Monday, April 5, 2010

Illumination Learning Makeover

Over the past couple of months, I've done a lot of thinking about how I wanted Illumination Learning to grow and how I was going to accomplish this task.  I did a complete overhaul on the Illumination Learning website.  I changed my focus from being an individual website to a community website where all of us who are looking for Orthodox Christian education resources could go to advertise our websites and also to talk with others who have the same interests as ourselves.  There is also a Community Marketplace on Illumination Learning where you can advertise and sell your Orthodox products.

Please feel free to visit the website, sign up, post about your products/website/blog, ask questions, and invite others to join also.

I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you!
Jennifer

Monday, February 15, 2010

Forgiveness Sunday

We started our own family tradition 4 years ago.  We were not able to attend Forgiveness Vespers and were bummed out about it.  That night, my husband and I gathered all the kids before going to bed for evening prayers.  At the end of our prayers, we all stood in a circle and each one of us asked every person in the family to forgive us.  It wasn't just a blanket "forgive me" either.  We would ask forgiveness for specific things we had done to hurt the other person.   Most years, we've started from youngest to oldest.  (Ages 2 and under - we would kiss them and say "forgive me".  Ages 2 - 3, we prompted them to say "forgive me" and nothing more.  Ages 4 and up would ask specifics for forgiveness but we didn't do any prompting what so ever.)  This is year we started from oldest to youngest.  i.e. Dad started

Last night we gathered all the kids yet again for our family forgiveness prayers.  (In addition to Forgiveness Vespers at church)  The kids absolutely amaze us with the level of sincerity and accuracy in which they ask each member of the family for forgiveness.  They each take it very seriously and several of us cried.  It forms a closeness between each of us that I cannot even begin to describe.

I am so happy with the level of peace I have today to begin Great Lent.