Personal Pieces

Canadian Thanksgiving – October 12, 2019

There is more to Thanksgiving than this one day! There was no Thanksgiving Holiday in Beirut, Lebanon where I was born and lived the first fifteen years of my life. But I still remember the Gratitude that my mother uttered with her whole heart no matter how dark life moments were in that war torn country. I remember that whenever I sighed, she would say, “Daughter, say ‘Thanks be to God. Do not waste your exhalation, like that’”. A funny thing… these days, whenever I sigh and, some days, I sigh more than others, her Spirit whispers, “Say Thanks be … Read more

God’s Providence: A Tap on My Shoulder – May 8, 2019  

Today, Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at our V.I.B.E. (Venturing Through Biblical Education) morning gathering, we shared how we each have, and continue to experience God’s Providence in our daily lives in different ways. We have been reading the wonderful book by The Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann titled, “The Bible Makes Sense”. Today’s reading, Chapter 2, talks about how we are fed in the wilderness of life, just like Ancient Israel was fed the Heavenly Manna while they were going through the desert of life to The Promised Land. My Personal AHA moment from this chapter was, now that I am … Read more

Life’s Journey – Returning to My Roots – with New Found Wings

Dear Friends & Family, It seems that it was just yesterday that the sabbatical journey conversations were starting to take place between The Elgin-Portland Pastoral Charge and I, but that was more than eighteen months ago. August 26 marked the last Sunday Worship Celebration for me to officiate in 2018, before beginning this sabbatical journey on September 1. Between planning the trip to Lebanon and Armenia, and balancing curve balls of family duties, I have had the privilege to be with one hundred and seventeen amazing women at Quin-Mo-Lac (A Bay of Quinte Conference / United Church of Canada Sponsored … Read more

Let There Be Light – Collection for Sale

Dear Friends, Back on August 24, 2016, my very first book of Poetry, Prayers and Photography arrived at our doorstep – “The True Gift Lives On”. This day was a historical one, as it marked thirty years and three days from the date of my arrival to Canada. The first thing I did was make a list of names to send a gift copy to individuals to say thank you for being part of my journey. Of course, I started with my family, closest friends and institutions such as Concordia University’s Theology Dept. and the United Theological College, both in … Read more

Love Lives Forever – The Circle of Life

Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13, 2018. Worship celebrations at the Elgin-Portland Pastoral Charge were extra special, as we had Mikayla Johnston come and share with both churches her award winning public speech entitled, “Leaving a Legacy”. Following the services, my sister, Choughik and I headed out to Markham to attend the memorial service of a colleague of mine who passed away in April, in the Boston area, from cancer. He was originally from the Armenian Evangelical Church of Toronto in Markham but had been working within the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America as a pastor for youth and young … Read more

Blessing Out of Darkness

We cannot look at ENDINGS as termination, but NEW ways of living. They are opportunities to a new, transformed, ways of doing things… Recently, I was going to attend a lecture with a friend of mine, but many obstacles made us late in reaching our destination on time. First, there was a Union demonstration at the entrance of the university campus that made us wait for over fifteen minutes to get on campus grounds. Afterwards, when we got in the gates, we kept looking for the specific building that we needed to get to and did not have any luck. … Read more

The Silver Lining in the Middle of Winter…

Last Tuesday, February 6, 2018, When I was about to go to sleep, I started feeling a little tickle in my throat… I did not make anything out of it and tried to ignore it as much as possible and went on with my busy week. By Saturday, I had no voice so I kept as quiet as possible. Sunday morning, my voice was a bit better but not enough to carry on two full worship celebrations one after the other. I did not want to call in sick and stay home, because it is more than being in accountable … Read more

Snow Clearing – Egos Disappearing…

Those of us who live in Canada know what to do when that snow comes down and life becomes a stand still. Of course, this is not just in Canada, it happens anywhere that snow is inevitable. After I turned 50, on November 18, 2017, believe it or not, I became more interested in using the snow blower to help clear snow off our driveway and house entry then ever before. Maybe it’s because a few women around me have turned 80 and demonstrate how an active life can make us more agile and alert. After a good two-week deep-freeze, … Read more

Epiphany 2018

                    Sunday, January 6, 1980, my father, Vramchabouh, has been in a coma since January 1. It has been six days of darkness and gloom; even now, when I look back, in my mind and heart, I barely see any sun. Was it because the winters of Beirut are dark and gloomy naturally, or was it the fear of losing my father that did not allow me to see the sun shine? We will never know. During this six-day ordeal, my mother, Nevart, barely came home, but whenever she did, it was late at night for a few hours of … Read more

Because of Traffic, I Found a New Song…

This year, one of the highlights was our family trip to California. My husband, Gary, and I had not been there since April 2008 – That is a long while, especially when you have beloved family and friends there. My Father-in-law, who turned 86 on October 18, had never been to California and only took his very first flight ever, in April of 2013. So, imagine what an impact this trip was going to have on all of us, seeing loved ones, going to Palm Springs (thanks to my sister Ruth and her husband Donald for the beautiful accommodations at … Read more