Pride

In the book The Path to Confession, it says that Pride is loathsome and disgusting.  "Pride is disgusting in adults, bet it is equally unpleasent in those who are younger." Just like a thundercloud hides the sun so that we can't see it, spiritual light and warmth are hidden by Pride. "A proud person dosen't see the Lord." He will not be let in the gate of Heaven. You can easily see the person who has the disease of Pride. Until recently, most of us have thought that "I" was the first letter of the Alphabet, like "I want this," - "No I don't." Every single person struggles with that, but we have try to not be prideful, and learn to be humble.~ alexandra 

Kyranna and Alexandra Star as Bet and Bitsy in Oliver!

May 29, 10, 31st, 2008 ~ Kyranna and Alexandra stared in the Musical, Oliver, by Charles Dickens!!  They did a fantastic job, and just as people flew in from different parts of the U.S. for Kassiani's debut, we were also blessed with visitors from as far as Chicago, IL  for this weekends performances!! (Thank you Thea Laura, for another exciting visit/love/help/photagraphing/caring/exciting visit!)  The girls sang and acted wonderfully and it was a FANTASTIC performance!  This is the wonderful group PALS, which our oldest 3 girls have been a part of and are so enjoying.  Each week, they receive teaching in Singing, Acting, and Dancing.  It is a wonderful program.  Here are some photos from this fantastic performance of OLIVER!!!  Even the boys got to see the girls performances and sang along with many of the songs!  Alexios was peaceful throughout all of the Charlotte's Web and Oliver Performances~ whew!  What a blessing!!   Congratulations Kyranna and Alexandra, on all your hard work, and on such outstanding performances.   I was also in Oliver, when I was in 6th grade, so this brought back MANY wonderful memories for me!  

Alexandra Turns 12 Today!!!

Our dear Alexandra, you are TWELVE years old today!   "For a perfect, holy, peaceful, and sinless day, we pray to the Lord."  This is a quote/one of the petitions from our Divine Liturgy that you and I love so much.  I remember when you were little... you said to me one day, "oh mommy, it is so hard to have a perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless day!"  I could hardly believeyou said that because I had thought that thought, EXACTLY, so many times!!!  I told you that this petition is what HEAVEN will be like...if we make it there, God-willing, someday!!  One big ~ PERFECT, HOLY, PEACEFUL, and SINLESS day ~ that goes on FOREVER!!!  And, I told you that this is, with the Grace of God, and the help of our precious Lord, and His Holy Mother the Panayia, and all the saints, what we can strive for every day of our lives!!  Since that day, when we  had that talk, every single Litrugy we have been to, you and I have crossed ourselves when we hear that beautiful petition, each time, and made our special eye contact.  It's our special prayer for each day, on this blessed journey of life, together!!!  How can we begin to express our love for you? We will always remember you growing in my womb, so soon after your sister Kyranna was born… we could hardly wait for baby #2 to be born, if the Lord would give us another… which He so graciously did. You have been such a JOY for 12 years, and you have blessed us and many others so very much.  I have so much I want to write to you,  about you, and my/our love for you...  I want to write what your wonderful creative writing teacher wrote about you...(i forgot that paper in Boston, so when we return i will write her blessed words to you which so describe how you are!)

Alexandra, my Xandri, I love it when we wake up in the morning and you come in to us with your HUGE smile and those cheeks, and your runway :) and we cuddle much of the time before we start our day.  I love spending my days with you and helping you to learn and grow.  You are becoming such a beautiful child of God. +  You are like a diamond, which becomes more beautiful with time!!  You always have such an open heart to learn and grow in the areas you need to, and you have grown SO much.  It is so beautiful how some of the things you are working on, are the same things that I am, as well... and we get to learn and grow together.  I know that one of the reasons God gave you to me, is so I could learn much wisdom and blessings- which seems to be meant for you and given to you, but then it ends up being EXACTLY what my heart and soul needed!!  And  I didn't have a Spiritual Father when I w

as your age, and for many years when I needed to hear much wisdom and now I am blessed to do it through you and my life is being sketched and shaped in such a beautiful new way because of 

