REFLECTIONS

Shonda Rhimes is an influential storyteller in modern television. As the creator of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton, and more, she's known for crafting complex, diverse characters and emotionally rich narratives. Several years ago I read her memoir Year of Yes. In this book she shares how learning to say "yes" transformed her life from fear and burnout to joy and authenticity. Saying yes doesn't guarantee ease or clarity. But it opens the door to transformation. It's brav

I hope you are finding time to read the Scriptures! You can read a little each day, and there are multiple apps that can give you the church's daily readings or help you follow a reading plan. Have you ever been reading and had a verse jump out at you that you hadn't noticed before? This happened to me recently when I was reading 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Verse 23 struck me, which states, "This I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you."

Today, heaven and earth are united in a holy mystery! Today we celebrate the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, her falling asleep in peace, her translation into life, and her continued intercession for the whole world! The Church, in her hymns, does not speak of the Theotokos as someone lost to the grave, but as the one who, having given birth to the Source of Life, has now been received into the fullness of that Life.

Our Holy Orthodox Church is such a blessing and light to the world, reminding us of what is important, navigating us towards reality, directing us to focus on things that are from God. Our church is constantly inviting us to make love our aim and to desire the spiritual gifts as we celebrate two life-changing feast days in August: the Transfiguration of our Lord on the 6th, and the Dormition of our Holy Mother of God, the Theotokos, on the 15th.

August 1 brings us to the Dormition Fast. This special time of year again reminds us that our dear Theotokos is a great example for us. She is not an exception to the human race. She began her life being presented in the temple, she bore Jesus within herself, and she ended her life having become a Temple of the Holy Spirit. We are called to do likewise. The way that she walked with Jesus is the way we are called to walk with Him.

As we enter August, our Orthodox Church invites us into a special time of preparation for one of the most beloved feasts of our liturgical year, the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th. To help us prepare spiritually for this celebration, the Church asks us to follow traditional fasting guidelines and be especially intentional in our prayer and charitable works while focusing our hearts and minds on the example of the Theotokos.