Today’s reflection is from Rev. Stavros Akrotirianakis of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Tampa, FL.
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you; your elders and they will tell you. — Deuteronomy 32:7
As I reflect on my life, I can recall people and conversations that changed the course of my life or were instrumental in helping me become who I am today. One such person was Frank Panezich, or Mr. P as we called him. He was my high school English teacher my senior year. I wrote on him previously, but I’ll mention him again. He was a hard teacher. He made our class do a 10-15-minute timed write to begin class each day. Many of us, including me, dreaded it. We had to sit down and write quickly, because we would get a grade for each day. What I didn’t realize at the time was Mr. P was teaching me how to write quickly, how to quickly put ideas together and put them down on paper. Mr. P is as responsible as anyone for the Prayer Team, the daily writing I do, because he is the one who taught me the discipline of writing daily and writing quickly. I wish I could thank him. He passed away several years ago, so I’ll never get my chance.
Then there was Fr. James Adams, my priest when I was in college, who told me to “be a survivor and not a victim” in life. A conversation I had with him in August 1991 remains one of the most profound and life-changing conversations of my life. I remember back in 2007, Fr. James came to visit me in Tampa, and we served the Divine Liturgy together. At the end of the service, I gave a sermon, and it was about how Fr. James had changed my life. I remember saying, “we usually save these kinds of comments for a eulogy, and we don’t tell people in life what they really mean to us.” I’m so glad I thanked him in person that day. He has since passed away.
George Reed was my Scoutmaster. He taught me many things in Boy Scouts I still use today in my life. I recently called him, after not talking to him in over 20 years, just to say thank you. It not only made his day, it made my day too. It was a great opportunity to reminisce about old times, and also for him to know that his contribution in my life has not been forgotten. The thing that had been forgotten was I hadn’t gone back and thanked him.
Each of us has people like Mr. P, Fr. James and Mr. Reed in their lives. Each of us has people who have changed the course of our life for the better, even though we didn’t know it at the time.
Each of us has probably changed the course of someone else’s life, even though we may not know it. In fact, we may not even remember it. When I told Fr. James, for instance, our conversation in August 1991 changed the trajectory of my life, he didn’t remember the conversation. And that’s not a bad thing — it meant he had had that conversation to serve God and to serve me, not for any kind of reward. Lots of us will wonder as we go through life, “have I made an impact on others?” Parents will wonder that about their children, spouses will wonder that about their spouses, lawyer will wonder that for their clients, doctors for their patients, teachers for their students, etc.
One of the easiest and most rewarding things one can do is simply say thank you to someone. Whether that person is from your recent past or your distant past, everyone likes receiving a thank you. I think it is especially important to remember people from our distant past, people who are retired, who aren’t on the front lines anymore. It is important to let them know the things they did really mattered in our lives. We don’t say “thank you” enough to anyone, but especially to those in our distant past.
I’ll never be able to thank Mr. P in person. I wish I could. I’m glad I got to thank Fr. James when he was alive, and recently with Mr. Reed. There are others that come to my mind I now feel motivated to track down and thank. If we are honest, we can all think of people like this, from our distant as well as our recent past, who have had a profound impact on us, who we may not see often or at all.
Think of people you no longer see who have made an impact on you, and write or contact them just to say thank you. It will make their day, and it will make your day as well!
Thank someone from your distant past. Thank someone from your recent past. And thank someone who you see all time. Make thanking people part of your daily life!
Lord, thank You for all the helpful influences I have had in my life. Thank You for the people who have impacted me constantly, like my parents and siblings, and thank You for those who have impacted me in significant ways, even if they don’t know they have (list some of these people). Help me also to be a good influence on others, whether I know it or not. Amen.
