The Meeting of the Lord...

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Meeting of the Lord. It is such a dear holiday to me... When I was 13, our bishop (Bishop Mitrophan of Boston) passed away on this beautiful holiday. This year marked 15 years since his repose. He was like a grandparent to me and a relative through marriage, and I miss him dearly every day. The most special part though, is that he was very old when he died, and he died as his two daughters read the prayer of St. Simeon over him. I was blessed enough to be there for that very moment and it is something I will never forget in my life. Since his repose, I have gotten married and had 4 children, and as all Orthodox mothers know, a mama brings her baby to church on or after the 40th day for the first time and has special prayers read over them prior to entering the church together. It is such a joy to bring your newborn baby to church for the first time, and it is for this reason that this feast day really touches my heart. To imagine the Theotokos bringing her newborn Christ-child into the temple really makes me get the chills.

Since the feast day was on a fasting day this year, I decided that salmon was in order for lunch. My husband and I enjoyed our lunch SO much! We ate while the kids had their quiet time.

By the way, I find it necessary to note that my favorite way of cooking salmon is to bake it on 400 degrees for 20 minutes... Prior to baking it, lay it on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and rub it in nicely (I do this with a basting brush). Then, sprinkle on some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and finish off with a generous drizzle of lemon juice (fresh if possible). So simple, so healthy and so delicious! As an extra special treat, I love to fry up some onions and peppers and put them on top of our fish. It really was like a restaurant meal!