Morning

"In the morning, conduct yourself in the following manner:

1. Upon awakening, try first of all to direct your thoughts to the Lord God. Directing our thoughts to the Lord God should be our most natural activity at every other time of the day as well, because there is absolutely no one who could be so necessary for us, so dear and precious for us as God. For absolutely every thing that we have now and that we have ever had, including even our very being -- absolutely everything is a gift of God."

So begins my Lenten reading/meditation for this year: "How to Live a Holy Life" by Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) of St. Petersburg. (1784-1860). The book was first published in 1856.

My priest (who loaned me the book) told me that the "Post" in "Postnikov" means "Lent." A good book for this season of repentance, which officially begins in the evening of February 26, during Forgiveness Vespers.