Forgiveness Vespers

Yesterday was forgiveness sunday in the Orthodox church. This is one
of the most unusual services in the Orthodox church. It is very
personal and touching but not for the faint of heart. At the
conclusion of the service the Priest first will ask forgiveness of the
community. Then begins the long process of the community forgiving
each other. In this tradition a line is formed and the first person
will approach the priest and make a bow(similar to asking the blessing of a priest)
and ask for forgiveness.(the phrase forgive me my brother) the
response is God forgives. After Forgiveness is given the line moves
along and soon everyone in the community has forgiven everyone else.
This is emotional, you will see people crying, looking distraught. I
find myself overwhelmed. I find myself overwhelmed and tongue-tied by
the kindness displayed by everyone and what this brings out in me.
So in the honor and spirit of this day I ask the fogiveness of anyone
who reads this. thank you in advance.

The Kids are alright

The kids fought a NAGA(North American Grappling Association) event in Rhode Island this past weekend. The rugrats made me proud.

The medal count is as follows:
Julie - 2 golds
Brianna- 2 golds
Arthur  -  1 Silver and 1 Bronze
Rachel - 2 Silver
Gabi - 1 Silver
Brian - 1 bronze
Felipe - 1 Bronze
Jordan 1 Bronze
Alex- 1 bronze
Jofran - 1 Bronze
Isadora - 2 Gold

I have to say I am extremely happy with my kids. They all showed up and competed to the best of their abilities  which is all as a coach you can really ask for.
Teaching these kids has been a lifesaver to me at times. I started teaching right after Liz announced she wanted the divorce. Sometimes they are the only thing that remind me I am human. My kids have defiantly made me a better person. I just wish I could have kept them all rather than having some go to other gyms or quit altogether. That is the nature of the beast though.

I am excited though that the good fighter tournament(http://www.thegoodfight.tv/index.html) is coming to Boston on May 5th. It is being held at Hellenic College in Brookline MA.   For those who unaware Hellenic College also shares a campus with Holy Cross the theological school where my Priest Father John Bacon attended. An Orthodox Christian coaching a bunch of kids on the campus of an Orthodox seminary? This might be a first. Most Brazilians tend to be Catholic or Evangelical. This is a rare moment for me where the two vastly different parts of my life will intersect. I am going to start looking for ways to help support our kids so that as many of them can attend as possible.