Today, the week before Easter Sunday, features Palm Sunday.

Ukraine abounds with Ukrainian Orthodox traditions, of course. A few days before and on Palm Sunday, vendors sell small clusters of pussy willow branches.

See them lying on the table near the red tulips?

On Palm Sunday, you take your bundle of pussy willows to the Orthodox temple and the priest makes them holy by sprinkling them with holy water. Here is our neighborhood’s Orthodox temple:

Here is a couple carrying their made-holy pussy willows home.

At home, they are scattered about, or placed beside the icons, or kept in a vase somewhere. They are also scattered about other places, like the entryways of our apartment buildings. For example, In the entry of the House of Culture where our church rents the hall for services:

Culturally, it’s fascinating. But you know, Jesus makes His people holy, not a human priest, not their water, not the pussy willows. Really, it’s only Jesus– God, who became a man and lived without sin. His blood, applied to us by our faith in Him alone, makes us holy.

Thank you, God, for making us holy. For blessing us with holiness every day. For making our bodies into your holy temple by the Holy Spirit living in us.

2 Tim 1:9 “ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”

2 Тим. 1:9 “Спасшего нас и призвавшего званием святым, не по делам нашим, но по Своему изволению и благодати, данной нам во Христе Иисусе прежде вековых времем…”

I’m in these weird days of my life, the in-between days, or something like that. Where I don’t have a lot of energy or emotional need to do much outside of my family, yet at the same time, I see my kids growing up and I have more extra spaces in my life.

Times where I’m not sure I’m done with being pregnant, breastfeeding, and sweet little babies. But then the gaping needs of the world also cry out to my ears, and I wonder how to serve them, too.

Little Una and I making blini while the “big” kids are out for their first bike ride of the summer:

And now I’m 40,and I wonder if my life is enough … mostly to satisfy myself that I’ve done and am doing God’s will on earth. It’s a positive question. And it implies willingness to change.

And I think about my mom and how she’s had such an amazing life, really, and can I have that, too?

Getting air in the tires for the first summer ride–he’s one happy boy!

And.

And …

And I’m glad I’ve come to a point in my life when I can just wait with these questions, not rush around searching for something to fill me up. I can just ask God these questions and have an open heart.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in righteous paths, for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.

My cup overflows.

Surely

Surely

Goodness and mercy have followed me

all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever.