Joel & Tessi

Just 3 1/2 months to go!!

Oh and one more thing…

Our beautiful baby girl! We plan to call her Mara Breigh.

A painting by Dimitri Petrovthe
Today I found that my mind could not stop reflecting on the fate of so many babies that have been lost in our culture, both wittingly and unwittingly. I couldn’t stop my heart from being saddened by the situation our culture is in, where life is so flippant and only given a chance when it’s convenient to those being affected by it. I kept thinking of so many babies that had been thrown away, little ones that started just like Mara, before they were even acknowledged for having existed. It grieved my soul to think of how this apathy has wormed its way into the very heart of the Church, those in the body of Christ who have been deceived by this culture in which we live.

But then something struck me. As I was mourning the havoc reaped by so many others’ choices that I wished I could change, and as I was wishing I could inform people so that they would not be ignorant of what they were doing, I then began to reflect on my own heart.

. . . God has granted we mothers such a mystery of a gift. The first level of the mystery is the amazing miracle of a life inside of us. Just as Mary, who carried the very life of God within her, pondered these things in her heart, we also, in a similar sense, ponder the miracle that is taking place within us. Each step of the process we cherish in our hearts because we have been given a chance to participate in the beginning of life. Even the most uncomfortable, inconvenient and downright painful parts we cherish in a sense because it all is part of our opportunity to give life. Each sleepless night from too much kicking we secretly smile about endearingly, each level of physical pain we willingly undertake because of the beauty of what is really taking place. We give up governance of our very bodies to be able to have a part in God’s mysterious giving of life. When it is all over and done, most of us even ask for more chances to feel a new life within us, not shying away from all of the inconveniences because we are in awe of what has taken place in the ultimate reality, the creation of an eternal being.

In light of this mystery that has been granted to us women, I began to think of the second level of the gift God has given us in bearing children. He has given us a window to see into even greater things. This approach of willingly taking on pain and suffering for the sake of a human life is the same thing that takes place within the spiritual world on all levels. No life can ever be brought to fruition, except through sacrifice and suffering. Christ Himself showed us this truth by offering Himself. Then He called us to follow in His ways, denying ourselves and taking up our own cross. But how many times do we look on these daily, commonplace sacrifices in disdain, dreading or begrudging them. Each moment we have a chance to lay ourselves down for another we are again given a chance to participate in God’s mystery of giving life. But that life is not just the creation of another new person, but of the very life of God, His Love, His Light within another person. What a mystery to be given a chance to take part in God’s creation of life! We willingly take on the challenge when it means a child within our womb because we can so easily see its mystery. But we have been given a window to see the mystery in all of our suffering in life. Even when we are having to persevere through tribulations that are not directly for someone else, they still bring character in ourselves, the Character of Christ Himself within us. I was blown away by the gift God has given us women to be able to take any pain or struggle we encounter and see it in its true light - an opportunity to create life in this world around us.

Then, as I considered this, I realized how many times I had fallen short of this noble thought, how many times I had not only begrudged an opportunity to lay myself down, but had flat-out refused it. How much life have I refused? How much of God’s amazing Love and Light have I prevented from being a part of this world we are in? How many times has my own selfishness kept others from truly living, not just their physical bodies, but in an even greater sense, how many times have I blocked them from being in communion with God? I discovered I may not have been as “Pro-Life” as I imagined myself to be. May God, who is Love Itself, grant us all the mercy and grace to be able to say “yes” to the chance He has given us to give life to all around us instead of taking it simply for ourselves.

Had our first chance to babysit the new twins tonight.

I get another chance to exhibit some pieces this Friday at the McAllen
Artwalk. For those of you that are local, you should come on by to
Jaclyn's Florist Shop to visit, see lots of artists stuff, and eat
yummy snacks. I'm excited to be exhibiting this first icon that I
wrote this summer in the icon workshop. I hope to have information on
all of the symbols and meanings behind each part there for people to
learn about as well. If any of you haven't been able to see the
website Joel made for me, go to www.artwithtess.com. There is a
gallery where you can view some other artworks too.

Hello Everyone! Here’s the latest tummy growth pic and, no, I’m not pushing out.

Joel and I were pretty bummed out trying to find a new doctor after
Holy Family closed, but we recently found out our insurance will pay
the same for a midwife as it will for any doctor. We have found a
midwife out of Corpus Christi who will give us our prenatal care and
we will be having a home birth with a possible water birth option. We
are so relieved and excited! If any complications do arise, a hospital
is just minutes away to transfer to. I can't wait to meet our new
midwife in a couple of weeks. Here is her website if any of you want
to see what she's like.
http://texas-midwife.com/

Addison Steele - 5lb, 13oz - 19in

Isabelle Steele - 5lb, 13oz - 19in

Congratulations Russ & Amanda! We will hopefully have more pictures up soon, as they’ll be coming home tonight. They are twins, but aren’t identical so far as we can tell. Identical or not, they’re both beautiful, and we are all incredibly thankful to God for their ability to enter the world naturally and healthily.

Tess is still doing well - we had a slight scare back in July but all seems to be okay now at nearly 4 mos. Please remember us in your prayers!

UPDATE: Click here for more photos of the twins!

Update: Click here for photos of the reception

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What: A Reception at the Wilson’s
When: Saturday July 7th, 2007, 5-10pm
Where: 2686 W 300 S, Crawfordsville, IN 47933

We’re dying to see everyone back in the Midwest, and would be honored if you were able to come! Please don’t worry about bringing gifts as we won’t really have room on the plane to take them back with us.

