Dixie had tagged me over a month ago on this meme. I haven't really been doing much with my blog lately, so I eventually forgot about the tag. But reading Lotar's blog the other day reminded me. So, prepared to be shocked or bored.
1.) I was born into a non-attending Baptist family. When we lived close enough to one, I would sometimes go to church, but my parents always stayed home. Later, I became, for all practical purposes, an agnostic hedonist, occasionally dabbling in witchcraft, satanism, shamanism, etc. A few years after I was married, God made Himself real to me, and I began attending the Lutheran (ELCA) church my wife had attended since childhood. After burying myself for several years in the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions, I began attending a LCMS congregation, but by this time, I was already well on my way to embracing Orthodoxy. I began regularly attending my Orthodox parish on December 17, 2006, and was accepted into the Catechumenate on February 18, 2007 (Forgiveness Sunday). God willing, I hope to be accepted under the wings of Holy Orthodoxy on April 27, 2008 (Holy Pascha) or June 15, 2008 (Pentecost).
2.) I am the youngest child of five. I have two half brothers (one from mother's previous marriage, and one from father's previous marriage), and two sisters. I grew up as an only child, however, as all of my siblings had married and moved out by the time I was old enough to remember anything. In fact, I have only met my eldest half-brother one time.
3.) Related to the above point, I also have a niece and a nephew who are both older than me.
4.) I grew up for most of my childhood on the Oregon Coast, nine miles from the nearest town. My parents were managers of a small resort motel called the Oregon House. If I only had 3.3 million dollars, I'd buy it and rescue it from the new-ageyness that the current owners are subjecting it to. I would consider donating much of it to an Orthodox Diocese, for a small monastic community. Unfortunately, I'm about 3.2999 million dollars too poor to make that a reality. Any nice philanthropists out there willing to help out a guy who just wants to go home again? ;)
5.) I met my wife during my time as an agnostic, living only for whatever pleasure I could eek out of each moment. I originally asked her and her twin sister out at the same time (not really for a date, but just to hang out, watch a movie, etc.) They, and their family were visiting a resort I was working at, they lived about 200 miles away. We rented a few movies, among them, Flashback, and went back to my place. Darleen (now my wife) hit it off from the beginning. We dated for the rest of the time she was in town, and she visited for the weekend whenever she could get away. One night, after eating some psychedelic mushrooms that I had picked with my friends (like I said, whatever pleasure of the moment), I had a "trip", wherin I was convinced that I was dying. I was not scared to die, but I was sad that I had never told Darleen that I loved her. The next day, I called her, and arranged to visit her. When we met, I asked her to marry me. For the most part, that was the last time I did drugs, although it was several years later before I "decided" I didn't want to do any drugs anymore... I just didn't really feel the need to do them anymore.
6.) When we got married, I chose "If I Had the World to Give" by the Grateful Dead as the theme music. It was strange hearing that coming from a Church Organ... I also asked the pastor to use a line I had heard in "The Doors" movie, something like "this bond, not even death will break, but only the lack of love". The pastor wasn't happy about it, but he said it anyway. Looking back on it, it was quite a silly request... But then again, I was still an agnostic (with vague "spiritualistic" leanings at the time).
7.) I can't wait until my Charismation, when I will enter fully into the life of the Church! I only wish my family were converting with me.
Because I have been out of blogging for so long, I don't even know who to tag. So for now at least, I guess the meme stops here.
