Gratitude to My Angel

Right now, I just feel happy. The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day, and my knee is recovering fast. Gratitude fills my heart. My dear friend has took care of me and prayed for me every day. "I'm praying for your speedy recovery", she said. Almost every day she asks, "How are you now? How is your knee today?" I thank God for sending me such an angel. And this is not the first time when she has "served in this role". Without her, I never would have found my faith again. On a day like this, it is easy to believe in God. I thank God for everything, for joy and sorrow.

Blessings to all my friends, and these flowers (image above) I want to give to my humble and shy angel. Flowers are white, because Your soul is pure. May God bless You forever! （＾—＾）

Teisuka

P.S. I'm a little embarrassed to write something so personal like this... (>_<;) But hey, this is my blog where I can share my thoughts and feelings, and this is how I feel right now. (^_^) To my mind, people does not express their gratitude enough. That's why I wanted to write these words at the right time. Finally, I add here one of my favorite song, 'She is everything' performed  by Spock's Beard. The lyrics are very beautiful – just a little fragment:

"She is everything

The sacred, the pure

The fix, the addiction

The vision, the cure"

An Accident Can Be a Blessing in Disguise

My crutches. Note a little Orthodox Icon print on the wall, 'Trinity'
by Andrei Rublev. Background you can see my living room.

Last Wednesday, I slightly injured. What happened? It was an assault. I was sitting on a terrace of the local pub, when some stranger (a huge fat junkie, a real lunatic!) suddenly attacked me. I managed to avoid the hits, but I fell and I hurt my knee very badly. A situation was over so quickly, I didn't even fully understand what happened. I was also drunk. The next day, I went to the doctor. A meniscus in my right knee is injured. Knee is very painful and bloated. I'm limping now, and I have to use crutches for one or two weeks.

This was a humiliating experience, and I think I learnt something about it. Anyway, I have a clear conscience because I didn't hit anyone. I never do that. A Finnish pubs can be a dangerous places sometimes... And this pub is not my place from now – not anymore. To be honest, I spent there too much time recently (it is a karaoke bar). After all, I can see "the God's hand" or Divine providence in this accident. It is time for me to turn my back on pubs. It's more safe to sing karaoke at home – and hey, I am not even good singer. (^_^)

Finally, I want to add here one heavenly beautiful and soothing Russian Orthodox song titled «Слава Богу за всё», English: "Thank God for everything." Performer is Choir of the Nuns of Saint Elisabeth Convent (Свято-Елисаветинский монастырь). This kind of music brings me comfort and peace of mind. Hope you like it too. There is one touching sentence in this song, «Слава Богу за скорбь и за радость», English: "Thank God for sorrow and joy." I agree with this attitude. We should accept everything that God gives us... Sometimes an accident can be a blessing in disguise. Blessings to all.

Teisuka

The Night When Heaven Touches Earth

On this foggy night

for the first time I light

the lantern on my balcony.

I feel: someone far away

is thinking of me

and praying for me.

Suddenly I get my soul back,

again I'm thinking of her

and praying for her.

I pray, "O God, bring us together one day."

And He says, "I've done it already tonight,

your prayer was the cloud in which you met."

A poem by Teisuka (August, 2013)

Explanation: Actually, the fog which was mention in the beginning is just a cloud close to Earth's surface. Symbolically, the fog refers to the afterlife (the hereafter) or the presence of God. It also means that heaven comes down, heaven touches Earth. Loosely related to this is Revelation 5:8, which says that there are "golden bowls [in Heaven] full of incense [holy smoke], which are the prayers of the saints".

The Bible also says, "we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us" (Hebrews 12:1). This verse talks about the spirits or deceased persons around us. They can pray for us, and we can pray for them. Besides, we pray for the living "in Spirit". Prayer knows no limits of time and space. God is eternal. To Him, everything is now. The human spirit is also immortal. Christ says, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive" (Luke 20:38).

This is not a love poem, but a religious and spiritual poem. It tells about the relation which is pure and sacred, free from all worldly and vain attachment. In the kingdom of heaven, there are no distances, no matter of time or place. Two souls – we can call them spiritual siblings – can meet each other in "the cloud" which means the presence of God. In other words, prayer is a bridge which can connect two people not only to God but also to each other as the members of the universal Church.