How is it a MONTH since I last posted?? And I'm not even on Instagram anymore!! Life is full in a beautiful (and challenging!) way with a toddler at home and a baby on the way...our community of church and friends has grown significantly in the past year...I have retreated a lot from the rush of technology...with all those factors I guess I just am on the computer less often! Which is a good thing, although I still have a bad habit of checking little things on my phone throughout the day--but Advent is coming, so it's time to shape up! ;)
On that note, I'm in total preparation mode for Advent beginning this Sunday. I'm definitely one that is NOT liturgically correct when it comes to the decorations and music and such. There's no way I can wait until Christmas Eve to decorate. I've thought a lot about it and have decided my happy balance is to go all out with my decorating that I love, the music that makes me smile, the baking that warms my heart and house...and consider it all preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Because it is. When a big party is coming up, we prepare for it, often well ahead of time. We don't wait until the last minute and stress out and do it all the night before. So I'm okay with my strategy. ;) (Plus when our kids are older someday, I do plan to have special traditions and celebrations for the 12 days of Christmas, so that they realize the difference in the church seasons).
I also recently learned that Advent is not necessarily a "penitential" season of the Church, but rather one of "preparation." So no gloomy or solemn faces around here, just quiet (um, or noisy sometimes?) hearts preparing Him room. However, since I know fasting does make room for more of God in my life, I'm planning to nix all social media in order to be still and know Him more deeply. I'm also hoping to finally get back to a daily habit of praying and meditating on the life of Christ with the rosary.
And now, despite this short and unorganized post, I'm going to go have some of that prayer time right now before the unpredictable teething toddler wakes up from a (likely short) nap. And I'm going to ignore all the boxes of open decorations and the crazy mess of the house in order to pray....because, you know, I don't have to have it all finished today. It's a season of preparation, not completion. ;)
