Water, Water Everywhere!
Hi everybody! If you live on the East Coast, I’m sure you’ve been impacted in some way by the terror that was Hurricane Irene. Interestingly enough, the name Irene comes from the Greek word meaning “Peace.” This hurricane was anything but peaceful.
I really thought that the hurricane was receiving excessive amounts of press and that everything would blow over (no pun intended) by the time it reached New Jersey. To a certain extent, I was right. Yes, the hurricane had an incredibly large span but it was a weak one. It passed through the Northern NJ/NYC area late Saturday night and by Sunday morning, Irene seemingly had little to no affect on my neighborhood. We didn’t lose power or have any flooding. At first.
By around 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon, we suddenly lost power. I was devastated. What would I do without immediate Internet access, television or the ability to charge my cell phone? Things took a turn for the worse when I realized we had a few inches of water in the basement, which never happens since my house is on a hill above the water table. When I found out we may not get power back until September 4, I was furious.
Why did all of this have to happen? How annoying and troublesome that I had to dump out nearly 20 buckets of water from my bedroom (which still has some water under the floor boards) upstairs. I heard the office had limited power and so I decided to drive last night to charge my laptop and cell phone. I realized as I drove around looking for some electrical salvation just how lucky I was.
The entire north side of my town was without power. Surrounding areas of nearby towns were also without any electricity. Houses by the river were completely flooded and scores of people were evacuated after losing priceless, personal belongings. I was complaining about a mere few inches of water while these people had to deal with several feet.
As privileged Americans, even as middle-classed, we take so much for granted. There are countless homeless who’ve never had electricity or computers or televisions at all. These technological advances that have become so entwined with our daily lives, while not necessarily dictating our lives, have a strong hold on what we do and how we do it. We forget that hundreds of years ago, people were living completely fulfilling loves without any unnecessary external influence.
In the wake of Irene, 24 people have already lost their lives as of Monday morning. I lost power. How could I be so distressed when others have lost their loved ones? How could I be so foolish? It’s almost as though I forgot about the last Great Flood and all that God promised. I guess I’m still looking for that rainbow.
First Ever Interview with Archbishop Cyril
Matthew John Hadodo was able to sit down with Archbishop Cyril where he took a few moments from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his first time as a children’s author, his ministry and his plans for the future.
Matthew John: Barekhmor, Sayidna. (Bless me, lord Bishop {respectful greeting})
Archbishop Cyril: Alombarekh. (God bless you)
MJ: Many people want to know what led an archbishop to write a children’s book. Why did you decide to embark on this journey?
AC: (chuckles) Well, many people may think it’s unusual for an archbishop to write a children’s story but I did it for a few reasons. First, as children are our future, it is our responsibility to ensure they receive the spiritual education they so deserve. Unfortunately, public schools do not offer any form of religious classes and even parochial schools and church together are not enough to really get through to the children. The media surrounds our children on a daily basis and they receive so much information on violence and other negativity; they deserve and require positive outlets from the media, as well. I believe God gave me a gift communicating with children, and I must use that gift.
MJ: Have you ever written before?
AC: I’ve written many texts before, however they all have been for adults and mostly clergymen, not young children. So, this was my first time dealing with a children’s book which is much harder because you have to really get into the mind of a child, how they think and feel, etc. all of which is very different from the way adults are. Children have different expectations when reading.
MJ: And what made you decide on this theme for your very first children’s book?
AC: We (the publishing team) decided on using the Holy Vocation as a theme because the Western world has a definite shortage of priests. The Syriac community, having a smaller population especially has issues finding interest in American born children wanting to join the sacred priesthood. I wanted to enlighten the children about the basic steps from altar boy upward so they better understand the process when attending mass and other church services. The idea of the priesthood being a calling from God is meant to show that God calls on all of us in different ways and we must not sleep on that; we must act, regardless of what our particular calling may be. If some young children read this book and are interested in actively pursuing a life of ministry, all the better. The priesthood really isn’t a career; it’s a highly honorable, blessed service.
