Advent begins this Sunday!

The season of  Advent begins this Sunday. This is a great opportunity to remind the kids that the Christmas season is about more than Santa - it's about waiting for the birth of Baby Jesus. The Advent Wreath, or Advent calendar if you have one, becomes sort of a Christmas countdown, and provides a great opportunity to talk about what we're waiting for and what Jesus' birth will mean.

At our house, we light the Advent wreath every night at dinner. I usually have to replace a few candles along the way, but the kids love it. I was a big fan of Advent calendars, but I must admit I'm not so good at remembering to buy them until Advent is already upon us...

Other ideas for this season - we have a nativity set with many pieces. We set out a piece every day, saving Baby Jesus for Christmas Eve. This particular set is wooden - and Baby Jesus proudly sports Grace's teeth marks from that time long ago when biting Baby Jesus seemed like the right thing to do. The kids carried Jesus around well into Epiphany - and that is why my mother bought us two spare Jesus's. She was sure Jesus was going to be lost!

Another countdown tool is to make a paper chain. Using construction paper, you attach a loop a day - and by Christmas you have a chain that is 25 loops long. And of course there are always those chocolate Advent calendars... But there's always this question: are those calendars for grownups or kids?! (I would say it depends on the quality of the chocolate...)

Any other ideas?
A blessed Advent to all!
Rev. Meredith

On being a mother, p. 10

I chuckled a little when I read today's reflection. I think there's no greater tension between playing the ideal mom and the mom whose life is chaos than during Advent!

I mean, we're supposed to have the perfect house and the perfect Christmas tree and perfect decorations and perfect presents for everyone. We're also supposed to have the perfect prayer life and the perfect Advent reflections and the perfect experience at the Christmas Eve service... Fortunately we learn soon enough that life is never perfect - it wasn't for the disciples - and it isn't for us.

I remember well the Christmas before Zach was born. Doug, Sarah, Grace and I were visiting my folks in  their 2 bedroom condo in Norfolk. My brother, sister-in-law and their two kids were also there. (all kids were under the age of 4) The tree was decorated, and the church service was nice, and my mother had prepared a wonderful meal... and just as we were finished eating, the kids started getting sick. One by one throughout the night we were taking them to the bathroom and washing sheets. Fortunately my parents decided to stay in a hotel - they had no idea what was going on back at their house. Boy, were they shocked to come home and find that Christas morning wasn't at all what they expected it to be! We laugh now...

At this stage of the game, I think we do the best we can - loving our kids, showing them Jesus, teaching them the joy of giving, knowing they will already understand the gift of receiving... and we let the need for perfection go.

I'm sure in following Jesus the disciples had to let their idea of perfection go as well  - think about the time they were trying to shush the children away, and Jesus said, "no no, bring them back to me!" Chances are good that time with the kids was chaos... imperfect... and yet with Jesus, miraculous.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Our college girl came home - and made three trips to the doctor with a pretty sever case of bronchitis. Fortunately she is doing much better. Otherwise we had a great time visiting with family.

Look for some Advent thoughts to come your way next!
Blessings-
Rev. Meredith

Giving thanks for family and children... More blogging next week... Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Parenting...

I was reminded of an image from a TED conference on taboo's of parenting  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12OAr0lt4bk . (If you want a good laugh and enjoy the science of parenting, check it out.) It was the front of a gigantic truck with a licence plate that said LOVE.  This is the picture the world paints. So when I read this entry on p. 9, it was reaffirming.  I am glad to read that others are honest about the journey that love take as it grows. It helps when trying to decern what's healthy.  Sometimes the most accessible information is only powerful because of it's accessibility. Even with knowing this I still find myself with preconcieved notions on life's intricacies.

Although, the love I have as a mother is not like any other love. The transformation I feel in my family and inside of me is the fruit of this.  The day will come when things break down.  But for now, I can be really grateful that there is a peace that surpasses my own understanding just draped over our little nucleus.

Any thought on the clip?

Parenting and the challenge to love, p. 9

Sometimes it's easy to love our children, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes we are tired or they are tired; or we have had enough or they have had enough. Sometimes it's simply a communication problem - we don't know what they need, and they can't seem to tell us; or we don't know what we need and they're way too young to even guess. And so - everyone falls apart. Regardless, even when we're at our wit's end, we still love our children... we just have a hard time showing that love.

But our love does not make us perfect parents. We all have bad days, but that doesn't change the love we have for our kids.

So - how do we express our love even when we don't feel like it? For me, a chat with a good friend always helps. Not to mention a time out - whether for me or for the kids. After that I think it's our normal routine that reveals the consistency of our love - bedtime with a song or story, prayers at dinner, hugs and laughs, a bubble bath (for me or them) and a glass of wine with my husband. But I think the most comfort is found in the promise that Jesus makes - that this will pass and everything will be ok.

How are you?
You're in my prayers.
Blessings,
Rev. Meredith

Practice, p. 8

Dear friends-
The previous post is a picture of "my baby." Feel free to add your own!

Special thanks to Reyanne for sharing her thoughts. I especially liked her reflections regarding the title "parent." I still struggle with how much practice in involved in being a parent - and I have an 18 year old! Just yesterday my daughter called to say she is having trouble with her college roommate. Ever the optimist, she's sure all will be well, but as her "parent," I am being forced to practice "staying out of it." It's incredibly difficult! After all, as a parent I am practiced at fixing things... and this is something I cannot fix/should not fix... Letting go is something else we'll have to learn...

In our reflection for this week Lindsay Lunnum says, "Parenting, like faith, is something that takes practice." Do you feel that this is true? Do you have to practice your faith in order to have a rich spiritual life? I know I do. How can we help one another "practice our faith?" while we are also practicing our parenting?

As I read this piece I also wonder if parenting (I know at least one of you is still waiting to be a parent... won't be long now!) has changed your spiritual life at all. We'll talk about this more as the Christmas Pageant nears... I never connected so fully with Mary until I had a baby of my own.
By the way - Our next Joyful Noise family service is on November 18th, and the pageant is on December 16th! Come and see! and bring the kids!

May God bless you and keep you - and your families -
Rev. Meredith

Meredith's baby... Mission Trip 2012