It became so warm that windows had to be opened and air conditioning turned on in the Jeep. Someone might wonder why it had to be turned on instead of opening the windows, and the answer is that the vehicle is impossibly hot if left in the sun and the air conditioning gives some immediate […]
Vladika Varlaam’s Daily Diary
Sunday, March 17, 2019
The temperature was at least 20 degrees [C] today [about 70 degrees F], allowing us to feel the spirit of spring amidst us. The service, about four and a half hours from beginning to end, was inspiring and passed so quickly that time had no meaning whatsoever. Father Shio and his congregation joined us in […]
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Some university professors paid Vladika Lazar a visit early this morning and also took some of the books we had published. It was good to see them again, as Vladika always enjoys an intellectual or theological discussion. We had a baptism this morning followed by a lenten reception with many interesting people, including the baby’s […]
Friday, March 15, 2019
As some of you might have noticed, there were no diary entries for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because our cables were cut by a huge gravel truck and when the repair truck arrived, it had only small house ladder that was of no use whatsoever. They then planned to come a day later but […]
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Ordinarily, I would have thought that changing the time would prevent me from having any sound sleep but, on the contrary, I slept very soundly, even though it was somewhat of a struggle to get up when it was still dark, having had the advantage of rising to a sunny, or at least a light, […]
Saturday, March 9, 2019
I am glad that the care helper came early this morning for Vladika Lazar, as Igor was ready to pick us up and to drive us to his home in Coquitlam where his wife Galina, all their children, as well as Deacon Markel and his wife Raisa were waiting for us to arrive for the […]
Friday, March 8, 2019
As I had probably mentioned before, the Mission Community Services sends a woman each Friday to clean the cottage. The previous woman used to spend about thirty five minutes and then leave, while our new one spends a full two hours, which is what they are allotted. She is excellent, and the floor, the counters […]
March 1-7, 2019
I was up early this morning to get ready for a visit to my eye specialist in Abbotsford and Father Moses agreed to accompany me. As we began to cross the Fraser River, the gentle snow suddenly turned into a wall of white, making it almost impossible to see ahead and remember, this was on […]
Thursday, February 28, 2019
A Constant Contact bulletin was sent today concerning the upcoming services and notification about the Presanctified Liturgy to be served during Great Lent. Please read it carefully. If, on the other hand, you have not been receiving our Constant Contact, please inform us and we will gladly add your email to the list. That way, […]
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
We had a most unusual morning, as people arrived for a memorial service and at the same time, another person came because it was her birthday and she wanted to light a candle and pray, so we tended to her needs first and sang Many Years, then proceeded to the memorial service. It really was […]
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Our dear friend, the sun, favoured us today with its warmth, but the unwelcome cold wind did not abate, so while we were in the sun we did not want to step out into the strong wind. [Just as I was writing now, I heard a snap and immediately I knew that a mouse had […]
Monday, February 25, 2019
Something in today’s gorgeous weather with the bright sunshine enveloping us in its warm embrace sent me a sudden jolt of energy, as if I could take on the entire world. Well, that is an exaggeration, but it is interesting to note how one can so suddenly and easily be energized to accomplish that which […]
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Some heat had been left on in the church, so that when we arrived in the morning it was not freezing as it had been on other occasions. After the Agape meal, we served an akathist to the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon in Slavonic at which a good number of people came to participate […]
Saturday, February 23, 2019
The man who had cut down some of our trees came this morning to ask if he could unload chips from the trees and branches that he is cutting down in nearby Deroche. Naturally, I felt compelled to be amusing, so I asked him, “What kind of chips—wood or potato?” Perhaps it was not all […]
Friday, February 22, 2019
We knew that snow had been forecast, but we did not realize how heavy it would be, for some of the flakes were the size of loonies [for the benefit of non-Canadians, a loonie is a large one dollar coin with a Canadian bird, a loon, depicted on one side]. The baptism had been scheduled […]
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Greetings to all you nice people in Leduc, Alberta, who can now follow this diary and learn what we are up to each day, some days being absolutely quiet, while others are churning with activity. I drove Vladika Lazar for his regular therapy in the afternoon and was amazed to find out that he walked […]
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
With one exception, we were strengthened by today’s beautiful weather, that is, a bright sun, yet enough clouds to occasionally cover some of the lower mountains which made us once again realize how the original inhabitants of this area, whom we call First Nations, regarded all clouds with great awe. Irina and Alexander came for […]
