I was hurrying this morning to meet with people who were on their way for confessions and others needs, so I casually asked Vladika Lazar what he would like for breakfast. Knowing that there was little time left, we agreed on a pancake which is easy to make in a hurry. All went well until […]
Vladika Varlaam’s Daily Diary
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
I had to drive to Abbotsford this afternoon and, as Vladika Lazar was occupied, he suggested that I take Father Moses along, which I did. It is interesting to hear his commentaries, as we drive along, on various buildings, such as the one that looks like a wooden apple box [as they used to make […]
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
We had another power outage and, as annoying as it was, it did not last too long. Andy was told that a garbage dump trunk overturned not far from us when an oncoming car had made a wrong turn and was speeding forward. The truck had upset and was lying turned over in the ditch, […]
Monday, January 14, 2019
Today is the beginning of the new year on the Julian calendar, not to be confused with the start of the Church calendar in September. If the rest of the winter continues as it has been lately, we will be in for some surprises. Today I noticed, once again, the cherry trees beginning to […]
Sunday, January 13, 2019
It is always a joy to be present at the Divine Liturgy and today was no exception. I am certain that many might consider our services to be lengthy, but I find that the time passes so quickly that suddenly it is time for Holy Communion and, shortly after, we are already reading the prayers […]
Saturday, January 12, 2019
It is Vladika Lazar’s birthday today and he has turned 78 and, in spite of the strokes and cancer operation, he is getting healthier each week. He walks more freely and is completely independent in almost everything and, as proof, he served twice last Sunday. People have been kind and have been sending him emails, […]
Friday, January 11, 2019
It has been very quiet here at the monastery and Father Shio is away in Calgary where he will serve a liturgy tomorrow, then he will fly back to Abbotsford. Joanna dropped in, bring us presents and coffee, and also wondering why the monastery seemed to be deserted. I am sure that things will get […]
Thursday, January 10, 2019
It was about 10 or 11 degrees Celsius today so that the air was fairly warm although partially filled with smoke from our neighbour’s yard where all the cuttings from the trees are burning. I did not mind because it reminded me of the smoked scented air in spring when we burn whatever was left […]
Wednesday, January 09, 2019
We had two power outages which fortunately lasted for just a few minutes. The most annoying thing about them is having to readjust the electric clocks. It seems that some work was being done and power had to be briefly turned off. Kirill, who is vacationing in Malaysia, is worried about our trash possibly piling […]
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
So much has happened over the past few days that I am having difficulty in recalling details of the events. Needless to say, this festive season has been remarkable, with so many people coming to the monastery and the weather holding out splendidly. Today felt colder but we had no snow, although neighbouring Abbotsford did […]
Monday, January 07, 2019
CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! The alarm rang early this morning and I could have easily turned over and gone back to sleep, but that would be impossible, for this is the great feast of the Nativity of Christ. Once again, we had a joint service with the Georgians in the old church which […]
Sunday, January 06, 2019
Since I am writing this entry on Monday in the evening, I have to think carefully about yesterday’s events. You might wonder why I am late with the dairy, it is because yesterday was so full of events that my mind was still very active late in the evening and I was also extremely tired. […]
Saturday, January 05, 2019
A young man dropped by this morning, asking if could chop some wood for us to which we readily agreed, although he soon had to leave because of a large tree being cut down in that vicinity and it would have been dangerous for him to remain there. Naina tends to the perpetual burning lights […]
Friday, January 4, 2019
I had a terrible shock early this morning when I heard a loud dull sound, like something crashing and, as I leapt out of bed as quickly as possible, considering my physical condition, I feared the worst, that Vladika Lazar had fallen and perhaps upset a piece of furniture and possibly injured himself. My mind […]
Thursday, January 03, 2019
The tree cutter continues his work, even in the heavy rain. The snow and heavy winds did not develop, for which we are grateful. I was pleased to see that Vladika Lazar is progressing in his therapy, lifting 70 pound weights, whereas he could only do 40 pounds earlier. As well he is walking more […]
Wednesday, January 02, 2019
The day seemed to be uneventful until Vladika Lazar glanced at the calendar and suddenly realized that he had a doctor’s appointment and we had only thirty minutes to get ready and to drive into town. But, we made it, with even a couple of minutes to spare [and no speeding on the road]. The […]
Tuesday, January 01, 2019
The first day of 2019 has come and gone, meanwhile, we are not fully recovered after last night’s Moleben for the new year which was celebrated in tranquility and deep serenity. I did not get to bed until about 4:30 in the morning and, in about an hour and a half, I was attacked by […]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2018
