This past fall has seen us on the move much more, even, than usual. We both come from rather nomadic people groups so we blame our restlessness on our genetic history and we have seriously considered giving up home ownership for more transient arrangements. But we keep coming back to the coziness and stability of home. There is never a better time for tucking in and keeping the home fires burning than now.
The rain is blowing sideways over the back garden, the tree is up and decorated and I am grateful for the collection of books that have been gathering since spring. My favourite authors are good company in a storm.
I have made a few retail visits as I hunt and gather for Christmas gifts and admit to being tempted by the Martha Stewart glitz and glitter but am thankful for our tiny space and the practicality of prudence when it comes to accummulating stuff we have no room for. Our gift budget is 1/3 of what it was last year and that means everyone is getting a 60% discount on gifts. It’s the kind of sale you don’t hear of very often and the savings go beyond dollars. Time, energy and the satisfaction that ‘enough’ is better than ‘more’ motivate me.
That 60% reduction makes space for Advent and it is well upon us. A time of waiting. Here are a few quotes from today’s reading:
“We are made for Christ and nothing less will ever satisfy us.” Brennan Manning
“All things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:16
“Jesus Christ is of no importance unless he is of supreme importance,” Rabbi Abraham Heschel
“Only he who has experienced it can believe what the love of Jesus Christ is.” Bernard of Clairvaux