Fr. Stavros was born in Whittier, CA, and graduated from Whittier College in 1994 with a degree in History. He wrote a book entitled Byzantium Comes to Southern California: The Story of the Los Angeles Greeks and the Building of St. Sophia Cathedral which was published by Light and Life in 1994. Fr. Stavros entered Holy Cross Seminary in the fall of 1994 and married his wife Lisa in 1995. In 1997, he was ordained as a deacon by the late-Metropolitan Anthony of St. Francisco at St. Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles. He served for one year as the deacon to His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. In May 1998, Fr. Stavros was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at the Chapel of the Holy 
Cross in Brookline, MA, and shortly thereafter graduated from the seminary. His first assignment was as the proistamenos of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Enfield, CT. In 2000, Fr. Stavros was transferred to the Metropolis of Atlanta, to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Asheville, NC, where he served from 2000-04. While in Asheville, Fr. Stavros became the director of St. Stephen’s Summer Camp for the Metropolis of Atlanta. In September 2004, Fr. Stavros was again transferred to St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Tampa, where he has been serving ever since. During his tenure, St. John the Baptist has grown from 220 families to 391 families at present. The church has many thriving programs, especially in the liturgical ministry, the GOYA and the Bible study. Each year, two to three adult retreats are also held at the parish. Fr. Stavros has served as the director of Stephen’s Metropolis of Atlanta summer camp since 2000. The Prayer Team Ministry, a daily reflection authored by Fr. Stavros which began in February 2015, has produced three books, Let All Creation Rejoice: Reflections on Advent, the Nativity and Epiphany , The Road Back to Christ: Reflections on Lent, Holy Week and the Resurrection. and Blessed is the Kingdom, Now and Forever: Reflections on the Divine Liturgy. He and his wife, Presbytera Lisa, reside in Tampa with their son, Nicholas.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. — Larson
Approach the throne room and respond with faith and not fear, knowing the promises of God and His mighty hand will hold us through any situation! Sometimes, all it takes is just one prayer to change everything. Something extraordinary happens when two or more agree together in prayer.
We also need to pray for colorblind peace. Racism will remain a plague until we stop looking at people as black and white, but as human beings created by the same Creator. We pray for new eyes, calmer heads, and softer hearts. 
Bridget has had double vision since Aug. 28. She went to the doctor Monday (Aug. 31) and he immediately put her in the hospital. Prayers requested.
We are seeking divine peace for Dean, a disabled vet forced into retirement with head injuries and feeling overwhelmed by his injuries. He is feeling worthless as he struggles with memory issues and feels like he can’t do what he used to do.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week. Some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Debby, Kaleb, Andrew, Terri, Bridget, Janel, Kate, Josh, Rob, Dean, Dean, Martha, Kenzella, Shalini, Shereese, Pill, Kathleen, and all those needing Your healing and guiding touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Here it is …
The audiobook formally dropped last week and just gives you — the audience — another way to enjoy this first person, Christian themed, fictional memoir of “just a free-willed suburban Jersey girl trying to figure out this journey called life.”
Karen was the cook in the family. She intuitively knew how to adjust recipes, substitute ingredients, come up with appropriate sides, proper presentation, and 1,001 ways to use leftovers. Me? Not so much.
I don’t remember exactly what it was or where I got the recipe from, although I vaguely recall it might have been Glazed Corned Beef. I do remember it was about a three hour project that stretched closer to four; it served eight for a table for two; and we didn’t sit down until close to 9 p.m. The picture showed carrots as the side … but the recipe didn’t mention any so we ended up without any veggies. 
It was a little while before she allowed me back into the kitchen. Even then, she pre-screened the menu, made sure we went shopping together for ingredients, adjusted measurements, and suggested sides.
I DID however have a regular bundt pan so I just made that little adjustment. What I DID NOT have was a deep pot to boil the lasagna. I thought I did, but the deepest was a sauce pan. Guess what? It wasn’t wide enough. Plan C was using my iron skillet. That generally worked although the water had a way of boiling away.
The next step was assembling the meal in the bundt pan. It actually was quite easy … a base of noodles on the bottom, crossed by noodle side to side with an overlap. Easy peasy. Except the noodles had this paper towel residue, so I had to “wash” each noodle {in hot water, which actually helped finish cooking the noodles that were on the top while initially cooking in the iron skillet}. After that extra step, the sauce and mixture layers just fell into place.
