On communication (an uninteresting post)

I hope I'm not being overly intrusive.
I sometimes really am, when I am open and active in talking. People could get a bit tired.
I can never understand something -- of course, I understand it, but, on the other hand, I don't. It's wnen people politely listen to you, they do not tell you to stop or that they're tired of you. I know that if they really tell this to you you feel even more offended and hurt. (There were times when I asked the people to tell me forthright -- these were quite painful moments, later, however, they worked out for the better. There were other moments, too, when people had not informed me of what they did not like, when I realize, I said 'Why didn't you let me know?')
But if looked at from a different angle, you are kept in the dark this way -- you do not know whether you are welcome or not. You can guess in real life communication, in online communication you can't know the reaction at all.
I'll add one more thing here now. In reference to online contacts in particular, I think one should express express his attitudes, because if not shown how can it be guessed?

A poem

Robert Frost, Dust of Snow (1923).

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Great Day post

Apri, 27 was the day of Easter this year (in the Orthodox Church calendar). Christ is risen, giving us life.
Jesus is the hope of our everything. The hope of change for the better, the faith in God's care and love to heal the situation, to help us, often in spite our weaknesses. Whenever there's a problem, in faith is our life in hope.
Whenever I can see a touch of good change in a person -- this is the gift of God, and the good, inwardly right turn to the best, most beatiful sources of one's soul.
The life of a Christian is inner life, good change, sensed from the inside.
I want to say that Christian faith is not only in the statement of our beliefs (the Creed), but also in real life, in our hearts, in our joys, often where there's a penitent desire for a change and hope for the better in trust.
P.S. I think I'm a bit unclear here in expressing the idea. Sorry.

Reading experience

   When I was a child, I enjoyed reading fairy tales, the magic that was in them, I think. For example, when I was about nine, there was a rather long tale, about a Russian warrier, who fought for something, had lots of adventures, I was reading this in the park library (there was a library in the park at that time in the city of Saratov, where we went for the whole summer), it was very exciting! Now I don't recall the details, the plot.
I liked other tales, magic stories, adventures, too. I liked the Chronicles of Narnia a lot. One of my favourite books was 'The Horse and His Boy'. When I was rereading it some time later -- I wanted more details: descriptions, relationships, psychology. I was about eleven or twelve -- I guess, something else was becoming more interesting about fairy tales, not the magical, adventure aspect, but the relationships of people, their psychology, their feelings, probably.

I wrote about this film http://verdevivoverdechiaro.blogspot.com/2008/02/pilgrimage-to-eternal-city-apostle-paul.html/ , a documentary about Apostle Paul.
What information was new to me? The fact that Apostle Paul, at the time where he was a persecutor, had been the one to throw stones into one of the first martyrs, Stephen.
Then there were some descriptions of Apostle Paul's appearance, I wonder where they got them. Also there were extracts from the Epistles and from somewhere else (where from?), it seemed to me.
Another curious detail is that the place where the Apostle was killed was shown, and at this place at that time the linden trees had grown, archeologist research confirmed. That spot was precede by touching words how Aposles Peter and Paul met not far.

What is the Lent about?

In a few words, generally. The Great Lent is a period of preparation for Easter, the time of fasting, the time for spiritual shift, for movement. It is said to be the period of test and exercise.
Fasting is a means: you forgo certain food, on the other hand, you refuse or linit certain things to leave space for something better, refuse one thing for the other, the more important one. As for the Church calendar, through the Lent the major events of the Gospels are remembered and relived, revived in the hearts and minds of the believers.
(This was an attempt to say a few words about what the Great Lent is. Based on what I read and some thoughts of mine.)

Why I write

Even one reader is a reader. Thanks, Ann!
I think I had wanted my wrings to be read more than I do. Or rather now I realize that I write, first thing, because I want to, because I want this to be. Of course it's gratifying and pleasing when your texts are read, understood, found interesting, and when someone takes an interest in your personality -- and to me it is pleasing, too. But it is not the first thing. If you don't want it, guys, you don't have to read it.
Through blogging there's a possibility to find people who are interested in those things you touch upon, and freely. (I also mean to say that those who search for certain things will find them and appreciate them, they will find what they want.)
Then I've been thinking. Who am I to interest anyone as a personality and writer/blogger? Though I find some of my posts interesting, on the whole, what is there so interesting? So I'm learning.

