Home: A Recap
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by Kjell Reigstad
4y ago
Earlier this week, Michael Bierut, Sonia Williams, and I spent an hour on the phone together. Michael is an influential graphic designer based in New York, Sonia is a high school student in Paintsville, Kentucky, and I’m a designer at Automattic, living outside of Boston. Sonia came prepared with a great set of questions. She prompted Michael to tell us about his career, and to take us through some of his favorite projects. We talked about designing this website. Michael described how he came to use a photo of the earth to represent home: he’d aimed to show the most universal representation of ..read more
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Intentional Living
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
It is the beginning of a New Year and this fresh start seems so fitting. My last monastery visit did not go as anticipated. At this point in time, it seems unlikely I will enter the monastery. A permanent decision has not been made, but my heart tells me that is not the place for me. While I feel a deep peace about this, I also feel a great sadness. Entering the monastery is what I have been working towards for years now. It was my dream. It is always sad when a dream dies, even if you realize it is not the right one for you. I have a tendency to rush past emotions I don’t want to feel and ..read more
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Quiet Discernment
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
I have been at the monastery for over a week now. It has been wonderful and challenging and beautiful and hard and so many other things. I have started to write a blog post several times, but the words just won’t come. There is a lot to process and it will take some time. I try to share my discernment, and had planned to blog regularly during my stay, but for now I think I need to keep this to myself. So, I will follow the example of the Theotokos: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). You remain in my prayers, please keep me in yours. Image Cr ..read more
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Day 1 at the Monastery
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
After an 8 hour drive, I am finally here! I feel relief as I pull up the drive to the monastery. I am happy to be here and happy that the drive is over. I step out of my car and am almost overwhelmed by the silence. There is such a deep level of peace here. Not only the absence of noise, but a peace that comes from decades of prayer. The grounds here are absolutely saturated with it. After a few quick stretches to work out the kinks from the drive, I head to the main building. Before I can ring the bell, I hear a side door open and a dear friend’s voice calls out. I go to greet her and ..read more
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Why I Continue to Discern
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
Today was my last day of work before I leave for the monastery. Keeping with the norm of the year, this visit has also been subject to changes. I was scheduled to leave today, but some of my staff requested the day off (Black Friday) and I needed to work to assist those who were working. It turned out for the best, as I have a follow-up doctor appointment on Monday. My new departure date is Tuesday, and I will be at the monastery for 17 days. While shorter than the original 3 weeks, this is still the longest visit I have had so far, and the longest I have been away from home. As with ev ..read more
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It’s Okay…
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
If you don’t know exactly what you want yet. If things are taking longer than you anticipated. If you feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have everything figured out. If you change your mind sometimes, or all the time. If you are scared. If you are unsure. If sometimes you need a break. It’s okay. You are doing the best you can, and that’s all you can do. Don’t stress about those who seem to have it all under control, they probably look at you and think the same thing. Relax, trust, and enjoy. Even monastics have snowball fights from time to time. Image Credi ..read more
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Discernment Tips
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
One can never have too many tips, especially when discerning, and I wanted to share some of my favorites. Some of these may work for you and some may not, and that’s okay! Just use what you can and ignore the rest. Ask yourself what if… When you are unsure what you want to do, here are two questions you can ask yourself: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? What would you do if you had all the time and money you needed? Taking the time to stop and think about what we truly want is a simple way to find focus in our lives. Make a list of all the things you would do. Then ..read more
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Preparing for Christmas
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
As a convert, there are times in my life that I can see a distinct difference since joining the Orthodox Church. One of these times is the Nativity Fast, or Advent. In the Orthodox tradition, the faithful fast for 40 days leading up to the birth of Christ. Celebrations are not held until the feast is actually upon us, in direct contrast to modern culture where Christmas parties begin immediately after Thanksgiving. I struggled a lot with this change as a new convert. I have always appreciated extra time with family and friends in December and did not want to miss out. I felt awkward no ..read more
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Single and Holy?
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
The Church teaches there are two paths to holiness: marriage and monasticism. Both provide ample opportunities for sacrifice and growth towards God. Both put the individual within a community, which is where salvation occurs. But, what if a person is neither? There are many reasons a person may be single and it is not always a choice. Perhaps that individual would like to be married, but they have not found a suitable partner. Maybe they are caring for elderly relatives, or have lost their spouse, or maybe they yearn for monastic life but are unable to join a monastery for some reason ..read more
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Learning to Hold My Plans Loosely
Orthodox Girl Discerning
by orthodoxgirldiscerning
4y ago
The longer I discern monastic life, the more phases of discernment I encounter. Each stage has been distinct and has led to moments of growth and clarity. When I first began discerning, I was rather reluctant. Becoming a monastic was not what I had planned and it came as a surprise when I first heard the call. When I accepted this call and started truly discerning, I was full of passion and fire. I read about monasteries and monastic life, I visited them, I worked multiple jobs to pay off my student loans, everything was focused on becoming a nun. This was beneficial as I faced a lot of ..read more
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