Category: Events

Othodox Easter, plus SP and Alena coming home!

We are fast approaching, by the Julian calendar, the day we proclaim Christ is Risen.  The mysteries of the Julian calendar never fail to confuse me.  But I love using it for our orthodox services.  Alaska is actually the only diocese in the US who continues to use the Julian calendar.  The calendar was introduced by Julius Ceasar, in 46 BC, and revised, most recently, in 1923.  Probably more than you wanted to know.

We have been celebrating presanctified lenten services this week, and this morning we had our last lenten service.  Father Jonah announced it with such joy, that I felt like leading the parishoners in a cheer.  AJ Bereskin, our choir leader, laughingly noted that now that she finally has the lenten tones down pat, we are done with them.

Choir leader AJ Bereskin during one of her few moments of relaxation.
Choir leader AJ Bereskin during one of her few moments of relaxation.

Choir leaders and readers in our church have to be extremely dedicated to their jobs.  As an example, this week we have had services at 9 AM each morning and at 6 PM each evening.  Heaven help the rest of us if the choir leader and readers don’t show up!  I am in total awe of the amount of work that is required.

And WOO HOO.  SP and Alena are due home tomorrow.  SP had his final checkup with the doc, and the doc says everything is healing up great from his surgery.  Everybody do a dance for good flying weather.  They are due on the 5 PM flight.

Happy Birthday Alena!

If I wasn’t away from home, I could post a picture of you from when you were born.  Three hours from the first labor pain to your arrival.  You slept through the night immediately.  In fact you went to bed at 7 PM and didn’t wake up until 9AM.  You were my most mellow child.  And so cute.  And a girl!!  I was the only sister out of 4, who got to have girls.

Alena
Alena

Birthday greetings, also from Kristine.  She says to tell you, you are looking pretty good for 30!!!!  I say that you will probably be carded until you are in your 50’s if you play your cards right.  You know how good your grandmother looks.  So have fun today, don’t over do it…….and…..MANY MORE!

With my admiration….

My visit to Akutan has been a lot of fun.  The stories we have gotten so far have been great.  There has been a lot of joking about who has a story and who doesn’t.  I swear, everyone we talk to tries to point us in another direction by saying “I know who you should talk to…”

This morning we facilitated the much awaited conversation between April Dawn Pelkey and her husband Demetri Tcheripanoff.  (Thank you April and Demetri, so much for coming in and allowing us to hear your story.)

April and Demetri with me during their StoryCorps conversation.
April and Demetri with me during their StoryCorps conversation.

After laughing (trying not to make any noise) and crying and laughing again, and watching April interact with her husband, and hearing about her life, it really got me in a pensive, thinking mood.    I started recalling the stories from Hugh, Darryl, Joe, and then April, Demetri, and Christopher Tcheripanoff this afternoon, and I was overwhelmed by admiration for the love of place that was revealed in all of the conversations.  As someone who believes, to the depth of my soul, that the best place on earth is the Aleutian Islands, and that I belong no where else, it was humbling to find the same sentiments here on Akutan Island.  It is uplifting to know that everyone has worked so hard to keep Akutan vibrant and growing.  And equally important that there are Unangax of the “young generation” stepping up to the plate to carry on the work and traditions.  Believe me, if I wore a hat (which I can’t because I look really stupid in them) my hat would be off to this community.