Sneaky Season
I'm running a little behind this year, somehow. Advent snuck up on me last Sunday and I was caught by surprise. Sure, I signed up for the Advent wreath making event. I even marked it on the calendar. I even told Jake and Claire. And yet somehow, the sight of the Great Big Advent Wreath on the sidewalk in front of church took me by surprise. Oh, right. That whole Christmas thing - coming soon! Get ready! For even when you know when He is coming, He still seems to come like a thief in the night and surprise unwary women who have been entirely too busy doing much of nothing.
We made our wreath after church. And of course, "we" means "I" because Nick doesn't share our faith and the children were sitting raptly at the feet of a story-telling seminarian (which certainly bodes well for his future as a parish priest). I was left with a foam ring and an unruly bough of evergreen that I gradually beat submission with 48 u-shaped steel pins and pruning shears. Anyone who comes into the house is told that the children helped me to make the wreath, though, because I am certainly not about to claim that disaster as my own. I suspect that more than a few Martha Stewart types in the school cafeteria have added me to their prayer chain based on my wreath-making (in)ability. That is fine with me. I have decided at this point in my life that I will take all the prayers I can get and thank God for them.
Jacob took charge of the wreath on Sunday evening while I made dinner. He found a little pamphlet and enlisted the family one by one. Nick was assigned as the candle-lighter - a speaking role. To my astonishment, Nick agreed to participate. And so our advent began with our little family clustered around one pamphlet and an ugly wreath, listening to the high sweet voice of a boy leading us all in prayer. I was so transported by the moment that I agreed without thought a moment later when Jacob suggested that I get ready for the birth of Christ by cleaning up my language. Like I said, I will take all the prayers I can get and thank God for them.
3 comments:
I think we need a picture of this wreath.
I agree with you: take the prayers and be glad for them. You paint a lovely picture of a family -- a believable one, like ours.
But someone thinks that YOU should clean up your language? What in the world is there about your language to clean up?
And I'm betting your wreath could not possibly rival the one my husband went and bought last year for ugliness. This monstrosity had plastic flowers in it, cheap-o ribbon, and evergreen bits that kept falling out. But my husband bought it because he felt a little sorry for the people selling it, so I completely forgave him.
We'll see if I can do that, Jen, but I wouldn't hold my breath. You know I'm not so good with the whole photo thing. But I need to take pics of the gingerbread house so maybe. Maybe.
Mary - Clearly you have not been in my kitchen. My language is clean here because I can edit. But at home, there is no editing! I drop a pot and &*$%. Then I remember that I have a meeting and &$#@. Then the phone rings, the smoke alarm goes off (must remember to clean oven!), Jake needs homework help and I'm muttering &*$% #()(&&^$@$*(&$#. It's a bad scene. And it's even worse when you realize that my son thinks "crap" and "shoot" are dirty words. I don't stand a chance.
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