By Connie Platis Saccomanno (Guest Contributor)–
Growing up with my Greek grandmother (Yaya) Fatini “Foto” Lambrinos Liapis was a very educational, exciting, loving and happy experience. Her Greek Orthodox religion was very important to her. It was a way of life that entered into our lives, daily, including all the moral lessons she taught me.
An example of this was the icons in her home. They were everywhere, especially in her bedroom, protecting those who slept there. Who slept in her bedroom? It was Yaya….and me. I slept with her every night. I grew up with her, and she called me “Cookie.” I spent most of my time learning from her, including our nightly prayers and bedtime stories. (Which could be another story…) There was a particular icon in our bedroom, above the bed, near the window, of Panagia (Mother Mary). It was a large icon of her face and beautiful eyes. I would stare at it every night, as I tried to fall asleep, next to Yaya, who had no problem falling asleep the minute she got into bed. I, on the other hand, stared at the icon, making up many conversations with Her.
Every Easter, my Yaya would make a barrel (literally) full of powdered sugar cookies (Kourabiethes)! They were delicious and would, seriously, melt in your mouth. She protected these cookies and did not want me to get into that barrel until Easter. I, however, being the very steadfast and lively young girl I was, decided I would just taste a few of them, quietly. The barrel was in her closet in our bedroom. I sneaked into the closet and took a few cookies, by scraping the top of the powdered sugar pile. And…..I sat outside, in a quiet area, and gobbled them up, quickly! They were delicious! I felt very smug about this adventure, knowing that I pulled it off quite well. Not……..
My Yaya called me into the house and asked me, “Cookie, did you take some cookies from the barrel in the bedroom?” I answered, confidently, “No!” She asked again and reminded me that lying was a sin. I, again, answered, “No,” but not as confidently as before. She then told me that Mother Mary saw me go into the closet and take the cookies! I felt a lightning rod of fear go through me! Oh no! I hadn’t thought of that! She told me, again, that I was not to touch the cookies until Easter! That was a warning!
I then went into the bedroom and looked up at the icon of Panagia. She was looking directly at ME! I was terrified! I moved to another part of the room, still looking at her, and her eyes followed me across the room! Anywhere I moved, her eyes followed. Ok! That’s it. I would not do that again! I crossed myself and said, “Sorry.” A few days went by.
I started craving those cookies again! This time, I went around the back hall and got on my hands and knees and crawled into the bedroom, watching to make sure that the Mother Mary was not in my vision at all. At one point, I even got onto my tummy, slithering into the room. I made it to the closet and, again, scraped the top of the powdered sugar, finding a few cookies. I crawled back out, quickly. I ate the cookies, but this time a little guilt crept in, ruining the real feeling of enjoyment. I did not like defying my Yaya or the idea of getting caught. I promised myself that was the last time. Easter was just a short time away. I could wait. Well, too late for that…
My Yaya confronted me again about the cookies! This time, when she asked me, she told me to really think about telling the truth because Panagia was NOT happy. I really wanted to lie but I envisioned Mother Mary looking at me and following me across the room and I was CERTAIN that she had spotted me crawling in and told on me. And she was not one I wanted to mess with! I got very teary and confessed my sin to my Yaya. I dropped my head and began to cry. Yaya pulled me into her arms and told me that she was sure Panagia would forgive me if I apologized to her in my prayers that evening. I did, squeezing my hands together with all my might! I also took time, after that, to go in and talk to Her about various topics when I needed to. I was positive that she was living, in that icon, and was there primarily to keep me, morally, in check. (The POWER of icons! Or maybe I should say, The Power of Icons and Yayas!)
Connie Platis Saccomanno is an educator and small business owner, operating The Winner School in Salt Lake City, Utah for over 30 years. She grew up in Price, Utah, the proud daughter of Greek Orthodox parents and grandparents.
