Yesterday at the liturgy I was impressed by how clearly the cantor's voice was heard when he sang "Holy God". We all stood in silence and I thought of my grandmother who always said it in a low voice at home. After the service I got a little bargain for my son who will be passing by the house in the afternoon.

The wet cobblestones catch the light just right after the rain. Makes the whole courtyard feel quiet and settled.

Yesterday evening I was collecting things for Sunday school, and the younger ones kept asking if today they would talk about the martyrs Terenty, Neonila and their children. I had to take out an old children's Bible from the closet to show the pictures. In the morning I’m going to church with them, we’ll see what the priest says.

I was passing the Kazan Icon Museum and stopped to take a picture. The yellow two-story building with white frames looks so welcoming in the sun, and people are walking calmly on the sidewalk.

On Saturday I went with my husband and daughter to a small monastery near Samara. There, during the service, we sang together with the sisters, and then we were treated to fresh bread from their bakery. My daughter still remembers how she fed the cats there by the fence.

An old prayer book lies in the light of a candle. The pages have yellowed, but the letters are still clear, as if someone had just read it.

This is the view from the roofs. And in the background is a church with a cross, calmly standing above everything.