This last day of 2018 was ideal, warm by winter standards, enough sun and many thoughts about the entire past year. In a few minutes we will be going to the new church to celebrate the new civil year, remembering, meanwhile, that the Church’s new year begins in September. It has been a good year, […]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2018
It has been another nice day with the weather nice, warm enough, and the sun coming out in the afternoon. What more can one ask for? Misha is still not feeling well, so Andy started a fire in the hall, just enough to keep us comfortable for the Agape meal. The Liturgy was combined with […]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2018
Once again Andy was feeding branches into the wood chipper which made a lot of noise, although it was a welcome sound, since there is a little mountain of these branches gathered from the previous storms, waiting to be turned into mulch. Some sympathetic Roman Catholics came for Vespers and they seem to have appreciated […]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2018
Our first visitor this morning told us of the snow that had begun to fall not far from us. I did not want to hear that, but when the snow reached us, it was mixed with rain and, in a while, there was no snow at all. I had more than enough of my share […]
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2018
The first visitors arrived before noon, our friends from Washington, whom we have not seen for many years. Such reunions are joyful as we can renew our relationship. They spent most of the time with Vladika Lazar, as I was engaged with other visitors. Davey brought along a tree cutter who had done work for […]
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2018
I was awakened early when an acquaintance phoned to say that he would like to drop in for a few minutes, so I had to hurry to receive him. Indeed, it was a short, but pleasant, visit. I photographed a number of flowers that were still thriving, before they succumb to winter’s cold, and I […]
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018
As much as I would have liked to sleep a little longer this morning, I could not, for we had to get ready for a baptism. Father Shio and Subdeacon Andrey were present to help us and, after greeting the baptismal group and explaining the the procedure to all of them, we went to the […]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2018
My monthly trip to the chiropractor this morning might be the last one, as I am not certain that the spinal decompression is needed. If it is, I can always return for more treatments. This is Christmas Eve for the heterodox including those Orthodox Christians who follow the papal calendar. I can scarcely wait until […]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2018
Winter solstice has come and gone, the days be coming longer each day, although it is yet too soon to notice any change, still, knowing that we are on an upswing, so to speak, makes us feel better. The Divine Liturgy, at least in my opinion, was served well with the greater part of the […]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2018
We had the coolest day temperature today at about 3 degrees Celsius, but it really did not feel that cold. In fact, we were promised some snow which did not appear, yet sooner or later we will have a snow storm. For the first time since last winter, I had to turn on the heater […]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2018
The night was spent in almost total darkness, with only a little lamp giving off a tiny bit of light. Morning came and there was still no power, so we drove to town, mainly to have something hot to drink and a smidgen of food to eat. It was interesting to watch how carefully all […]
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018
Today’s entry is being written on Friday, 21 December, because it was impossible to get it ready yesterday. We had our first [and let us hope the last] Pineapple Express of the season. This occurs when there is a powerful disturbance in the southern areas of the Pacific and hurricane strength winds come rushing toward […]
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2018
Memory of our Holy Wonderworker Nicholas remains as strong as ever, and especially on this day when we celebrate his remarkable life and what he has handed down to us over the centuries. We were unable to have a Divine Liturgy served today, although people did come to pray and light candles in the church. […]
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018
What can I say about today’s weather? We had intermittent sun, clouds, drizzles, heavy rain, light winds and much more, but fortunately no snow. Actually, we were wondering if there would be enough water in the stream for the Theophany blessing and immersion that so many look forward to. That is more than a month […]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018
As I had mentioned previously, Father Moses does not celebrate his birthday, only his name day, in the traditional Orthodox Christian manner but this year it has been different. Last night a small non birthday supper was served, while today a number of people came, again to prepare a large supper for him which he […]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2018
We were told that the installation of new windows in the hall has made a great difference in the retention of heat. A small fire was started in the stove and even in later afternoon, there was still no chill in the large space. Thinking back on past years, the cold seeped right through the […]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2018
