What an odd day this has been. There were many phone calls made directly to the monastery or amongst parishioners to find out what the driving conditions were like. It turned out that Vancouver and all the cities between there and the monastery had a heavy snowfall while we had almost nothing. This is […]
Daily Diary
by Vladika Varlaam
SATURDAY 11 JANUARY 2020
We live in a micro climate here near Dewdney, British Columbia and today was a good example of this oddity. Half a mile to the west and there has been almost no snow. In that respect, we are very much like the British who constantly talk about the weather and, let us face it, we […]
FRIDAY 10 JANUARY 2020
It finally happened—it snowed during the night and throughout most of the day, something that should have occurred weeks ago. Now we shall be grumbling about the snowfalls and when spring will arrive. Father John and Matushka Anna Bingham of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan dropped in, much to our delight and we had so much to […]
THURSDAY 09 JANUARY 2020
Apparently the honeymoon is coming to an end with snow predicted for tonight. We have been spoiled with favourable weather, as today I saw snapdragons, pelargoniums, and a few other flowers bravely facing the winter weather in an attempt to keep our spirits up. Even the wild animals have tried to make themselves be heard […]
WEDNESDAY 08 JANUARY 2020
It was wonderful to hear from Reader Nicholas from Salt Lake City and Granny Svetlana from Volgograd, as it was from Elena from Olympia who brought along greetings from Reader James. Marina called from Edmonton but I did not quite understand if she is moving to Toronto or if she has already moved there. We […]
TUESDAY 07 JANUARY 2020
CHRIST IS BORN. GLORIFY HIM.No, we had no snow this year on this feast day but we had a bit of rain. I was sorry that I could not attend last night’s service but I knew that if I did go, it would be too exhausting this morning. Everyone told me how beautiful it was […]
MONDAY 06 JANUARY 2020
Not only did I not go outdoors today, I did not even stick my nose out the door, taking for granted what everyone told me, that is, it feels winter like and, fearing that I might fall or catch the sniffles, I stayed close to the hearth [not that we even have one in the […]
SUNDAY 05 JANUARY 2020
I honestly did not think that I would make it to church in time, as everyone had already left and I was on my own. The care giver finally came to give me some assistance but by that time I felt that perhaps there was no need to even bother, although in the end I […]
SATURDAY 04 JANUARY 2020
We had strong winds once again this evening which led us to think that there would be a power loss and even though we did not have one, it was a great reminder that winter has set in and we can expect such weather at any time. It is true that there are flowers still […]
FRIDAY, 03 JANUARY, 2020
There is a terrible storm outdoors at this moment which would be perfect for the beginning of a Grade B mystery movie as we see Count Dracula scurrying around a corner with his wide scarf turned up to cover his scarred face. And windows rattle relentlessly making us think that the panes will […]
THURSDAY 02 JANUARY 2020
When the care giver arrived this morning unannounced and called out my name, it startled me for I was not in the habit of having someone walk in unannounced and calling my name. Fortunately she was my favourite care giver, not that we are supposed to have favourites but, although she is one of the […]
WEDNESDAY 01 JANUARY 2020
I tagged along with Vladika Lazar when he went to get a prescription refilled as it gave me a chance to get out into the fresh air which was not only fresh but raining as well. Such brief outings give me the opportunity to get revitalized and ready for the next adventure. Irina made us […]
TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2019
This is the very last day of 2019 and, instead of feeling sorry for the loss of this year, it was remarkable to see a huge shrub entirely covered in yellow, no doubt a Forsythia which ordinarily blossoms out later in the winter. There was a time when week after week we kept losing our […]
MONDAY 30 DECEMBER 2019
The second to the last day of the year has come to us and we are still acting as if there are countless days ahead of us before we enter 2020. We should send out a Constant Contact to remind everyone that tomorrow night, at midnight, we will have a thanksgiving moleben which Father Moses will serve. […]
SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2019
It was such a beautiful morning, bright and sunny, with air that was crisp and invigorating, that I decided not to use the scooter to go to church and instead I walked with Andy and Andrey accompanying me. It was encouraging to see so many people in church as I took my place to hear […]
SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2019
One of the regular home care workers was here this morning, doing all that she is supposed to do, yet I felt somewhat uncomfortable after she left. An hour or two later I could scarcely endure the pain in my left foot, particularly the big toe and I could not think of any reason why […]
FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER 2019
Although we are at the very end of the month of December and the end of 2019, one can still notice how the year is struggling not to give up, an example of which are the potted flowers defying the cold and continuing to send forth the occasional flower. As well, we have not had […]
THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2019