Spring

On April, 5 my sister Irene and I went for a walk in the forest. Here are some photos.

The view from the window. And trees with a small pool.

Early spring it seems to be. The sun shines often. It's quite warm, sometimes windy, though. I like this spring light. It's nice: the ground is dry in some places, the sun shines on pavements, the grass has not yet begun to spring up, the trees are bare, still it is spring.

Forgiveness Sunday

In this post I was planning to write something about the so called Forgiven Sunday. http://verdevivoverdechiaro.blogspot.com/2008/04/week-just-before-great-lent-was-good.html#links/ Catholics have Ash Wednesday, The Orthodox have Forgiven Sunday, the day just before the Great Lent. I haven't found any clear indications to this tradition on the net. I know it's old. The start of it lies in the words from the Gospels (http://kingjbible.com/matthew/6.htm): 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The tradition is to ask the people to forgive you, and the usual answer is "God will forgive." Formerly, before the revolution, people used to these words even to the people they were not acquainted with, strangers.
By the way, this tradition is shown in Nikita Michalkov's film "The Barber of Siberia" (1999).
So what is the situation nowadays? Nowadays people do it, mostly relatives and friends, I think. Even some people who are not church-goers and who are not religious.

Some links

Yesterday I found some posts on blogs.
A specialist in Medeival literature. http://verboseprose.blogspot.com/ Vince Locke.
English and literature students http://oaueglclass2004-forlearningandculture.blogspot.com/2008/04/weac-syllabus-on-literature.html Genres and other stuff.
http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/ Robbie F. writes literature analyzing things, too.
A serious study http://methodius.blogspot.com/2007/09/christianity-paganism-and-literature.html .
http://folknation.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/christian-mythology/
http://unlocked-wordhoard.blogspot.com/2007/12/reading-medieval-allegory.html
http://blogokimberly.blogspot.com/2008/03/they-got-mustard-out_20.html Metaphor, allegory, simile, analogy, symbol (definitions).
On symbol and allegory http://aspectreview.blogspot.com/2008/01/symbol-and-allegory-in-preaching-gods.html
On allegory and symbol, stating the difference. http://graegrae08.blogspot.com/2008/03/allegory.html

'The Earth-Star Voyager'

My sister and I, we watched the film once. It was shown on TV in 1993 when we were twelve.
A sci-fi story -- I liked such then (space, adventure), but later I became more interested in something closer to real life.
I think this film would be still interesting to watch.
Romantic musical score with an optimistic strain, hero-like, adventurous.
We liked almost all the characters, especially: Jessey, Sally, Jacob, Johnathan, Huxley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFgLL8EN71I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJz6WnXyUWE Trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDVzm-pCR6g
I'll say some more about it later on.

Apostle Paul's Faith

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
The First Epistle to Timothy (1)
http://kingjbible.com/1_timothy/1.htm
This is a useful source http://bible.cc/, you can see different translations and some comments.
Line 13 to me seems comforting.
Line 15 ... Shows Apostle Pauls humility and penitence. By the way, this line is sometimes read in the Divine Liturgy (with some other prayers) in the Orthodox Church, just before taking the Holy Communion. And also in Russian transation the last word is 'the first'.

Grateful

I am grateful to God for a lot of things I have been having and experiencing, for my life and other things. Including encouters, both in reality and through the net.

Joys

This post can be linked with this one http://verdevivoverdechiaro.blogspot.com/2008/02/joys.html I wrote about how glad I was. At my and other people's request the person has been writing the whole book, interesting and exciting! It's like a novel, with parts like chapters, giving curious details! I admire the man's mind capacity, stamina, will-power and all!
All the best and appreciation.

The week just before the Great Lent was good for me (the 3rd to the 9th of March). I watched a few episodes of the "Odyssey" series. On March, I took one of our classmates out to meet, a nice, good-hearted girl, we hadn't seen each other long. Then there was 'The Forgiven Sunday' (if translated literally), I think this tradition is Russian. The Great Lent began. This year Easter in the Orthodox Church calendar is on April, 27.
I'd like to dwell on these (and other) things with more details further.