u/glazingmule

My husband and I inquired about orthodoxy almost a year ago! I had an individual conversation with the priest about 2 weeks after attending. My husband was coming home late from work so he missed the call.

I thought we’ve been attending for like 6 months at most. The priest asked us in December of last year! I’m so shocked by this. Time just kept getting away.

We’re not catechumen. We just attend divine liturgy and talk with the other young adults at coffee hour.

Coming from a nondenom and baptist background, I think it’s just unusually for me to have an actual spiritual leader. Someone who is invested in me, wants to know me and build trust with vs someone you just have to assume you can trust.

It’s also really fun having a community. At the nondenom church we attended, everyone kinda just ran out the door (even before the service was dismissed bc the ‘parking lot traffic’) like sardines. Church just felt like a good christian task?

This is all to say: we finally texted him back. I’m just so excited we are finally start the catechumen process!

Hi all,

I noticed on of my neighbors picking up trash during their morning runs. For a year I literally thought he was running his own recycling to the bin until I seen him on the road!

His hands were completely full, like holding 3 bottles in each hand. So I want to give him some sort of contraption to where he can gather the trash but it’s not jiggling or flapping on him.

I really appreciate what he’s doing for our community! He’s so nice. He even offered to take my husky out for a run when she was younger.

Any ideas? I was thinking about something similar to a running belt where it keeps everything snug to your body but obviously needs more capacity.

A few weeks ago I lost a necklace that my older cousin gave me for Christmas a couple years back. It’s special because all our cousins have matching ones. When we’re together, we’re all wearing them. I’m notoriously bad about losing jewelry, but this one I’d been so careful with, so losing it really hurt.

I searched for weeks and asked St. Anthony for his intercession. I finally told my cousin I’d lost it and asked for the link so I could reorder one. Instead, he just sent me a brand new one! I was so touched and grateful.

A few days later, I found the original necklace in my mirror, a spot I swore I’d already checked multiple times.

As an inquirer, I’d love to know: what’s the proper way to thank God and St. Anthony for this? Is there a specific prayer, an act of thanksgiving, or something customary people do in situations like this?

I typically talk to myself in demands lmao in 2nd person. Idk if it’s an ED thing or neurodivergent thing

Just curious. I typically think in second person

edit: i’m sorry i left out we option yall!! 😭 i literally did this all morning while going thru my chores list.

“We” is first person plural!

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Hi all,

I’m an inquirer, and I’ve gone to the same parish maybe 8 times off and on. However, this is now my third week of being consistent!

I really don’t mind the children being children. They may loud or wandering a bit, and it’s easy to tune it out and stay focused.

Unfortunately, two people started having a whisper argument during a memorial service for the departed because of a wandering child. I tried to stay focus on what the priest was saying and not making judgments to the situation, but the priest would look over at them and I would look too. It started getting a bit more intense and they were 2 pews in front so it was hard to ignore.

I’ve never been in a situation like this before. What should I do next time something similar happens?

i was at my aunt’s house this weekend for a celebration. i was making my rounds, saying hi to everyone. i get to my aunt’s MIL. older woman, has cancer. i’m always kind to her even though we barely have a relationship. i just try to make her feel seen without being disingenuous about it.

i asked how she was feeling. she told me i’d gained weight since the last time she saw me. i fawned a little, said “yeah maybe.” i genuinely didn’t care. i know my body. everyone else in the room was visibly shocked and jumped in “no, she looks exactly the same.” she doubled down. “yeah, you’re definitely fatter.”

here’s the thing. i already had a plan going into this weekend. a whole regime. and there’s another family event in a month where i’d see my aunt again. something in me just refused to let her narrative become “she got called fat and then lost weight.” i didn’t want to hand her that. i didn’t want to look like what she said mattered when it really didn’t.

so here i am. relapse prevented. not because i’m in a great place, but because i refused to look weak. i know that’s its own thing. but i’ll take it.