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
The gloomy day that it was today could have been depressing but, really, it was quite the opposite. It seems to me that one should attempt to see the brighter side of things and, in this case, one could see beauty in the morning mist, the silvery low hanging clouds, the alternating snow and rain, […]
Monday, February 18, 2019
Today is a public holiday in British Columbia—Family Day. I do not recall when it was introduced but it is popular, since it is always on a Monday, thus giving everyone a long weekend. Here at the monastery, it was scarcely noticed, although I am certain that most of our people were pleased to have […]
Sunday, February 17, 2019
What a gorgeous day! The bright sun welcomed us and, even though it was somewhat cool, the snow began to melt and it felt like spring, although officially, spring is not yet here. Vladika Lazar and Deacon Markel served the Divine Liturgy during which one year old Taisia continued to progress in her newly acquired […]
Saturday, February 16, 2019
We had an attractive day with the temperature above zero and the snow gradually melting. Once again, people came bearing food—vegetables, fruit, bread, tea, a variety of sweets and some baked goods such as mushroom and potato pirog [pie] and spanakopita, including borshch and a variety of cheeses. One family came with their two daughters, […]
Friday, February 15, 2019
This day began with the celebration of the feast of The Meeting Of The Lord In The Temple. Even though some heat had been left on overnight, it was still quite cool in church. Although the weather was not cooperative, a number of people came for the feast. Vladika Lazar served together with Deacon Markel […]
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Today’s entry begins with a familiar episode. We had no water in the morning and, since Vladika Lazar had an appointment with his dentist, we were unable to wash up properly. These problems with the electricity and water have become so familiar and occurred so often that we are taking them in our stride. On […]
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
What a feeling of freedom and euphoria I felt as I drove Vladika Lazar for his regular therapy. Driving along our highway, so familiar and picturesque, it was splendid after having been house bound due to the inclement weather. I sometimes wonder if perhaps I should have been a taxi driver. Stavroula informed us of […]
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
What can I say about today? Not very much. It began to snow last night, continued throughout the night and for most of today. Both Andy and Davey came separately to clear our road, but I was not anxious to attempt to drive. Schools and other institutions were closed and we, too, stayed put, as […]
Monday, February 11, 2019
I found today to be enlightening, as I discovered how difficult it must be for many people to drive to the monastery from downtown Vancouver and even farther. Taking Vladika Lazar with me as a navigator, we set out for the city with me behind the steering wheel and enjoying it. There was not a […]
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Would we lose our power again today? You will find out in a minute. Most people came to church wearing their warmest jackets and coats, gloves and scarves, all of which were necessary for the cold weather, as the wind was still blowing strongly. I was amazed to see how many braved the weather. All […]
Saturday, February 9, 2019
The evil and piecing wind that began last night did not let up at all. At about five in the morning we lost our power but it returned quickly then, throughout the rest of the day, we kept losing it, sometimes for only a minute or two, other times even less until evening when it […]
Friday, February 8, 2019
The snow that was promised did not appear, so it made it that much easier to drive to Maple Ridge where we had accepted an invitation for lunch. This city, once having had a rural feeling, is now series upon series of townhouses bought by those escaping the monumental housing prices in Vancouver. On the […]
Thursday, February 7, 2019
As many of you may recall, immediately behind the monastery buildings is a tall granite cliff, partially covered with moss and small plants, while the rest is bare rock. Lower down we find many maple trees. Today I noticed several long icicles on the cliff that were created by water gently pouring down after the […]
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
A beautiful day it has been, more so with the abundance of water available to us. It feels like a life of luxury. We consulted an immigration lawyer concerning Father Shio’s stay in Canada and, to our great amazement, the young woman looked familiar which was understandable, as we had baptized her little son some […]
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
It finally happened! First, the power returned and we had light and warmth, that is, since yesterday. Gloom hung over our heads as we were threatened with days of existence without water. Thanks to Andy, the water supply was restored and we could do such simple things as washing our hands and faces, something that […]
Monday, February 4, 2019
Today we had to answer for our smugness about the mild winter that we had been experiencing. Sunday’s wind became ferocious and, even though we had little snow, the sound of the furious wind kept increasing while we kept hoping that it would abate at least somewhat. Dawn came and we were left with no […]
