Advent Journey: On Perseverance

It's been a long hard day, and now it's late. I had a lot of quite heavy work to do at both ends of the day, rushing around in between - fielding some unexpected demands. Emotionally it was hard too, as I spent time saying goodbye to my next- door neighbour who moved away today. I know we all have days like this, but we get there in the end. We persevere - we keep going forward in the face of difficulties.

If we look back over our lives and think about the various obstacles we have confronted and clambered over - it is amazing just how far we have come! 

I've been thinking about the journey of Mary and Joseph -  stepping out in Faith and persevering together throughout the many dangers and tribulations they were to face. They trusted in God, He helped them through, and The Saviour was born. 

As we move further into these short midwinter days, I find the extra demands of the season, as well as the everyday tasks I need to do, overwhelming at times. Taking time out to read, reflect and pray is hard to do - its a long twisty road, this Advent path.  Oh - but you know, when I think of where this journey is leading, and who is walking with me,  it's worth persevering. God will be with us soon.

Advent Journey: On Failure

I failed badly today. I was shouty, angry, and unhelpful. All the things I am trying to avoid being - despite all those things I spoke about last week - this is me today. I am truly sorry - but, I am thankful that, by God's Grace, I can get back on the path and pick up my steps again.

Advent Journey: On the second Sunday

As we move closer towards the Light - I wish you peace. 

Advent Journey: Connecting

We probably connect more with other people at this time of year than any other.  We send Christmas cards to family and friends we haven't seen for a long time. "Let's meet up soon!" we scribble at the bottom - and we genuinely mean it. Then there are the round robin letters - updating everyone on the highlights of our year, the long distance phone calls, emails, photographs, texts. There are so many ways to connect. 

And - we have the parties, carol services, nights out, lunches, concerts, events - so many places to connect. 

Sometimes we have to connect with people we'd rather avoid. Family members that you don't see eye to eye with, perhaps, or others you would normally avoid.

As we journey through Advent, we make these connections - some superficial, others more meaningful. For some it might mean a special connection is made, for others, a connection may be severed. Wherever you are on your path, God wants to make a connection with you - he always does. He came to be with us - to share in our humanity - He came as a baby to bring us hope in a new life. As we go forward to celebrate His birth, let us open our hearts and  truly connect with Him.

Advent Journey: Stillness

The land is frozen today - the air is cold and crisp, and my footsteps crunch on the frost as I go about my various chores. The storms of the last few days have abated - the howling winds have calmed  down and  the silence is almost deafening. Everything seems suspended in the stillness.

It's easy to get stuck at this time of year. Overwhelmed by work, lists, tasks and expectations. It is hard to see how we can stop - even for a moment, but however much we try to move on - we can't. We keep finding ourselves back at the same point, time after time. Being stuck is not the same as being still - being stuck can be a noisy frantic place. 

In the midst of this tumult, then, pause just for a moment. Close out the jingle bells and flashing lights - and be still. Feel that calm after the storm - feel God's presence in your heart. He is where you are.

Advent Journey: On Remembering

Christmas is full of memories. At some point over the season, we will talk about how things used to be. Remember when....? With the current "retro" obsession we have right now, I am constantly being reminded of the Christmases of my childhood. I can scarcely open a magazine or read a blog without seeing something that I recognise from those days. I still have a few things myself - the original Christmas tree fairy from my parents' home, a fabulous black party dress from the 1980s, and this handsome chap in the picture. This is Bernie, one of my very first Christmas presents, and he's been with me ever since. We've done a lot together over the years, Bernie and I - he took the place of a pet dog as I was growing up - his kind face always seemed so understanding. I  remember trying to make my fortune with him, selling rides to the neighbourhood children - a penny to the nearest lamppost, tuppence to the end of the street. I loved him as if he was a real dog -  and to me he was.  When I grew up, my children played with him too - although I do remember Karen crashing into the doorstep and breaking a tooth! Now he is still here with us - a wee bit weather beaten, but always making me smile whenever I see him

Dental emergencies aside - I am lucky that my childhood  memories are happy ones. But, now that the years have moved on - particularly with my mother's passing, they have a bittersweet edge and I can feel homesick for a time and place that is no longer there. We bring all kinds of memories with us on this life journey:  happy, sad, poignant, long forgotten and half buried. We have been shaped and moulded by these past experiences, and in their assimilation we become who we are.

Advent is about memory. As we progress through the days towards Christmas, we remember why we are celebrating. The birth of the Saviour - the coming of Hope to a troubled world. We commemorate the Nativity by coming together to watch our children in those familiar plays and pageants, sing well-loved carols and celebrate with each other. But it is also a time to look forward to His coming - to remember God's loving promise - that He will always be with us.

Advent Journey: On Knitting

You know that God is a knitter? Of course He is. We only have to look at the intricate patterns, colours and textures in Nature to see that. And if we read the amazing words of David in Psalm 139, we know that we too have been hand-knitted by God. That is quite an incredible thought. Each one of us is knitted to a wholly unique pattern by a Creator who knows every individual stitch within us. We come into the world perfectly complete, with our different yarns, colours, stripes and textures. Along the way, though, we pull threads, snag stitches, and wear holes in the fabric - we lose sight of the pattern. Oh - we might try and patch things up - and we might indeed make a reasonable job of it, but only God knows the original design - and - He can put us right again if we only ask.

