Mental Meandering on Life and Writing by Carol J. Garvin (aka Careann)
Thanks to those merchants who begin their Christmas marketing before Hallowe’en is over, it’s easy to be duped into thinking we need to keep in step with them and start our own preparations earlier every year. I love everything about Christmas — celebrations of holiday and holiness along with the preparations, family festivities and traditions. What IContinue reading “It’s NOT Christmastime yet!”
. This singular moment between seasons offers its own unique beauty. The calendar may say otherwise, but fall is over and winter hasn’t quite begun. . Snow comes and goes while Leaves die and drop. Regret for the passing pairs with Anticipation for the coming. We rest in limbo And wait. * The season of PeaceContinue reading “Advent II – Peace”
Sunlight filtered through the trees last weekend as we neared the spot where we would see the eagles. It was more of a stroll than a hike to get there, as the trail meandered through the woods toward the Chehalis River. Later we crossed over a stream via a log bridge and wanderedContinue reading “Transitioning from Thanksgiving into Advent”
Candles and greenery are turning up everywhere. Sunday being the first Sunday in Advent – and part of the first weekend in December – we began our Christmas preparations… at least a few initial ones. We put up our tree. I know it’s early, but I’m like a little child when it comes to Christmas.Continue reading “Candles & Greenery, Magic & Mystery”
Yesterday was the last Sunday of the church year. Next Sunday we begin again. Advent — advenio, “to come to” — is a four week period when we prepare for the coming of the Christ. We prepare for his birth at Christmas, his coming into our lives, and his eventual Second Coming. For many, this preparation also meansContinue reading “It’s coming: a new month… a new season… a time of preparation”
. What is it about Christmas that has us thumbing through old cookbooks searching for a particular recipe of Grandma’s? Why do we carefully unwrap ornaments that are old and dilapidated and take pleasure in displaying them in prominent locations on our decorated trees? This little cross has been on every tree since I wasContinue reading “Time, Christmas Traditions and Memories”
. There are many synonyms for ‘advent’ – beginning, start, dawn, initiation – but I like ‘introduction’. Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the Christian church calendar and its four weeks are meant to be a time of expectation, anticipation and preparation for the coming of Jesus the Christ. However, it’s alsoContinue reading “Advent Waiting”
We sang, “Hope is a Star” yesterday in church, and lit the first candle to mark the start of another Advent season. Wikipedia says the term comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming, and that Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus atContinue reading “Waiting in Hope”
Stumbling from the bedroom early this morning I clicked on the television. The first words uttered by the news anchorman were that Christmas is exactly two weeks away. I didn’t want to know that! Truly I didn’t. . Yes, there is a decorated tree in our family room and the outside lights are up. ThatContinue reading “I Didn’t Want to Know That!”
Here we are, on the cusp of December, with Advent just under way and NaNoWriMo concluding. I’m pretty sure these three events have nothing in common except their timing, but each of them gives me reason to rejoice. December, not quite winter, no longer autumn – brings the chickadees and varied thrush rushing to chowContinue reading “On the Cusp”
MUSINGS