Advent

Advent started just over a week ago.  This is my favorite season of the Church year.  Advent is about stopping and observing the place we find ourselves in, personally and as a community.  During this time, we recognize the brokenness that is in our lives and in the world and also remember the hope we have that the brokenness is not permanent. It is also a time that we can think about how we participate in restoration ourselves. 

I love that even though this is a time of honest reflection on the brokenness in myself and in the world, there is hope and that hope brings peace, joy, and love.

As a child, my mom made Advent really special and I want to pass that on to little Bee.  Every day she planned something for us to do together and to look forward to.  It is one of my favorite memories of childhood. 

I have been working over the past few years to prepare a home that expects Advent practice to happen.  That has been difficult because of how foreign the practice of doing something as a family every day, of preparing for Christmas, and everything else that is invovled in observing Advant is to my husband.  He really is a good sport, and it gets better each year.  He has participated a lot this year, which means a lot to me since Bee isn't aware of what is happening yet.  He has taken ownership of our daily reading and even put a handful of ornaments on the tree last night. 

As I watch the change in him from each year, I am so thankful to whoever gave me the wisdom to start doing things I want my children to experience long before the children are aware of or can appreciate them.