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Our unbelievable warm winter disappeared rapidly, in the blinking of an eye, that is, almost before our very eyes. We knew that the mild weather would end one day and so it did. A cold front from the north broke through and came roaring down the Fraser Valley from Hope to Vancouver, frightening all of […]
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Saturday is generally a day of rest for most people, but a couple of men chose to spend the entire day working here at the monastery. There is always so much to be done and we appreciate whatever help we get. These same helpers joined us at the readers’ stand for Vespers and, truly, the […]
Friday, February 1, 2019
For quite some time we have been concerned about cleaning under the kitchen sink. This problem might sound trivial, but neither of us can bend down enough to tackle this task, so when the cleaning woman arrived at noon, we asked her if she would mind carrying out this chore. What a splendid job she […]
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Soon after I arose this morning, I could hear an odd sound, as if someone was tossing lumber off a pickup and, when I ventured out to see for myself, it was pallets being stacked for future use in storing chopped wood to keep it off the ground. This is an excellent idea because here, […]
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
As it so often happens, visitors asked to have a moleben served which I am always pleased to do. In addition, there were many emails that had to be answered, as I hate to postpone the answering in fear of forgetting all about them, yet each person deserves a prompt response. Yesterday I neglected to […]
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
It was a delight to have received an email from Ekaterina in Moscow, responding to my own previous email in which I thanked her and Mikhail for their generosity and kindness. We will post the aerial photograph they took of the monastery from a different angle and I hope that all of you will like […]
Monday, January 28, 2019
Although I missed this morning’s sunrise, others, who observed it, were enthralled by its beauty. I have no idea why the sky and clouds were filled with a palette full of hues and colours, but everyone was deeply impressed. I think that a couple of photos will appear with this diary entry today. Since this […]
Sunday, January 27, 2019
When I awoke this morning, my first thought was about the weather and whether it would be sunny and warm. There really was no reason to think about it, for it was another great day. The church was comfortably warm without any heat, so I removed my outer sweater, then the heavy woollen vest. When […]
Saturday, January 26, 2019
This has been another perfectly warm day and our biggest surprise was the strong scent of the sarcococca that came from behind the holy well. At first I refused to believe that it could be the fragrant bush, as it does not open its tiny flowers until the end of February or the beginning of […]
Friday, January 25, 2019
Today we commemorate Saint Tatiana and so we would like to congratulate all those who have this name and wish them a prosperous and peaceful life, good health and success in all things. We were most pleased with the new woman who was sent to us by our local community services, mainly to assist Vladika […]
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Lija, Galina and Elena arrived at noon to do as much house work as they could, for little has been done for the past couple of weeks or so. They vacuumed, dusted, and scrubbed until everything shone. They were going to prepare lunch for us, but our mysterious lady was here early in the morning […]
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Vladika Lazar and I drove to the Abbotsford Hospital where he had an appointment for a check up. I dropped him off at the main entrance, then proceeded to find a parking spot, but nothing could be found nearby, so I drove around for a while and finally decided to stop at one of the […]
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
At the crack of dawn, before I even arose, a telephone call advised me of an appointment made for me in mid February with a cardiologist before the undertaking of a hip replacement. This is what I have been waiting for and it has finally arrived, although the operation itself is still some time in […]
Monday, January 21, 2019
After a busy weekend, I continue to feel somewhat tired, yet exhilarated and energized by all that had taken place—many people, conversations with new acquaintances, the blessing of the water in the stream and, most important of all, the services that brought us such joy. By contrast, today was so quiet and uneventful that I […]
Sunday, January 20, 2019
The time to rise came early while it was still dark outside, but there could be no lingering, as the services were soon to begin. We had a Serbian Slava in the morning. Let me explain what that is. Instead of each person having a personal patron saint, the Serbs have one for the […]
Saturday, January 19, 2019
We celebrated the feast of the Baptism of our Lord, and all day I kept thinking that it was Sunday. Vladika Lazar was assisted by Father Shio of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Father Alexey and Deacon Markel who has just returned from a tropical vacation. The church was filled with worshippers, many of whom came […]
Friday, January 18, 2019
I cannot explain what is happening concerning our weather. It is almost February and even today I saw some blooming rosebushes. This is unheard of at this time of the year. Perhaps we will be punished later with terrible snow storms. Meanwhile, let us enjoy this spring like weather. Although few came for the service […]