I must have slept soundly because the very first thing I remember this morning is opening my left eye [I have no idea why I did not open both eyes at the same time] and seeing the a home care lady looking down at me and calling me by name. In a jiffy I was […]
WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2019
I awoke early to find that both Vladika Lazar and I had new home care givers, at least for this week, after all it is Christmas for everyone who celebrate it today, ranging from rigid fundamentalists to atheists. My care giver was fairly efficient while Vladika’s seemed to be lost some of the time. Lija […]
TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2019
It has been wonderfully quiet with no visitors, other than the public nurse who came to check up on me. She has been here before to check up on Vladika Lazar and it gives us great comfort to see her because she is the epitome of professionalism. This is Christmas Eve on the Gregorian calendar […]
MONDAY 23 DECEMBER 2019
My cell phone has been behaving badly and I cannot tell where the problem lies. I had a call from my cousin Zina in Saskatoon yesterday and, since then, my cell phone has been making these mysterious calls to her. There must be some logical explanation but, whatever it is, it eludes me. Gone are […]
SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER 2019
My electric scooter took me to church and people had to step aside when I drove into the church, since I did not have a chance to slow down. At least there were no collisions. Daniel brought his brother and three of their friends for the Liturgy and they also stayed for the Agape meal […]
SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2019
Our monastery roads can remind one of pictures of World War I scenes where horses were shown buried up to their knees in mud, and even worse. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but the autumn rain always plays havoc with our roads. Father Moses sent a photo he had taken of Andy with the icon […]
FRIDAY 20 DECEMBER 2019
Congratulatory emails and cards have begun to appear, each day exceeding that of the previous day. Today the postmistress emptied our post office box mail into a small shopping bag to make it easier to carry it to the Jeep, although about a third of it could have easily been thrown out without even opening […]
THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2019
I did not feel very strong this morning, so I rested and kept warm in the cottage. It was a pleasure to hear that some people came for the festive Liturgy on the feast of Saint Nicholas when Father Shio served together with Vladika Lazar. Father Moses said that he was somewhat confused when […]
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2019
Our friend Davey has bought two more trucks and is now in the process of incorporating himself into a private company. This is a comforting thought for us not only because he is a friend of the monastery, but also because if we get stranded in the middle of a snow storm, he can pull […]
TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2019
I am trying something different today by having Father Moses sitting next to me while we look up things of interest common to us such as the Old Believer headquarters in Moscow, then answering emails that we received from South America and Europe. Then, I asked him to help me with today’s Dairy entry so, […]
MONDAY 16 DECEMBER 2019
I did not intend to become a tourist guide for the cities of Colombia; that can be left up to Kyril on his return home. Meanwhile, he and his son Vanya are taking Colombia by storm and I just hope that he takes enough photos for us to look at to get a general impression […]
SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER 2019
Everyone seemed to be anxious to know how my body was reacting to the new medication I was given this week. It is probably too early to tell, but I appreciated everyone’s concern. I began hearing confessions again this morning and, after an absence of a couple of weeks, I suddenly realized its importance. […]
SATURDAY 14 DECEMBER 2019
I got more than my daily dose of oxygen today when I went with Vladika Lazar to pick up my new pain killing tablets. How else can I describe the air as being fresh and invigorating, leading me to feel much younger once again and this, in turn, enabling me to be optimistic and rejoicing […]
FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER 2019
While I am on medication, Vladika Lazar does not like to leave me alone, so when he had to go into Vancouver for a PET Scan, Father Moses came to baby sit with me. Well, perhaps it was not so much baby sitting as old people sitting which I really enjoyed because under ordinary circumstances […]
THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER 2019
This will not be the last time that I will inform you about a power outage in our neighbourhood, such as the one we had last night. After all these years, we still have not become accustomed to them, nor shall we ever. If one could find a silver lining to this episode, it would […]
WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER 2019
This day is coming to an end and I just hope that there will not be another one like it. Halycia, the homecare worker, arrived punctually to help both of us, after which we hurried to get ready to visit the Pain Clinic at the Abbotsford Hospital. What I thought was going to be a […]
TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2019
