New beginnings

It has been over a month since our quick detour to Romania. After driving 3500 miles in a 26-foot truck in five driving days (plus two "off" days dedicated mostly to packing and loading the stuff in Boston) and after driving up to Savannah for the ordination, back to Clearwater, then up to Atlanta for the flight... I said to Magda: "Ah, now I can relax and not drive for three weeks." Little did I know that, due to various activities related to my brother finishing high school and starting college, I would be given the keys to the car to drive around the country. We didn't go into Bucharest, but where we did go, the traffic was manageable and it was certainly fun to drive a stick shift again. All in all it was a pretty good trip - seeing my mother and brother in Constanţa, my aunt and uncle in Bacău, and visiting several monasteries (Neamţ, Sihăstria, Sihla, Agapia, Putna, and Voroneţ).

Upon returning - and driving back from Atlanta - I was ready to get started at Holy Trinity. It's been just over a month; a month in which my father came to visit (and I very much appreciate the fact that he came here for his vacation this time, rather than going home), my mother-in-law was here for a couple of days, and I started learning about parish life. As always, I'm keeping busy. But more about that later, as some of the programs that I am involved with (re)start. For now, please pray for us, for Fr. James (the proistamenos) and for the parish we serve.