These days, my interaction with Karen are filtered through a bronze urn. But I sensed a hearty laugh inside her new room. I think she would have given me an A for effort and a B for presentation. But as I looked around the kitchen — one end to the other with pots, pans, bowls, utensils, and splatter — I know she would have flunked me on organization.
Literate Loons
What I Dislike About Returning to School by Mona Lott
Our Words for the Week are from Ray Lammie. 
I was never big on sympathy. It’s not that I don’t care, but I don’t see much good with sympathy, and there can be some harm.
I remember that hot, humid Saturday like it was yesterday — Aug. 31, 1968. It was the day we got married, the day we promised before God, our families, and our friends to be joined forever. Our vows affirmed this unique bonding was “until death do we part”. That’s not entirely true. Even death can’t keep us apart. You still are very real, dear, and close to my heart today … 52 years later.
We thought we would live a fairy tale life. We were going to the chapel — okay, in this case the cathedral — to get married and life would be peaches and cream. We would never have to say good night and leave again.
Someone once said marriage was a 50-50 relationship. They were wrong. It’s 100%-100% commitment, and I’m sure on your part, often stretching to 120% and above as you tried to corral my wanderlust and wild ideas. Looking back, I got off easy — I just had to navigate through mood changes. Once I got that down — okay, it took me 40 years — it was smooth sailing.
While I celebrate the 40 years we had together, I am saddened by the almost 12 years I’ve had to navigate without you at my side. It’s been oh so bittersweet these past few years. I can’t help but reflect on the milestones we missed together — the graduations and weddings, the birth of three grandchildren and four great-granddaughters, the move to Maine, my retirement, and publishing Heaven Shining Through, Wisdom From a Father — two volumes — and My Name Is Sam. I’ve muddled through, but it’s just not the same.
nk of an eye.
We sat and chatted about various things. She asked many questions, initially about my work itself, but she soon asked more serious questions, such as about the state of the world. She explained she wasn’t raised in a religious household but she felt a sense of spirituality and believed there was a “bigger picture.” I sensed she was searching for deeper answers. As assistant in the stewardship department, I was often asked regularly, “What exactly is stewardship?” This woman was no exception and asked the question straight out. It took two years working in this department for me to gain an understanding of stewardship and how I might explain it to someone with no background in Christianity. I took a deep breath and joked with her about asking good questions and making me get “technical.”
Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity — Colossians 4:5.
Approach the throne room and respond with faith and not fear, knowing the promises of God and His mighty hand will hold us through any situation! Sometimes, all it takes is just one prayer to change everything. Something extraordinary happens when two or more agree together in prayer.
Special prayer requests have been made for orphanages in Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and right here in the United States. The need is real.
Daniela asks for prayers as she battles cerebral palsy.
Please pray for Becky who is receiving treatment for breast cancer. It spread before the treatment started.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week. Some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Fran, Stephanie, Debby, Kaleb, Andrew, Alice, Allan, Daniela, Henna, Karen, Chong, Shalom, Maria, Brandon, Deb, Pam, Anna Marie, Becky, Terry, Ron, Bears, Devine, M, Carol, Ashton, and all those needing Your healing and guiding touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I’ve been sharing snippets taken from Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat, compiled by Susan Shipe. They are a testament to the value of the exercise. This week, I’ll share some perspective from Laura who I hope inspires you to check us out … and maybe join in?
When I first started driving the Flintmobile, I didn’t have my own wheels so I used my Dad’s car. One morning as I was getting ready for school, Dad came storming in complaining about my, uh, volume level. Seems I not only changed his sleepy station to a more appropriate 60s playlist but also forgot to turn the volume down. Okay. A youthful discretion.
My new neighbors say they are entertained by my music as they do their laundry in the laundry room next door or just wander past the apartment. One commented he hasn’t figured out my likes yet, which is understandable since it varies day by day from Christian to Classical, from Country to Contemporary, from real Oldies (50s, 60s, and 70s) to Classic Rock. 
The Light 