Christ is Risen!

The Pascal services were very good. As our choir director said, it was the best Pascha ever. Samuel (age 6) served for much of it, and did a very good job. But near the end he was too sleepy, and one of the sub-deacons brought him to me. My wife had gone back to the hotel room earlier. It had been a long couple of days and physically, none of us were up to the Pachal event.

Athanasia had been at work or doing school work for the days prior to Saturday. I don't think she slept more than 6 hours any night during holy week. On Friday night she and the boys dyed eggs. On Saturday she had to be in class all day (8 to 5). She got to meet and talk with Assemblywoman Lieber.

The boys and I took a bus to the train station, the train to San Francisco, a bus from the train station to chinatown where we bought contraband firecrackers...

"Excuse me. Do you sell fire crackers?"
(The clerk said something in chinese to another clerk.
"Do you sell firecrackers?"
More chinse conversation followed by "We don't sell fire crakders. What do you want?"
"I'm looking for firecrackers. Do you know..."
"We don't sell fire crackers. Is this what you want?" and she retrieved from under the counter a pack of firecrackers.
"How much?"
"Five dollars. How many do you want?"
"One will do."
She quickly wrapped them up in a piece of newspaper and handed them to me.

Then we walked up to Molinari's where we bough a big salami to put into the Pascha Basket..
Then we walked through the Levy Tunnel (the tunnel that takes broadway from Northbeach under Russian Hill and into Pacific Heights. The boys really liked that. We played for a little while at the park at the west end of the tunnel. Then we walked up Polk Street (it is not the notorious homosexual neighborhood that it was in the 1960s and 1970s) and bought some orange juice at a local natural grocery store. From there we walked to the hotel in the Marina District. At the hotel we watched two Scooby Doo cartoons (a real treat for the boys, since we do not have a TV) and then took a nap. Athanasia arrived sometime between 7 and 8.

We go dressed and went to church, which was just around the corner from the hotel. It was super crowded. (I don't know how we are going to expand the building.) Basil was acting his age. Athanasia was super sleepy. They went back to the hotel just before the little entrance. After Communion (Bishop benjamin presided, but there were throee or four other priests with chalices, too. It was too crowded for me to be sure of the number.), I took Anselm (he now want to be called Samuel) back to the hotel.

Every year I hear something new in the Paschal service. It isn't new, of course, and I hear it every year, but my brain is not big enough or fast enough to absorb everything in one night. What stood out to me this time was the Fourth Ode of the Paschal Canon...

"T

he inspired prophet Habakuk now stands with us in holy vigil, he is like a shining angel who cries with a piercing voice: Today salvation has come to the world for Christ is risen as all powerful!"

One of my favorite things about Orthodoxy, is our consciousness of being one church with the all those who served God before us.

During the feast that followed I drank too much. Next year I will only drink beer and wine. I do not do a good job keeping track of how much I am drinking, especially when laughing and talking and singing. Misha, if you are reading this "NO MORE BRANDY!!! EVER!!!!" Thankfully, Reader Phillip got me safely to the hotel.

I was in no shape to go to Agape Vespers. We left the hotel about noon and drove (I slept) to Santa Cruz where we had lamb at Vasili's. Then we went to the beach where Samuel learned to ride a Boogie Board. Then we went home, took showers and went to bed.

The boys still have much Paschal joy this morning. They have been eating eggs, paskha-ish slop (Our paskha cheese failed this year. I bough a different brad of farmers cheese. I think that was the problem.) and chocolate all morning. Many shouts of Christ is Risen. Basil hugs me then falls on the floor laughing every time he yells it. I think next year, and until the boys are older, we are going to skip the Saturday night service and just go to Agape Vespers on Sunday. Well, the boys and I are going to the park now.

Crist Is Risen! Indeed He Is Risen!