Advent

It was as I sat watching the first Advent candle being lit in church, that I decided I wanted my own advent wreath. It’s not something I’ve ever really been into, and it’s not something we had in our family growing up. But suddenly, I wanted one.

Here’s the thing, though. With my ME/CFS diagnosis, my nervous system is hyper-sensitive, and prone to inflammation from things that other people’s bodies don’t even pay attention to.

Chemical sensitivities are almost always an issue for people with ME/CFS, and I noticed this in myself over the last few years. I am keenly aware of odours, and I can get overwhelmed by fragrances quickly, even if they’re natural, like essential oils.

Suffice it to say, my home has become a scent-free and paraffin-free household. I always purchase a couple beeswax candles wherever I find them, but it turns out the purple and pink of Advent are hard to come by—well, after Advent has already started, anyway.

So, while I knew I wanted an advent wreath with candles, I also knew that, like everything else, I was going to have to improvise and make my own.

The wreath was the easiest part. Then, I managed to find some plain votive holders at Michael’s — you’d think these would be ubiquitous this time of year, but no. And lastly, the candles. The DIY kit arrived from Amazon just a few days ago.

We are on the fourth Sunday of advent, and here I am, lighting my wreath for the first time.

But for now: hope, love, joy, and peace—I will take them all. And because it is also the first night of Chanukah, I used the shamesh to light the advent candles—because Chanukah reminds us of miracles, and I’ll take a few of those too 😉

#IAmGrateful 31

Happiness

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”

- Ashley Montagu

I am grateful for the moments of happiness that 'seize' my heart and my attention. Each of these moments strung together over time render deeper feelings of joy, peace, and belonging.

And while happiness is not an all-the-time feeling, it is the proof that uncomfortable feelings such as sorrow, frustration, grief, or disappointment are also not all-the-time feelings. As we come around the corner of anger or hurt, a moment of happiness may be waiting to seize us again.

Afternoon Nap (SOTC 157/365)

The pace of her summer has been reflective of the pace of mine:

Slow.
Soft.
Peaceful.

Can We Quit Losing Our $#!*& Over Holiday Greetings?!

I'm Christian. So I celebrate Christmas. If you ask me for the definition of Christmas, I will tell you that it's a celebration of the day Jesus Christ was born into this world.¹ I will tell you it's an important day for me and other believers, because we believe that Jesus was born into this world as our Lord and Saviour. I believe Jesus is God, born in human form. To a virgin. In a barn. Fully human and fully divine. That's my faith. And so I celebrate Christmas. And therefore often greet others with, "Merry Christmas!"

To be honest, I do wonder a bit at the masses of people who choose to say they celebrate Christmas when they don't believe any part of its definition. I mean, if you don't believe in Jesus, and therefore have no reason to honour his birthday, then why do you say you celebrate Christmas? I do wish people would be accurate in defining the holiday they believe in and celebrate.

But outside of that semantic detail, I actually have no issue with whatever holiday that is.

I'm not offended if you tell me Happy Hannukah.
I'm not offended if you wish me Happy Diwali.
I'm not offended with a Happy Solstice.
Or Happy Kwanzaa.
And I'm not offended if you greet me with Happy Holidays.

A lot of different celebrations happen at this time of year. I don't know the origins of all winter celebrations, but good grief--Jesus' birthday isn't even in December; we just piggy-backed the timing on a pagan solstice holiday that already existed³. So who am I to get all up in your celebrations?!

As near as I can tell, all these winter celebrations are about peace.

All these celebrations embrace light.

All these celebrations encourage giving.

All these celebrations mean joy!

And lastly, all these celebrations come from a practice of love.

So if we⁴ are getting our tinsel in such a tangle over what celebration others are sharing with us, that we can't see the intention behind their greeting, then we've missed the point entirely. And worse, we become hypocrites of our own faith. It IS possible to have a strong faith--live it, breathe it, maybe even preach it--without passing judgement on the faiths of others.

In the office small-talk, in the checkout line at the supermarket, or in the parking lot at the mall, I can't tell, just by looking, what you celebrate, any more than you can tell what I celebrate. That being said, when you wish me Happy Holidays, know that I'm not one of those people who will then try and correct your greeting by explaining what 'one' faith this time of year is 'really' about. December is not the time for theological debate. From me, your greeting can be guaranteed a response of, "thanks, you too!"

And all I ask is the same in return.





1 As supported by the following:
dictionary.com - the festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus.
merriam-webster.com - a Christian holiday that is celebrated on December 25 in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ
thefreedictionary.com - A Christian feast commemorating the birth of Jesus.
wikipedia.com - annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

2 Which, to be fair, means I should really decorate a palm tree each year, because it would be a more accurate reflection of a true "Christmas" tree. Decorating an evergreen is more in line with celebrating the Solstice.

3 Hear that, fellow Christians? Jesus is not the original reason for the season. He's just the reason for ours.

4 Not 'we' as Christians, but 'we' as society--all faiths are guilty of slamming other faiths at this time of year.

SOTC 46/365

The green is endless.

The air wraps itself around you in a warm embrace.

The canopy dampens the sound.

And the world disappears.

It is peaceful here.

I Grew Up on This Stuff

For my mother's 60th birthday, my brother and I took her to a concert. Last weekend, from the second row (!), we enjoyed the Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at Edmonton's Winspear Centre. Pretty sure the only thing better would have been Simon & Garfunkel themselves; the concert was absolutely lovely. AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle are talented musicians in their own right, and really kept true to the style and era of Simon & Garfunkel.

