So, did I get your attention? I bet some (maybe a lot) of you figure you have now had your suspicions on my sanity confirmed. I want to assure you that I am not crazy or out of touch with the calender. However, it is the beginning of an all new year. Today is the First Sunday of Advent, and in the Western Liturgical Calendar we start a new year. We are starting Year A in a three year Sunday cycle. (The Sunday years are A, B, and C. Our new weekly year is Year 2, of a two year cycle. Just in case anyone was wondering, or forgot where we were.)
I have always loved Advent . It is a time of joyful hope and expectation. It is also a time of waiting in the now, learning and re-learning patience. I do my best to live fully into the Advent season and I find that when I do that, I don't seem to have much "Christmas stress." Christmas is still a whole season away, and then it will last for twelve days. Tons of time to enjoy everything and not worth stressing over. If I am stressing, then I am not being present in the moment. I want to live in the now. Well, this is how I try to live my life most days, but I pay extra attention to it during Advent.
Just as a question, if any one else out there starts the New Year today, did you have Black-Eyed Peas in honor of it? Or do you follow more than one calender as I do, and have them on January first?
Geeze, that brought back memories of the Advent wreath we made....and Advent calendars--with little doors you open each day before Christmas. I've seen secular calendars that are similar, but ours were always religious. Surrrre...make the lapsed Catholic feel guilty. :D
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, then. If I listen to The Black Eyed Peas, does it count?
ReplyDeleteBlack eyed peas, ham, cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, tomatoes, yum yum. As Daniel would say "Moh.."
ReplyDeleteand no, listening to Black-Eyed Peas doesn't count, sorry. But you can listen and eat at the same time :)
We always eat black-eyed peas on January 1st. The smell of them cooking always brings back lots of good memories. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love Advent too. It's my favorite time of year and try hard to listen and wait as well. We celebrate Advent each Sunday at church and at home lighting our Advent candles with the appropriate readings. This is a wonderful tradition that our family looks forward to every year.
ReplyDelete