Okey-Dokey...apparently I will only be able to blog every few months. :) It has officially been 3 months since my last posting. Time goes by in such a blur. We are right smack dab in the middle of Advent Season where it is traditionally time to take a breath and focus on the true meaning of Christmas. However, it has been more difficult for me to do that this year than in past years. The weekdays have been so busy and filled with work, school events, choir, band and orchestra concerts that I haven't been able to really contemplate the meaning of Advent season with any depth. It is hard to connect when daily life seems so rushed and compressed. I am listening to Christmas music when I am in the car driving from one location to another...one event to the next. We are checking things off the list as we purchase Christmas gifts for our loved ones. Preparations are slowly getting underway for special family gatherings but we aren't necessarily "plugging in" to what God's priorities are. What does the Lord require of us? Micah 6:8 tells us: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. That verse was a touchstone for my mother's life. I know it guided most of her decisions and actions. As I look at the meaning of Christmas and the preparations that take place throughout the Advent Season, I must also apply this verse. Does God ask me to add extra things to my life? Does He want me to be stressed or rushed or disconnected? Absolutely not, instead He wants me to walk with Him...humbly... in companionship...in relationship...He wants me to act in right ways all the time...not just in select situations...but every time. He wants me to take action with compassion and to meet others on my journey with mercy and grace...not because they have first acted that way towards me...but because God needs me to be my best self. His mercy, grace and Love have come to us in the form of His son Jesus...He gave everything so that we could have everything. We must pass that on to others so they can experience the life changing joy of Christ's advent. I hope you find a chance to pause...rest...relax...celebrate...and share the meaning of Christmas with those you encounter this season. Merry Christmas!