I think one of the reasons I found this concert so lovely was the familiarity of the music. I grew up on this stuff. Both my parents--especially my dad--enjoyed the Oldies; music of the 60's and 70's filtered through the house (and car) on pretty much a daily basis. Simon & Garfunkel were one of the top five artists whose music I knew well as a child.

For me, there is much comfort in the familiar. When I am in a familiar space, or hear a familiar song, or am with familiar people, I feel coziness, peace, a sense of 'home'. I have been trying to immerse myself in these peace-filled experiences lately, as I intentionally try to nurture my soul.* With the musical harmony filling my ears, and family in the seats next to me, such was the atmosphere I found myself in last night.

Where do you find your cozy peace?



* Yes, I am well aware that novel experiences and moving outside the comfort zone are sometimes the ways in which our soul is nourished and turns towards the face of God; peace can be found there, too. I am also recognizing that is not currently my season.

285/365

Oh, perfect Saturdays. I have spoken of you many a time on my blog. You are the perfect mix of introverted self time and activity with friends. You are usually sunny and warm, and you never start before 10am.* You are wonderful, and I love it when I am blessed with you.

Today was a perfect Saturday. And I don't think I've really had a perfect Saturday in the course of this photography project. There have been a few really great Saturdays (and even a couple of lazy Saturdays), but there's a subtle qualitative difference between a great Saturday and a perfect Saturday.

...to soil!

I thought my photo for today was going to be easy. The garden went in today: green beans, yellow beans, carrots, dill, lettuce, spinach, snap peas, pumpkin, and zucchini. I've already taken pictures of the seeds and the sprouts, and now they're going into the ground. How could that not be my blog photo for today?

But then, after the garden was done, CR and JM came over and we celebrated the warm sunshine with a bike ride through the River Valley. I didn't bring my camera, but CR did. And she took some lovely photos. My first bike ride of the season! How could that not be my blog photo for today?

And THEN, just when I think I've already got a tough decision to make, I find myself in my hammock. I've been in there a few times after work this week, but always for under ten minutes--just long enough to scrape up some of the last bit of sunshine that I missed while sitting in my office all day long. Today I spent over 45 minutes in the thing, reading a good book, and watching my cat try to navigate this new piece of furniture. My first real back yard hammock experience. How could that not be my blog photo for today?

So... I'm cheating (hey, it's my project, I can do that). Today, I have three photos. In their own way, they each represent life, blessing, relationship, warmth, happiness, goodness, peace, and love.

Yes, a perfect Saturday indeed.

* Okay, just once, but it was worth it.

273/365

In my photo putterings yesterday, I discovered scanography. Like Zentangling, the practice is not entirely new; someone has simply found a way to clean it up a bit and call it an art form. But I think it's brilliant. Who hasn't--at least once in their youth--photocopied their hands, keys, jewellery, or face? ...Have you ever tried it in a scanner? ...It's kinda fun!


After looking at other people's work on Flickr yesterday, I decided to try it myself this afternoon. I really like how it turned out. There is a very soft effect created in whatever's not directly touching the glass. Combined with the fact that it's generally best to keep your eyes closed (although some people don't!?), a very tranquil feeling comes out of the image.

I can't believe it took me 273 days to discover this.

133/365

"May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!"

-- Unknown

I'll Take the Glacier

At the beginning of April, I put my condo up for sale. I endured five full months of keeping my place painstakingly clean, watching interest rates go up, and sale prices go down, and playing the waiting game in a slow market. A couple weeks ago, someone finally showed enough interest to make an offer! A bit of back-and-forth between realtors left me with a final offer that was lower than I wanted, but higher than I really deserved. Would it go through? ...I waited again.

The conditions were set to be lifted on the same day that I was leaving to go backpacking with friends. Would I find out my condo's fate before I lost cell reception in the mountains? ...Sure enough, as we were loading packs and tents into my friend's truck, my phone rings. The condo sold. I can celebrate! The excitement of knowing I would soon be in a house laced its way throughout conversation over the weekend. My friends were just as thrilled as I was!

The entire weekend was just so wrapped in blessing! Hiking a total of 30km through God's creation; spending time with seven friends who are gifted in seven unique ways... I was in a place where I could be energized, encouraged, and open. It was such a safe space to be in; it is hard to describe it accurately with words, even though I have been in this abundantly blessed place numerous times. No running water, mild amounts of rain, wind gusts, temperatures typical of mid-fall rather than late summer, risk of bears, a smelly outhouse, blisters on my feet, achy shoulders... and I'm at peace?!

In the quiet of the forest, I feel peace.
In the crackle of the fire, I feel warmth.
In the rustle of the trees, I am humbled.
In the thumping of my heart, I feel alive.
In the circle of conversation, I am accepted.
In the hugs and high fives, I feel loved.
In all these things, I am blessed.

Upon return home, I got right into the week's activities. On top of work, appointments, respite, and general errands, my newly sold condo (!) meant number crunching and house viewing. Thankfully, I can still afford a house (although I would not complain if I right now stumbled into a random windfall of money!). Still, the half dozen or so I viewed just yesterday were not really worth getting excited about. ...And such will be my routine for the next few weeks.

What a brain full.

Can I go back to my glacier?

A New Year's Prayer

Holy Father,
God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.
We praise You for Your unequaled greatness.
Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them,
Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for us;
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chirping of sparrows in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what's ahead, depending on You to help us do exactly what You want.
I say it again, we rejoice!
In Jesus name, Amen.

Taken from: http://halife.com/halife/new_year_prayer.html

Peace

"Joy is peace with its hat thrown high in the air, and peace is joy with its arms folded in serene assurance." -- Unknown