There really are no shortcuts – even in something as trivial as a blog. My last two posts have been pulled – one a small quote from Fr. Sophrony, added last night before bedtime (because you have to add something), the other written today when I was not entirely certain of what I wanted to write. But both of those are part of the stuff of life. Comments were on target and helpful to me.

I want Glory to God for All Things to be worthy of your time when you visit, which may not mean that I’ll have something fresh every day. No one can maintain that pace for too long. But also I trust that I will have taken time to choose well and with prayer what might be of use. Of course, God alone knows the answer to these things. I write in faith.

I am traveling in South Carolina today (Monday) and tomorrow and leave Wednesday (by air) for a short meeting in Dallas, TX, returning on Thursday evening. All of which means a slightly hectic travel schedule – but not necessarily exhausting. That depends on what I do with my time.

Fortunately, I have had time today to walk for an hour or more and to make a small trip with family out to the grave of my father-in-law (may his memory be eternal). I’ve also been back in my room long enough to hear to the terrible tragedy in Blacksburg, Virgina where so many students have been shot (may their memory be eternal) in yet another of these isolated rampages that our nation has become too accustomed to seeing.

Tomorrow is known as the “Day of Rejoicing” when in Russian tradition, panakhidas (memorial prayers) are again offered for the departed after Bright Week and when families visit the graves of their loved ones. Perhaps most striking about such days is that they presume a sort of stability in our lives (that we live near the graves of those we love) which is often missing in our culture. I’ve written on that subject before and it will doubtless continue to surface because it is simply one of the contradictions of the modern world. We are removed from those we love by more than death. We endure exile (of a sort) as well.

May God keep the families who lost so much today and give us all an increased love for those around us. Such precious lives in such a fragile world.