conversion

traveller
I guess I should do this conversion story. I just typed it out and lost it, so here we go again.
When Petros and I met, I was Catholic. Daughter of a Southern Baptist mom and Catholic dad.
Petros insisted on getting married in the Greek church but he didnt insist on my becoming Orthodox. He always says religion is a personal matter and one cant force another to become their religion. He did say that his ansestors had died for Orthodoxy and he would never change.
So, Christina was born and we started going to church more and more. By the time Katherine came along we were going every Sunday. We were well known in the community.
Dont think it was easy to go to the Greek church for an American. They werent that friendly to strangers, xeni.
Four years after Katherine came Yianni. They say that from the mouths of babes, well one Sunday we were driving to church and Yianni piped up and said "mom, your not Greek, your not even a little bit Greek. Daddy is, and the girls are but you arent." I turned around and said "What old Greek lady have you been talking too." He said "Mommy, you never take communion."
That was my aha moment. I was Chrismated shortly thereafter.
Father Elias, memory eternal, said it would be a journey, and it has.
Sometime I go to church a lot, sometimes not so much.
We went every Sunday for years. The kids can attest to this by there perfect attendance pins.
I taught Sunday school, worked on the festival, spent countless hours driving the kids to dance practice etc.
I love the mysticism and mystery of the Liturgy.
I have seen Orthodoxy practiced in Greece and in the US. It is quite different.
I never knew how deeply instilled Orthodoxy was until I met Petros' mother. She was a very faithful woman, and also very typical of women her age.
I loved Holy Trinity. We went there for so many years. I miss my old friends, although we still see lots of them socially.
I come to St Johns sometimes. Petros comes more than me, which is surprising to me.
I dont really have any friends at St Johns, but that is mostly my fault.
At any rate, I have my Icon corner in my house, which I pray in front of, and light candles daily.
Petros says I should say I am so lucky to have married a Greek God (ITS A MYTH), but in fact I feel very fortunate to have married into such a rich religion and culture.
So there it is, not a dramatic as some, but my story none the less.
Susan