Advent

For the past several years, I've attended an event called "Advent by Candlelight" hosted by the mom's group at my kids' Catholic Elementary School.  It is a great way to begin the season, a chance to sit with friends, eat appetizers and desserts, and listen to great music and speakers. The speaker last night said at one point that she appreciated all of us coming to hear her speak, and that she knew that for many of us it will be the last time we sit and relax with friends until the holiday season is long over.

Last night's speaker was fabulous, but as I told IM last night, she, like last year's speaker, was very "intellectual".  A great speaker, very scripturally sound.  She connected the prophesies of Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah, through Matthew and Luke, to Revelation.  It was a great talk, reminding me that Advent isn't just waiting for Christmas, but also waiting for Christ to return again.  As I listened, I thought to myself that I kind of miss the year that a mom of six (seven?) spoke to us, more along the lines of "how to survive the holiday season", it seemed like a much more relevant lesson.  But maybe that's the real message--that sometimes we get so caught up in the moment, in the surviving, that we miss the big picture.  As we move through this season of waiting let's all help each other find ways of not just surviving, but also purposefully waiting and using our wait time for what it was meant for.  For helping others, for spreading God's love here on earth, for making Christmas every day not just one day a year.