YOU!!  Thank you for this HUGE gift you have given to me.   I always remember and think about your love for me, and

 how even when I have fallen as a mother, you are so very loving and you seem

 to only remember the good and the love and the big effort you know I am making and how much I want to do everything like the Panayia does.  And you love me so much, I feel unworthy of this kind of love.  You have been so patient and loving with me, you have taught me to do more of the

 same with you and with all of your dear siblings.  You are my curly hair buddy.  I love it when we sit and  read something special together, like Father Arsenios... and we have both been so blessed

 at the times we decided to take a break and read or pray...  let's always remind one another to take these needed breaks!  "But you, when you pray, enter into your closet and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret shall reward you." Matthew 6:6     You have also blessed us so much with the talent the Lord has given you.  "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." ~from the Parables of the Talents - Matthew 25:29  For many years now, our home has become a little monastery, a church of the home, and we are so very blessed to have so many

children fill our home, our lives, our hearts and our prayers ~ each day!  When we pray together and you and your sisters chant, it is such a great blessing to all of us.  You have also shared this gift you've been given with many, as on the day of Alexios' baptism here!  When you play the piano, my whole heart and body start to sing and it brings me so much joy, and takes me back to my house growing up, and i think so much of all of us playing the piano!  And here you are in your acting and singing though PALS!  Daddy and I can't express how much we've loved watching you learn, grow and share your talents with so many!  

Our New Baby + Alexios Stavros

+ Our latest Miracle/ Baby Alexios + Sleeping Peacefully. What ag HUGE blessing. We all fall more in love with him EVERY DAY! +GLory to God! Chirst is Risen! +

+ I was born to Precious Treasure!!! +

+  Christos Anesti!  Today is a very very special day. My mom was born today. Yes! The day after my father was born. I always remember my mom loving to tell about this miracle, when people would ask when they were born. My mom always smiles, but when she tells this story, she smiles even more, and her eyes would open up real wide ~ with her long, beautiful lashes, and say… “yes, George and I were born within hours of one another…” ~ they were even born the same year. We have already been blessed with two wonderful visits from my mom and dad this year. The pictures above are from a walk around Jamaica Pond on a glorious winter, sunny, snow covered day. Everything in sight was covered with snow, but it was warm enough to walk! Everything on and around the pond was glistening so brilliantly and brightly…it was the kind of beauty that you can hardly find words to describe.  Mom helps me to organize everything and order or go out and FIND the things that are missing from our home and our life.  When she arrives in our home, she immediately starts making little lists, of the things we need to replace or that we have lost... to stock our cupboards and our lives!  ~ that is for everyone...  for the kitchen, for me...  all the way down to the new babe!  Her kind, thoughtful, gentle heart and way, have blessed all of us SO much.  She loves us and takes care of our hearts and our needs in EVERY WAY possible!!!  My precious mother also takes care of her heart and soul, to the Glory of God. When she was here to help and love and be with us after Alexios' birth... it was right before Holy Week, and she and dad TOTALLY took advantage of going to all the INCREDIBLE services which Holy Cross offers!  She was in the chapel day and night, especially as Holy Week began, and even before... for Lazarus Saturday. Her soul was so moved, she would come home and tell me all about each and every part of the services! (The decorated icons, the sermons, the chanting, the seminarians... the many priests and deacons in the alter, her confession ~ which she ran to,  with a blessed priest she's become very close to,  and she was SO very blessed by...) She finally told me at the end of her week her, "Georgia, you know how most people live at home, and then go to church~ sometimes... well, I think I have decided I want to LIVE IN CHURCH, and visit home ~ sometimes!!!" Glory to God, for all things. She is certainly my mom! I FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY!!! Mom went back home to be in Missoula for the rest of Holy Week, and helped to chant there, especially on Holy Saturday, when she led the chanting for the ENTIRE service.   A dear friend of ours who was at the service called us and said she was so greatly touched by mom's chanting and how she had led that service, how she had chanted, how her heart and faith and eyes ~ were was shining so beautifully, and our friend was SO greatly touched by her.... she said, " WOW, Georgia, DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE TRULY BORN, TO PRECIOUS TREASURE?" "Yes," I said, "unworthy as I am." Thank you, Lord, for this precious treasure. Mumgoo, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. God grant you MANY years. We love you with all of our hearts.

 + Philip, Georgia, Kyranna, Alexandra, Kassiani, Nikolia, Markos, Georgie and Alexios +

George Joy is Contagious! Happy Birthday + DAD/PAPOU!! We LOVE you!!!

George  Joy  is  Contagious!

