This past week, my husband has somehow roped me into extra "before sleep" prayers.
I'm actually grateful for the idea, even though every night this week, as I glance at the clock just before 9pm, I sort of wish he'd forget to come find me in a few minutes. Because I have important other things to do. Like play on the computer or find some other way to procrastinate from doing school work.
The candlelight, the familiar icons connecting us to the Saints and our family and friends, and the words that remind me that I need forgiveness and Christ forgives - these things make me glad for the moment of prayer.
For me, spiritual exercise is like phsyical exercise - don't want to do it beforehand, but glad afterwards.
I can relate to this post so much!!
ReplyDeleteI love your icon corner. I am happy to see one of my favorite saints, St. Elizabeth there:)
I love your icon corner !
ReplyDeleteWe too have St Elizabeth, St seraphim and Sts Helen & Constantine :-)
How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWe don't even have a corner for our "icon corner", but I like how it looks for now. Eventually, when we move to a bigger house (as our family grows), we will buy a house that has a place for our icon corner- we weren't even Orthodox when we moved to the home that we currently own.
I've enjoyed reading your blog!
Is there any order that you set your icons up in?
ReplyDeleteWe say our evening prayers with our icon and candles at the kitchen table. It seems like a chore sometimes to get everything cleared off the table, get everything set up, herd the kids up for prayer, but the benefit is wonderful! The kids actually stay seated, hands folded and they pay attention to the prayers... they participate! (And there's always the added benefit of getting to blow out candles when we're done - our kids just love that!) When we try to say prayers in their beds they are just too "energetic" to pay much attention.
Love in Christ
Beautiful corner! I remember as a child wanting to be the one who got to blow the candle out....and now my girls do, we try to alternate!
ReplyDeletebeatutifull prayer corner, may god bless you and your family, in christ, elias.
ReplyDelete