Today, I am joining in with Ginny for Yarn Along, and  other knitters around the world - sharing what I am knitting and reading.

I am reading Sarah Bessey's inspirational book, Jesus Feminist, and the new edition of The Simple Things magazine arrived today. James and I have just finished reading The Mouse and his Child, by Russell Hoban - a wonderful story, leading up to Christmas, and very much in keeping with the theme of an Advent Journey. 

As Christmas approaches, I am busy knitting a few bits and pieces for presents - a pair of socks, face-cloths, a blue and white striped hat. I haven't knitted for a while, but I am enjoying it right now. The steady rhythm suits the way I am feeling these days - knit and reflect, knit and look forward, knit  - and let the stitches merge with all the knitting from the past and the future - and one day, I might look around and see the whole glorious pattern that we have worked to God's seamless and eternal design.

Advent Journey - On Endurance

At this time of year, in Waldorf homes, a Nativity table is set up, and is decorated over the weeks with symbols representing the Creation story. Accordingly, the first week of Advent celebrates the creation of the rocks and minerals, and so, stones, crystals and shells are placed on the table.  We dont follow that tradition, but It's a nice idea - especially for young children, as it encourages them to think more deeply about the season.

Here, we live on rock that is the oldest in the world - hard rock that has endured since the beginning of the world. Just up the hill is a stone circle that has stood for over 5,000 years - facing whatever the elements have thrown at it over all those millenia. On stormy nights, when the gales howl around the house - thoughts of this are very reassuring.

I've always loved the idea of God as a rock. The feeling that there is something so strong - so enduring at my back, is more than a comfort. One of my favourite hymns is Rock of Ages - one of those tub thumpers that we rarely seem to sing nowadays, and I guess that is where my image comes from.

Advent and Christmas can be difficult times when we are facing storms in our lives - missing loved ones perhaps,  difficult relationships, changed circumstances, or just buckling under the (self-imposed) pressure to make everyone happy. I know that, in the past, I have  often said that I would like to hide away until January. But - life keeps moving, and where I am this December is different from last year, and will be different again next year. The one thing that is always there is that big steadfast rock at my back. Knowing that helps me to keep going forward - sometimes quickly, sometimes one step at a time, and sometimes sheltering in that cleft until the worst of the winds die down.

Advent Journey - On Waiting

Our living room window looks out over the back of the house - down the croft and out to the village. We are quite high up and have a good view of the main road as it comes over from Stornoway or Harris and heads North past the school and on to the coast beyond.
From this window we watch and wait. James looks out for his Dad returning from town, and if we are expecting visitors, or a delivery, we can look out from here. We can see when the school bus is leaving the next village and know how long we have to put on coats and shoes and be out at the gate. From this window we have observed the animals, waited for lambs and calves to be born, and watched the weather change.

Yet - waiting is not something we do well - especially at this time of year. So much frantic rushing around - stores open all hours, internet ordering late in the night, shops bursting at the seams with must-have gadgets, piles and piles of food. Everything is just so accessible.  Children are completely accustomed to instant shopping - "Just google it, Mum!" my son informs me. We can't wait - and if we have to, we do it impatiently, feeling stressed if the delivery van doesn't arrive the next day. I know this feeling - having waited less than graciously on more than a few occasions.

But - Christmas isn't just about struggling through December and collapsing in a heap on the 25th. I remember one year, my sister and nephew came home from Canada for a surprise visit. I had no idea they were arriving until I saw them sitting on our parent's sofa. I was absolutely delighted to see them, of course, but also bewildered, confused and feeling I had missed something. It was the looking forward to their visit - the excitement at seeing them after a couple of years.  So, Advent, then.  is the joyful anticipation of a longed for arrival.
As we move inwards along the spiral, towards the Light, we can reflect on where we are in our own journey. How different are we this year? What has shaped us - what have we learned? It can be scary walking in our own shadow, but,  it is in the darkness that seeds begin to germinate. We can ponder these things - perhaps standing in the checkout queue, watching for the postman, sitting in a traffic jam - wherever we are - let us rejoice in our waiting.

Advent journey: On Stepping Out

This year, I have been thinking about these special days leading up to Christmas. It always feels such an exciting moment when the first door on the Advent calendar is opened and the countdown begins - but I want it to be more than just crossing off the days. December is such a hectic time - and I can quickly get lost in among all the busy-ness of the preparations. Shopping, cleaning, baking, cooking, visiting, crafting, driving - the to-do lists grow ever longer, as the time grows shorter.
Yet - Advent is a slow time - a time of stillness as we wait in the darkening days, for the birth of the Saviour; for the return of the light. I feel a need to honour this time - to slow down, reflect, contemplate and appreciate this time of Hope. As we move through these December days - busy though they will be, I want to reflect upon the meaning of Advent, and find the beauty, hope, joy and expectation that this season brings. Every day I will try to post a photograph, capturing a moment of our Advent journey this year. You are welcome to walk with me. xx