More than twenty years ago, it was natural for us to meet and spend time together. We couldn't imagine the world any other way. Every day, my parents would buy the newspaper, even if it was freezing, raining, or so hot you'd stick your tongue out a mile, and from time to time, my mother would also buy a magazine, one for gossip and another for natural remedies.
But... I grew up, phones got smaller and smarter than me, and today I live in a world where I tell my children about newspaper stands, the names of the "journalists" who sold them and knew all the customers' life stories, and how my parents used to send me for "soda and newspapers." I even still have crosswords from my mother, God rest her soul! With the help of Good God, today we can still feast our eyes and gladden our souls with a magazine that we no longer have to buy from a kiosk, going out in the rain or wind – now we open our phones on the subway, train, or at work, and immediately the "virtual kiosk" opens, from which we can choose any article we want.
It's interesting that a word initially written in a Word document and transferred to a virtual world, very similar to ours, holds the same power and cannot be stopped, diluted, or forgotten. Joy still springs from the heart. I suspect that, regardless of the times, people had a place where they met and talked. So do we, we feel the need for a place of our own where we can enjoy each other's company, a place where the only rule is common sense, a space where tranquility feels at home. I hope that Good God will work through all His children who are part of this endeavor, because there is a need for a place to rest one's soul. In the fast pace of this world where we are all caught up, this magazine swims against the current, with its own "weapons": faith, joy, fellowship, and sacrifice out of love for anyone who enters our Pridvor.
Great was my joy when, speaking to Anca about the dream of having a magazine, she said: "Yes, we'll do it!" And thus, Pridvor was born out of boldness, faith, and love, a place where every person is welcome. In this virtual world, our Pridvor comes before everyone with real deeds that speak for us. We are delighted that, after a year, the magazine is bearing fruit, having so many friends and admirers. We believe that being an Orthodox Christian means loving all creatures, all creation, and especially one's enemies. And, just as Christ the Lord entered Zacchaeus's house and brought salvation to that home – obviously, many were scandalized! – so too is our goal for this magazine to enter every home. In Pridvor, there is no rich or poor, white or black, Christian or non-Christian. There is light, joy, love, and tranquility, much tranquility!
Alexandru Ionescu
Photography by Simona Andrușcă