How sad it was having to leave our guests, Archbishop Irinee and Father Michael at the dining room table last evening but the pain would not allow me to remain any longer. Earlier in the day Stavroula gave me a vial of lavender oil to help me sleep and, I believe, it produced the desired […]
MONDAY 09 DECEMBER 2019
This day began with us trying to dig ourselves out of the mounds of containers, bags, boxes, etc of food that were donated to us by so many kind people who must have felt that we were starving or famished to say the least. Our first visitors of the day, Archbishop Irinee and Father Michael […]
SUNDAY 08 DECEMBER 2019
Gurdeep, the male home care worker came this morning to tend to both of our needs, starting with Vladika Lazar who left for the church as soon as Gurdeep had completed his list of chores and began on my list. I have no idea why I had been resisting his help all this while because […]
SATURDAY 07 DECEMBER 2019
As I have already mentioned, yesterday was a joyous day when I was able to visit with Steve from Chicago, David from Edmonton, and Stavroula from Virginia. Anna Altmann, my goddaughter from Vancouver Island, came today to rejoice my weary old bones, so that I have been having these precious guests rescuing me from bleak […]
FRIDAY 06 DECEMBER 2019
The visit by Steve from Chicago and David from Edmonton last night, no matter how brief, was such a great joy and I am certain that it enabled me to have a restful sleep because I was awakened suddenly by one of the care people who caught me off guard, not knowing what to ask […]
THURSDAY 05 DECEMBER 2019
You can imagine how little it takes to confuse me concerning the calendar dates, and this one was no exemption. By the time I was ready to turn out the light and by 7 am the caregiver was here to offer assistance, so I need not suggest how confusing the day was with so little […]
WEDNESDAY 04 DECEMBER 2019
The pain was so exhausting that I could not attend the Divine Liturgy but, as the day progressed, the pain lessened and by evening it was quite bearable. In fact, a number of people dropped in for a visit and I found their stay to be enjoyable. Later Vladika Lazar took me out for a […]
TUESDAY 03 DECEMBER 2019
Perhaps it is still too early to say if the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting twins but there must be thousands of phones already too hot to handle because of the constant usage concerning this particular news item. How about leaving your phone in the deep freeze for a few minutes before it melts down? […]
MONDAY 02 DECEMBER 2019
Alysha , the care helper, came at midmorning to help Vladika Lazar and this time my name was added to her list of clients. This pleased me no end, as I have difficulty in putting on socks and other light tasks that will undoubtedly become more of a problem with time. Trevor, a professional nurse, […]
SUNDAY 01 DECEMBER 2019
Some of the medication I take clouds my mind and I cannot recall if I have already written an entry for the day or not. So, forgive me if I at times repeat myself. To give you an example of how my brain is temporarily functioning, I wondered why there were so many people in […]
SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2019
I think that I had made a half promise to no longer write about my aches and pains but today was an exceptional day with pain exceeding that of any other day. I was asked if I would like to be placed in palliative care and I refused, at least for the time being. I […]
FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2019
Here it is, Saturday evening, and I have been told that there was no diary entry for yesterday. I was so certain that I had made one and sent it on to Vladika Lazar to post, but chances are, I simply forgot about it. I had my last radiation therapy and there is not much […]
THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2019
Now that we have begun the Nativity Fast, let us take it seriously. Remember that the fasts are not here to punish us, but rather to strengthen us, to enlighten us and to bring us to a true spiritual frame of mind. The average person will probably think, “What does all that mean?” To the spiritually […]
WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2019
BRRRRRR!!! That is the best way to describe today’s weather. Bright—yes. Sunny—yes. Windy—yes. Pleasant—no. Allow me to repeat myself—BRRRR. Perhaps a lot of this has to do with one’s attitude—yes. Now we can turn our attention to the use of complete sentences. In order to complete today’s procedure, I was given a strong dose of […]
TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2019
I had forgotten how friendly and polite people are at the Cancer Clinic, that is, both staff and patients. It is almost as if there is a competition to see who would be first to open doors for those in wheelchairs or to do other acts of kindness. This can really be a reassurance of […]
MONDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2019
Getting up earlier than usual was not easy but we managed to get everything coordinated. I had to be at the Cancer Clinic for the second session, so to make a simple story more complicated, three of us ended up at the clinic. The best news of the day was being visited by the public […]
SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2019
We were warned that the good weather would not last forever and, indeed, it did not, for today brought forth a damp chilliness that made itself known as soon as one stepped outside. Yet, the adventuresome soul would no doubt have found it to be brisk and full of autumnal joy, at least that is […]