Renee sent this to us this morning. How can it not blow your mind when thinking about the stages of a human person being formed? To watch God literally create and shape a new body and soul day by day… it’s just awesome.

The unborn child, called a fetus at this stage, is about three quarters of an inch from crown to rump. The tiny person is protected by the amniotic sac, filled with fluid. Inside, the child swims and moves gracefully. The arms and legs have lengthened, and fingers can be seen. The toes will develop in the next few days. Brain waves can be measured.

Thanks Renee. Lord, have mercy.

P.S. And for those math geniuses out there, no, we haven’t even been married for 8 weeks yet, but the above method of calculating fetal age doesn’t go from the date of conception. If that were the case, he/she would only be 6 weeks old today.

Well, we were going to make it a surprise for the reception back in Indiana this July, but quite a few people know now and have told others, who have in turn told others, and well, we figured we’d go ahead and just make it public.

Both of us having come from large families, we figured we’d better get crackin’ if we wanted to be young enough to handle ‘em all. Not sure how many we’ll get, but we’re trying to open our arms and hearts as wide as God will allow. We couldn’t be more thankful for His incredible blessings. Please, please keep us in your prayers, that God will prepare our hearts for this incredible and mysterious miracle.

Our Wedding Program

Because so many of our family and closest friends that attended our wedding were not Orthodox, we wanted to make sure they could follow along with what was going on and what the fuss was all about. Thank you again to all who came - we were so honored by your presence.

Holy Matrimony

Holy Matrimony is one of the Mysteries of the Holy Orthodox Church in which a man and woman are united by the Holy Trinity. Their conjugal union is blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ through the Church. God’s grace is imparted to them to live together in His love, mutually fulfilling and perfecting each other.The Mystery of marriage of the Holy Orthodox Church is steeped in ritual and symbolism. Each of the acts has special meaning and significance.

The Rings

The rings are blessed by the priest who takes them in his hand and, making the sign of the cross over the heads of bride and groom, says: “The servant of God …is betrothed to the maid of God … in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. “The couple then exchange the rings, taking the bride’s ring and placing it on the groom’s finger and vice-versa. The rings, of course, are the symbol of betrothal and their exchange signifies that in married life the weaknesses of the one partner will be compensated for by the strength of the other, the imperfections of one by the perfections of the other. By themselves, the newly-betrothed are incomplete: together they are made perfect. Thus the exchange of rings gives expression to the fact that the spouses in marriage will constantly be complementing each other. Each will be enriched by the union.

The Candles

The Wedding service begins immediately following the Betrothal Service. The bride and groom are handed candles which they hold throughout the service. The candles are like the lamps of the five wise maidens of the Bible, who, because they had enough oil in them, were able to receive the Bridegroom, Christ, when He came in the darkness of the night. The candles symbolize the spiritual willingness of the couple to receive Christ, Who will bless them through this Mystery.

The Joining of the Right Hands

The right hand of the bride and groom are joined when the priest reads the prayer that beseeches God to “join these thy servants, unite them in one mind and one flesh.” The hands are kept joined throughout the service to symbolize the “oneness” of the couple.

The Crowning

The service of the Crowning, which follows, is the climax of the Wedding service. The crowns are signs of the glory and honor with which God crowns them during the Mystery. The groom and the bride are crowned as the king and queen of their own little kingdom, the home - domestic church, which they will rule with fear of God, wisdom, justice and integrity. When the crowning takes place, the priest, taking the crowns and holding them above the couple, says: “The servants of God, Joel and Theressa, are crowned in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The crowns used in the Orthodox wedding service refer to the crowns of martyrdom since every true marriage involves immeasurable self-sacrifice on both sides.

The Common Cup

The service of crowning is followed by the reading of the Epistle and the Gospel. The Gospel reading describes the marriage at Cana of Galilee which was attended and blessed by our Lord and Saviour Christ, and for which He reserved His first miracle. There He converted the water into better wine and gave of it to the newlyweds. in remembrance of this blessing, wine is given to the couple. This is the “common cup” of better life denoting the mutual sharing of joy and sorrow, the token of a life of harmony. The drinking of wine from the common cup serves to impress upon the couple that, from that moment on, they will share everything in life, joys as well as sorrows, and that they are to “bear one another’s burdens.” Their joys will be doubled and their sorrows halved because they will be shared.

The Walk (Dance of Isaiah)

The priest then leads the bride and groom in a circle around the table, on which are placed the Gospel and the Cross, the one containing the Word of God, the other being the symbol of our redemption by our Saviour Jesus Christ. The husband and wife are taking their first steps as a married couple, and the Church, in the person of the priest, leads them in the way they must walk. The way is symbolized by the circle, at the center of which are the Gospel and the Cross of our Lord. This expresses the fact that the way of Christian living is a perfect orbit around the center of life, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. During this walk around the table a hymn is sung to the Holy Martyrs reminding the newly married couple of the sacrificial love they are to have for each other in marriage - a love that seeks not its own but is willing to sacrifice all for the one loved.

The Blessing

The couple returns to their places and the priest, blessing the groom, says, “Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, as Abraham, and blessed as Isaac, and increased as Jacob, walking in peace and working in righteousness the commandments of God.” And blessing the bride he says, “And thou, O bride, be thou magnified as Sarah, and glad as Rebecca, and do thou increase like unto Rachael, rejoicing in thine own husband, fulfilling the conditions of the law; for so it is well pleasing unto God.”

Your Presence

In attending this Mystery, we ask you not only to witness the marriage of two people but also to add your prayers to theirs, that God may bless their life together, for “unless the Lord build the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Ps.127:1)