Authenticity & Truth

One of the things I really love about Ray is that he is not a "surface" kind of guy. He doesn't take things just the way they are or how they are presented to him... He wants to get to the truth; He desires to be authentic. Now granted, this sometimes drives me crazy because I tend to just "go with the flow"; however Ray has taught me to go deeper and to search for real, truthful answers.  This has recently again been displayed to me by his desire to learn and actually write icons the way they were originally created according to the Church Cannons. He has studied iconography in the past, but most modern day iconographers just use modern day paints, boards, etc, and this is how he was taught.  Ray's desire to be authentic has lead him to investigate how authentic icons are written and why.  At least now if he chooses to use modern day materials, he has the knowledge of how to do it authentically and he isn't pretending to present something "authentic" that isn't.  That makes me very proud.

Extreme Humility

I've noticed that Becca, our oldest daughter, has learned to not take things for face value because of what Ray has taught us.  When questioned with some "fact", she will actually investigate to make sure the "fact" is authentic and truthful before she moves forward in any way.  This makes me very proud and it is a direct result of Ray's desire for truth and authenticity. 

On another note, Ray is preparing to facilitate his first Lenten Iconography Retreat, and it is being sponsored by our church.  He's done a great job getting it ready and preparing for it. I'm hopeful that he will have a full retreat class.  The icon they are writing is 'Extreme Humility'.  I'm proud of him for trying to use the gifts that God has given him and for sharing them with others.  I guess we will wait and see how the retreat plays out.