This day began and ended on a bright note. After a stormy night, we were prepared for a pleasant event in the morning, the baptism of seven month old Diomid who was cheerful throughout the service, except for being startled by the triple immersion in the baptismal water. His sister Elena was baptized here two […]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2018
A strong wind has arisen and there is a possibility of a storm, so I hope that we do not lose our power once again, although the lights did blink a couple of times. This is becoming a nuisance but there is little that we can do about it. There has been a good […]
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2018
It has been a repetition of yesterday, only today we spent much more time at the hospital. I will not complain because all these procedures are necessary. In between appointments we had lunch at the hospital coffee shop where the woman in charge has always been kind to us. While sitting and waiting, there were […]
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
Even though it was drizzling, we greeted today with joy, after last night’s experience without power. Much of the day was spent on appointments at the hospital, the Wound Clinic and therapy. I am glad to say that Vladika Lazar’s infection has greatly improved. While he was being examined, I found time to visit my […]
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2018
Some of you have wondered what happened to Tuesday’s entry and I shall explain. The day began as usual, with another trip to the hospital for another antibiotic procedure, then back to the monastery to finish the calendar and to tidy up several other minor matters. All went well until about six o’clock when we […]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2018
I dropped Vladika Lazar off at the Emergency Room at the Mission Hospital, not that there was any emergency, but that was where he had to go for another antibiotic procedure. Meanwhile, I drove up and down, around and around, looking for a place to park. Finally I found a spot behind the hospital and […]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2018
A steady drizzle of rain the entire day did not keep the people away, although Vladika Lazar was absent because of his injured foot. It was touching to have two babies, Roman who was baptized last week and Sergey, baptized yesterday, held by their parents at the front of the church as people came up […]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2018
We were prepared for snow and other forms of bad weather but nothing materialized. Andy started a fire in the stove in the hall, also the old church was warmed up for the baptism that was to take place. Soon, the guests arrived and we baptized little Sergey who was joyful throughout the ceremony although […]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2018
We have been warned that there might be some snow overnight and, worse still, freezing rain tomorrow. What else can we expect, after all, it is winter. It has taken almost a year to cut up the trees and branches that were knocked down by the last freezing rain storm we had and only this […]
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018
I had hoped to go to bed early last night for a good night’s rest but, as usual, I retired late. Since I am a light sleeper, I could hear Vladika Lazar getting out of his bed and walking to the bathroom. Suddenly there was a cry for help from him and I arose as […]
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018
The wind blew heavily throughout the night causing the outdoor chimes to ring out clearly and sharply. There seemed to be nothing to indicate that we would have a repeat performance of yesterday’s power failure. I scarcely stepped out of bed this morning when we once again lost our power. At least it was after […]
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2018
On this day’s feast of The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple we had a quiet and simple celebration in which Vladika Lazar not only served the Liturgy, but even the proskomedia which he has not done in over fourteen months, another major victory. It was cold in the church, as no heat […]
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2018
It was of no purpose to think about a quiet and peaceful morning, as we had to drive into town where, after dealing with some necessary tasks, I wanted to quickly drop into a newly opened store for some purchases of groceries and dry goods. It was difficult to resist the bargains, as many of […]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 02, 2018
I was not anxious to see what more damage the ravens might have made, but it was something that had to be examined. They seemed not to have done much more mischief, yet they might be back to do more. Alas, no one has offered any advice on how to get rid of them. […]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2018
This first day of December has not been typical for this time of the year, with a warm sun beaming down upon us, and nature all about us so fresh and energizing. I mentioned the other day that a raven was tapping at the church door while we were filming and I felt that […]
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2018
Once a week the Mission Community Services sends a woman to help in cleaning up our quarters and this is of great help. Today, however, for the second week in a row, the vacuum cleaner refused to be obedient and so the carpets could not be dealt with. To avoid further problems we bought […]
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2018
Today’s pleasant weather brought us plenty of energy and optimism and thus, we were able to accomplish things that had been neglected for a while. Readers of this diary are probably tired of reading about the last of the flowers in the garden, and I shall try to refrain from writing more about them. Just […]