MJ: Amen. Some people may think that as an archbishop telling the tale of a young boy who grows up to become an archbishop, you are telling your autobiography. Is that the case?
AC: (chuckles) Yes, I am an archbishop but this is not my life story. I told a completely fictional story to encourage the inquisitive nature of children. Actually, the character of Matthew is partially inspired by my nephew Christopher-Issa, who, while active in the church does not necessarily intend on joining the priesthood. He actually wants to be President of the United States!
MJ: How ambitious! I noticed you thank your nephew as well as Lydia and Saleeba. Who are they and what have they done?
AC: Ah, well Lydia and Sal are actually Sandy, the publisher’s niece and nephew. They also helped inspire Sarah and John in In The Tree House. Lydia has lots of energy and a big personality and Sal is good friends with Christopher.
MJ: How was the process of writing for you?
AC: Well, it was much more difficult than I ever could imagine. Not only do you have to work on writing in a way approachable and appropriate for young children, you have to work as a team with the publisher, editor and illustrator, all of whom have different ideas. I ultimately learned very much from each of them and am very glad I was able to see their different points of view. The book would never be what it is today without the help and tremendous talents of Brian Acquaire, Tom McMillian and of course Sandy Ghattas.
MJ: What do you feel you’ve accomplished by writing your first book?
AC: On a personal level, just writing the book itself was an accomplishment, as I’d never done so before. Learning from my coworkers and seeing what goes on first hand was an education to me. On a professional level, I was able to introduce the steps from altar boy to archbishop in an easy-to-understand way and in general have familiarized children with elements of the Church. I was able to highlight the Syriac Orthodox Church while still appealing to diversity within the Christian spectrum. In fact, people from any religion can appreciate Matthew’s story.
Most importantly, Children and adults of all ages have approached me with very positive feedback. Nothing is better than a smiling child who hugs me and tells me they loved the book!
MJ: Any plans on more children’s books in the future?
AC: God willing, I’m currently in the process of developing my second title.
My First Blog Post!
Hey guys! Welcome to my first ever blog post on Parables & Books! I’m so excited to be a part of Parables & Books. When Sandy the publisher told me part of my duties included a blog I was a little skeptical at first, but now I cannot wait to share my thoughts, feelings and experience with all of you. I will occasionally discuss parables (our namesake) and provide my take on them. Keep in mind; while P & B is a nondenominational spiritual company, as a Christian I will be discussing certain issues and themes. This is not meant to be exclusionary or disrespectful in any way to anyone with differing viewpoints, I’m just talking about what I know.
On my very first day as a Parables & Books team member, I was to interview and tape Archbishop Cyril, author of In The Tree House, asking questions about what went into the book writing process. If any of you have ever had to interview someone before, then you know it is not as easy as it sounds or looks on TV!
I had prepared all the questions I wanted to ask and arrived at the archdiocese a few minutes early. Waiting for the archbishop on that hot August day, I started to become somewhat nervous. I’ve never formally interviewed anyone before, let alone worked video equipment and what if I made a fool of myself? I ultimately felt better as I asked God to give me strength and calm me down. Archbishop Cyril was very warm and inviting during the process, which also helped allay my concerns.
However, we did have a few issues during the interview. We had limited lighting, limited space and only a short amount of time to get the footage we needed. This was also the first time Archbishop Cyril really answered questions about the book, why he wrote it, how the process was, what he hopes to do with the future, etc. We didn’t get all the clips we would have liked, but we did get the archbishop to provide us with some really great feedback. I think he did an amazing job for his first interview and if you’re interested in reading the entire Q&A click here.
Anyway, I don’t want to make this too long. I have to thank Sandy again for giving me this great opportunity. So far, I’ve been having a great time and am looking forward to doing much more in the future.
God be with you all!
