Photos From Last Week

The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Vaasa. October 16, 2013.
Photo by Teisuka. – Православная церковь Св. Николая
Чудотворца, Вааса. 16 октября 2013. Фото: Теисука.

Last Wednesday, I visited Vaasa again. It was a nice, sunny day. I had a catechumenate session, and after that I attended the evening service (Russian: вечерня) in the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. I also met my dear friend and we hung around the city. I took many pictures. See, I guess "I like to walk with my camera" too (oops, I stole someone's slogan... Sorry, Nika. Xa-xa). (￣ー￣)

On Thursday, it snowed for the first time in Finland this autumn. Well, the snow has melted away already in my area, but a few days ago the landscape was beautiful for a while. I hope we will get more snow soon.

A few words about my new job. I really love my job at the museum. It is very versatile and inspiring. Each day is different. History has been one of my passions since I was a teenager. During the last two weeks, I have read a lot of Finnish history (tons of history! haha). I thought I knew it all already, but nope... I really do not! It would be arrogant and foolish of me to think so. The more I read, the more humble I feel. I understand how little I know. There are so many stories, so many people, so many unknown details... We can never learn everything. History is an endless source of information.

"Say it briefly." This is a good principle. So I'll stop here. See the photos with captions. (Click them to see them bigger.) A picture is worth a thousand words. Blessings to all.
（＾—＾）

Teisuka

The first snow in Vaasa, October 17, 2013. The St. Nicholas
Orthodox Church. Photo by Gilmore.

The first snow in my hometown, October 17, 2013. In this
picture you can see one of the buildings from my current
workplace, the museum. It is build in 1924, designed by
Alvar Aalto. Photo by Teisuka.

 Suomen Vapaudenpatsas (English: Finland's Statue of Liberty) in
Vaasa, designed by Yrjö Liipola, unveiled in 1938. Fourteen meters
high statue related to the Finnish Civil War in 1918. Photo by Teisuka.

 A close-up of the statue: a victorious White soldier and a dying
White soldier. In Finland, "the Reds" (communists) lost the civil
war. During the war, the White Army and the Red Guards both
perpetrated acts of terror. Photo by Teisuka.

 Yesterday one man brought this object to the museum and asked what
it was. No one knew. It is old (probably from the 19th century) and quite
heavy (7,3 kg). Is it a clapper? A plummet? A part of an old cannon...
or something else? If anybody knows, please tell me. Thank you. ^^
(The matchbox in the picture is used for scale.) Photo by Teisuka.

Beautiful Sky, Good People and the Longed-for Person

(Click the pictures to see them bigger.)

The evenings here are quiet. Yesterday evening, I took some pictures from my balcony, because the setting Sun and the clouds were so dramatic and beautiful. It brought to my mind a certain person, someone I'm missing...

Temperature in my area is 10 °C (50 ºF) right now. The local news reported, "Today might be the last warm day". Possibly, we'll get the first snow next weekend. Good for me, since I love snow and winter.

One more thing I want to tell. I was surprised and glad when I coincidentally found my YouTube comment from Komsomolskaya Pravda website, translated into Russian language! Komsomolskaya Pravda (Комсомольская правда) is the biggest daily newspaper in Russia, founded in 1925. You see the article here (I wrote my comment with the nickname teiska123).

This article tells about the very popular Russian video titled Good people / Мир не без добрых людей... The video got thousands and thousands of comments from all over the world. Pravda published "the brightest comments" («самые яркие комментарии») in their newspaper, a total of eleven comments.

Here is my original comment and the Russian translation by Pravda (Александра Лябина / Alexandra Lyabina):

"Very beautiful and touching video. Glad to see there are good people in this world. Thank you, Russia! From Finland with love."

«Очень красивое и трогательное видео. Рада видеть, что есть и хорошие люди в этом мире. Спасибо, Россия! Из Финляндии с любовью.»

I also add here the above-mentioned video. I hope you have time to check it out. It is very touching and positive video that proves not everyone is a bad person in this world. Let's all try to be good people, right? （＾—＾） A wonderful week to all my friends!

Blessings,

Teisuka

"Ruska" – During Autumn Foliage

In the city center.

In Finland, this time of the year is called "ruska". Ruska is an interesting word in the sense that it does not have an equivalent in the English language or any other language I'm aware of. Anyway, "ruska" means roughly the same thing as autumn foliage or fall foliage/fall colors.

According to the encyclopedia, autumn foliage is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on various shades of red, yellow, purple, and brown during a few weeks in the autumn season. This beautiful phenomenon is well-known in many countries, including Canada, the United States, Finland, Scandinavia, Northern and Western Europe, north of the Alps, Russia, and Eastern Asia including much of northern and eastern China, Japan, etc.

Yesterday, I took some pictures to show you Finnish ruska. I hung around in my hometown in Western Finland, especially in the parks and other green areas. So here you can see some photos from my town. It was a sunny day. The temperature was about 12 °C.

My latest news (just to inform my friends): Last Wednesday, I visited Vaasa again. At first, we had catechumenate session (church history and Bible teaching). After that, I attended the evening service (Russian: вечерня) in the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. Next Monday, I will start a new job at the local museum.

That's it in brief. Happy autumn to all! （＾—＾）

Teisuka

(Click the pictures to see them bigger.)

The view from my balcony.

Red leaves.

My favorite swimming place (the river).

"Ruska."

 

 Promenade.

Trees in autumn foliage.

The old water tower behind the trees.

The view from the promenade.

The school and the river.

The church named Lakeuden Risti. The bell tower is 65 meters high.

My "Pilgrimage" to Vaasa

Мое «паломничество» в Вааса...

Me and the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. Photo by Gilmore.
Я и Православная церковь Св. Николая Чудотворца.

On Wednesday, I visited Vaasa, my favorite city in Finland. It was a great and significant day for me. After a long time, I met a dear friend of mine. In the evening, I attended the church service in the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church.

I have a period of "catechumenate" (оглашенные) now. It means a lot of teaching, reading, and visits to the church. I enjoy this period of my life! （＾ ＾） After the catechumenate time, I'll become a full member of the Orthodox Church.

Spiritually and theologically, I actually am an Orthodox Christian already, but not an official member yet. This has been a long journey, and it is still in progress. I feel like I'm on my way to find the place where I belong... Конечная цель путешествия... монастырь?

I put here some photos from my short trip. (Click the pictures to see them bigger.)

Blessings to all. （＾—＾）

Teisuka

✿⊱╮ ✿⊱╮ ✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮✿⊱╮

 "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. ...my cup overflows." (Psalm 23)

 «Он покоит меня на злачных пажитях и водит меня к водам тихим, подкрепляет душу мою. ...чаша моя преисполнена.» (Псалом 22)

A view from the inside of the church. Photo by Teisuka.

Me praying in the church. (This picture is taken last summer
in the same church.) Photo by Gilmore.

The Orthodox book that I bought from Vaasa,
titled Father Amvrosy of Optina. My dear friend
Nika told me about this holy man some months
ago, and now I found this interesting book.

In the evening, when I returned home, the train was

almost empty. But my heart was full. Photo by Teisuka.

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.