[1]Fall had not officially hit the calendar, that didn’t seem to
matter to the clerk loading the store shelves with Christmas ornaments. Nor the
customer who filled her shopping cart with ornaments almost as fast as they
were shelved. The image immediately initiated a mental “to do” list of
everything I would have to prepare for the holidays.
Many years ago, during the first holiday season after my divorce,
it seemed my “to do” list had transformed into an uncontrollable monster.
Balancing feelings of grief and anger while trying to maintain what would
hopefully be a normal Christmas for my two young children began to overwhelm. I
quickly lost the hope and joy of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, as I drive the children home from the
candlelight service, I was tired and thinking of getting the children to bed
and the house ready for Santa’s visit. As we neared the house, while looking
out the window at the starlit sky, my daughter quietly asked, “Mom, I wonder
what Mary was thinking around this time the night before Jesus was born.”
Each year as the calendar hustles us into the season of Advent, I
am reminded of my daughter’s question. What are my thoughts during the season
of Advent, are they focused on a “to do” list or the anticipation of the birth
of Jesus Christ and the hope it brings. Restore me, God!
On what or where are your thoughts focused during this season of
Advent?
Rev. Valerie
Harvard, Covington Mill UMC,
North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
[1]
During
this blessed season of Advent we will enjoy together daily devotions which are
shared by Local Pastors and Associate Members of the United Methodist Church
from around the United States. I
had the privilege of participating in this project, and look forward to sharing
these daily uplifting thoughts with you over the season from now (Thanksgiving)
to January 1st. Each author will be
identified, and we thank them in advance for each contribution.
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