlemen following accordingly. Matthew D., however, raised our Dutch Blitz playing to the next level by teaching us how to 'stack' the card in our post piles... "whoa!" this is a whole new world. Sweet.

Krista took this other shot, so here you get the whole sweep of the Dutch Blitz game, as well as our dining room. As you can see, these days both the theoloblogger and I are sporting whiskers. One real joy of the weekend was, after Matthew and Mira left, listening to Matthew's 2003 cd "The Waiting Place," which is absolutely beautiful, and features this astonishing piano piece with footsteps layered over it. They also left a few lines of Czeslaw Milsoz on our blackboard guestbook. We are truly blessed in our friendships.

And, just for fun... here are some trees from our camping trip at Pidgeon Lake a few weeks back.

Krista's away at the Women's retreat this weekend... I will doubtless stay up far too late and eat too much ice cream. Good books are helping... The Tables of the Law continues to be great, and I've also finally cracked open Beauty of the Infinite. That should pretty much describe my weekend...

Pictures from Last Weekend

Colleen and Sven on their wedding day. I've known Colleen for ten years now, since I was a student at good ole' CNC The wedding took place in Colleen's gradma's beautiful back garden. Aren't they lovely?

Derek & Sandra, enjoying the party.



Here's Leon Isaac Brower, aka, Lev, aka Lyova, son to Sandra and Derek, Godson to me. Krista and I had such a great time getting to know this bright little guy over the weekend. He, meanwhile, was a real trooper after being diagnosed with chicken pox!

Derek and our good friend John, in deep conversation. On Tuesday, I met up with these two again for our Calgary Burger Challenge. Not surprisingly, Boogie's Burger's came out on top.

Later...

A Prairie Road East...

Bright and early tommorrow morning, Krista and I are hitting the open road - the Yellowhead Highway east for Saskatoon. We're heading to the "City of Wonder," my sweet girl's hometown for the wedding of our friends Rachel and Micah. What a joy to see these two get married! As the Orthodox service says, may the Lord, "Crown them with glory and honour." And it also happens to be our first anniversary, so we'll do a little celebrating, too.

See you next week...

The Baptism of Owen Lanteigne

This past Sunday Krista and I became Godparents to Owen Pierre Edward Lanteigne. We flew on Thursday morning to Abbotsford, BC and soaked in the lush verdant green of the Fraser Valley as we landed. We stayed with Mom and Dad out in Chilliwack, who live just around the corner from Owen's parents - our awesome friends Gabe and Amy. It was a great honour when he and Amy asked us both to serve as Godparents to their first son.

The weekend turned out to be a great rest for us from our usual routines here in Edmonton. Krista has just finished her clinical placement, and I've recently started my new job, so it was nice to get a little break before the summer. Krista started her new summer job at the Royal Alex. Hospital yesterday! We spent some time with my brother Jeff and Catherine and the kids on Saturday morning after breakfast with our incredible friend Ryan Wugalter, and were able to attend Vespers on Saturday night at Saint Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church in Langley, where the next morning Owen was baptized and chrismated (anointed with holy chrism - a special holy oil made by the Bishops each year with fragrant spices). I held him during most of these prayers. After the actual baptism, Krista held Owen as we processed with Fr. Lawrence around the font three times.

After church, Kurt and Victoria hosted a BBQ at their place. I drove back to Chilliwack with Kim and Gabe Friesen (Krista went with Amy and Ryan's girlfriend Katie), and there we had a good ole' party, and then Krista and I headed off for our flight home. Soaring over the sea of jagged mountains, I watched Fox News Sunday and the latest whirl of news from Washington, DC swam by me.

This poem seems fitting. The beginning of a new life, an old poet reflecting on newness in ripe old age (Thanks Victoria for this).

Late Ripeness

Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year,
I felt a door opening in me and I entered
the clarity of early morning.

One after another my former lives were departing,
like ships, together with their sorrow.

And the countries, cities, gardens, the bays of seas
assigned to my brush came closer,
ready now to be described better than they were before.

I was not separated from people,
grief and pity joined us.
We forget - I kept saying - that we are all children of the King.

For where we come from there is no division
into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be.

We were miserable, we used no more than a hundredth part
of the gift we received for our long journey.

Moments from yesterday and from centuries ago -
a sword blow, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror
of polished metal, a lethal musket shot, a caravel
staving its hull against a reef - they dwell in us,
waiting for a fulfillment.

I knew, always, that I would be a worker in the vineyard,
as are all men and women living at the same time,
whether they are aware of it or not.

- Czeslaw Milosz

Angus, a.k.a. "T-Bone"

I was pretty blessed with the guys that stood up for me when I was married to Krista. Mike was up here this weekend, and we went to see him and his awesome band "The Wheat Pool" at Sidetrack. Later we sat around the fire with friends and it was so good. Mike sang a few songs at our wedding. Including, "Three in One," which has pretty potent words about the Trinitarian nature of marriage, as well as another song that I just love that he wrote for another friend of our's wedding, but that really means a lot to me. It has a line in it that goes, "when I woke from the longest sleep I took the Greyhound through the night / to the Alberta border where God and man collide." Amen.