Just before I headed to San Diego.
I went to a Paschal celebration with a couple of my buddies.
Pascha at St. Justin Martyr in Jacksonville the year before, was unforgettable. I was with my best friend and it was my first time. I wanted the magic again. I wanted to feel the words of the Liturgy. I wanted to immerse myself in the symbolism and the richness that being there meant to me before.
So my expectations were ridiculously high. I had brought wine and bread and some store bought fruit salad.
My friends brought something similar but, this was something they did more than I did.
The first part of the holiday starts before midnight. Its late and I'm eager for it all.
After walking around the church a couple of times, break from the ceremony of things and head to the room where there will be feasting.
A friend of mine introduces me to this beautiful girl. She was holding her heels in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The first thing she says is, "I'm surprised they let you drive here. I hear you have problems with knowing which pedal is the brake and which one is the gas. That's okay though cause, I have a few narrow escapes of my own." (or something to that effect)
I was so instantly captivated by her that I spent the better part of 2 days hanging on her every word and her on mine. I knew it couldn't last as anything but, I will never forget how easy it was. I thought she was so smart and so mature and so exciting. She must be at least 26. When I finally had to say goodbye, I asked her how old she was. She said she was 19. I was shocked and sort of awe struck, she had so many stories and so much life that she had lived and she was drinking wine in church. She said something like, "If you look like you know what your are doing, no one will question you."
Fast forward 2-3 months later and I'm on a plane. I was in no position for a relationship and I didn't talk to her again after that weekend. But I believed anything was possible after meeting her. I shouldn't say I believed, I should say I knew it.
I still believe that anything is possible. It doesn't have to be something as magical as the candle light of a midnight church service or Disneyworld but, the magic exists. We just have to be open to it.
I went to a Paschal celebration with a couple of my buddies.
Pascha at St. Justin Martyr in Jacksonville the year before, was unforgettable. I was with my best friend and it was my first time. I wanted the magic again. I wanted to feel the words of the Liturgy. I wanted to immerse myself in the symbolism and the richness that being there meant to me before.
So my expectations were ridiculously high. I had brought wine and bread and some store bought fruit salad.
My friends brought something similar but, this was something they did more than I did.
The first part of the holiday starts before midnight. Its late and I'm eager for it all.
After walking around the church a couple of times, break from the ceremony of things and head to the room where there will be feasting.
A friend of mine introduces me to this beautiful girl. She was holding her heels in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The first thing she says is, "I'm surprised they let you drive here. I hear you have problems with knowing which pedal is the brake and which one is the gas. That's okay though cause, I have a few narrow escapes of my own." (or something to that effect)
I was so instantly captivated by her that I spent the better part of 2 days hanging on her every word and her on mine. I knew it couldn't last as anything but, I will never forget how easy it was. I thought she was so smart and so mature and so exciting. She must be at least 26. When I finally had to say goodbye, I asked her how old she was. She said she was 19. I was shocked and sort of awe struck, she had so many stories and so much life that she had lived and she was drinking wine in church. She said something like, "If you look like you know what your are doing, no one will question you."
Fast forward 2-3 months later and I'm on a plane. I was in no position for a relationship and I didn't talk to her again after that weekend. But I believed anything was possible after meeting her. I shouldn't say I believed, I should say I knew it.
I still believe that anything is possible. It doesn't have to be something as magical as the candle light of a midnight church service or Disneyworld but, the magic exists. We just have to be open to it.
