Going Left: Crosses, Catholics, and the Crawleys of Downton Abbey
One day some years ago at work, I was listening to an entertaining story from one of my co-workers, a thirty-something woman of Greek and Palestinian descent. As she described a past experience walking through a sketchy inner-city neighborhood surrounded by some colorful locals, she illustrated her inner trepidation at the time with a "Dear God, help me" and the Sign of the Cross. When she crossed herself while telling the story, I noticed that she did it in the style of the Eastern Orthodox Church: holding her index and middle fingers and thumb of her right hand pressed together, touching her forehead, then heart, then the right shoulder, and ending with the left shoulder. If you've ever watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding , you might remember seeing it, and the characters who did it also out of shock and horror ("It's like...she don't want to get married!"): (Courtesy of http://www.amillionthingstolove.com/2012/02/its-like-she-dont-want-to-get...