Christ is Risen! This morning, Georgie came to my bed at his usual 6:35am...  and today, being my FATHER, George's birthday, I wanted to write about a HUGE realization I have had lately, in the early mornings with my Georgie.  I have mini vigils with Alexios, as he drinks milk a bit in the nights... in these first couple months of his life.  We wake up to drink milk and pray together. +  This makes Georgie's EXTREMELY early morning visits...  a little tiring/shocking  ~ at times...  Sometimes I want to turn to Philip and tell him that it is much too early for Georgie to be waking up... and he certainly will need to go back to sleep.  BUT, I can not.  Georgie has SO MUCH JOY in the morning, he can HARDLY contain himself!!! He is not the least bit tired.   He is EVEN more joyful now that he gets to wake up and see his baby brother in our room, or right next to me.  How miraculously appropriate that this little one was named after his Papou George, my father!!  I realized one day that my Georgie is EXACTLY like my father, George, who I believe is THE MOST JOYOUS person I have EVER known in my life...    This joy is CONTAGIOUS!  I don't remember one morning in my entire life, waking up, seeing my father, George ~ anything but full of LOVE, JOY, OPTIMISM, PATIENCE, FAITH, an OPEN HEART, ENERGETIC, EXCITEMENT about the day to come and how it will unfold, PEACEFUL, KIND, GENTLE, TRUST...  and suddenly, I realize, MY DEAR FATHER, whose BIRTHDAY we are celebrating today, has taught me the FRUITS of the HOLY SPIRIT, since the day I was born...  and I continue to give thanks to our precious Lord and His Most Holy Mother, the Panayia, for the greatest gift any little girl, growing up, could have ever been given.  I love you with all of my heart, Yeorgikoula, my daddy ~ Joyous, Happy Birthday to you!!!  God grant you many years, filled with joy, faith, love, long-suffering, healing...  and all that you have been to me  and so many of us for 42 years of my life!!!  with so much love in Christ ~ your little bird +

Count it all joy

The Tablets of Our Hearts

Last night, when i was tucking Georgie in bed... he and I noticed that something was in his pillow.... we both searched inside the pillow case, and found a pink toy car. Hmmmmmm, i thought, isn't this interesting. He then went to sleep, after lots of hugs and kisses and crosses, and our exchanging "Christ is Risen!" in a number of different lanuages...(his favorite at this time is Christu Un Gel! Vertet Un Gel! - Albanian) This morning, after cuddling with me next to Alexios (our usual routine)... and exchanging out Christ is Risens once again, he popped up and looked and said, "Where's my pink car?" and he RAN into his room to find it. Isn't this how we should be with Christ, with Panayia, with our guradian angels! ~RUNNING to them in the morning as soon as we wake, tucking our prayer ropes in our pillow cases, or on our wrist to continuously remind us to be in prayer... to think of what the Lord would do, what the Panayia would do, before all we say and all we do... May Christ or true God, His Most Holy Mother, our guardian angels, and all the Saints, and their wisdom and guidance... continually be written on the the Tablets of Our Hearts...

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man." -Proverbs 3:3-4

This morning Georgie was holding our little baby, and he excitedly looked at me and said, " Mommy, he slid down my legs like a sled!" :) then, he started touching the baby's face, and i asked him to not touch his face and Georgie replied, " but i LOVE his cheeks!!!" This was sooo precious coming from a 3 year old with the most delicious cheeks which we've all been feasting on since the day he was born... and will continue to! :)

Kassiani starring in Charlotte's Web!

Kassiani  played the part of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, the Musical, which Junior PALS performed this past Thurs., Fri., and Sat. May 8-10, 2008, at 7pm at Lincoln School, Brookline, MA.  It was wonderful!  We are sooooo proud of our Kassiani.  She completely blew us all away!!! We can see that she has a real love and talent for acting, performing, and singing!  Bravo, Kassiani! 

Kassiani's creative writing

Our Backyard After the Storm

Kassiani Mamalakis

January 2008

The Storm

 One day, I woke up and looked out my window and saw that during the night, there had been a storm.  It was so beautiful.

 That day we went to the Arboretum for a walk.  It was so much fun.  It still was cold there.  We went all the way to the top.  When we got to the top, I had brought a treat with me (it was a peace of gum). We were very cold, so we hurried back down to the car.

 When we got home we saw that a tree had fallen in our backyard.  We got warmer clothes on, and went out and played on the branch.  When we came in, my mom made hot chocolate for us… with whipping cream! 

 That is a little story of the storm that happened last week in Boston.