Advent and Overcoming

The Frauenkirche, Dresden

The spirit of optimism that anticipation offers can enable us to overcome obstacles that might have seemed overwhelming or impossible.  Advent teaches us that waiting in expectation of the wonderful will yeild miraculous results.  Patient waiting for promised salvation was given fruit on Christmas Day in Bethlehem.  People could not force its' early arrival.  It all happened when conditions were right.

One of the modern day examples of determined anticipation can be found in the meticulous rebuilding of a treasure destroyed by war.  The city of Dresden was firebombed by The Allies on February 13, 1945.  The East German Communist occupation of the next 45 years discouraged the rebuilding of the baroque Lutheran Church, The Frauenkirche, which had dominated the city skyline since its' completion in 1743.  Hopes and dreams, faith and determination overcame all obstacles.  The rebuilding began after the reunification of Germany in 1989 and was completed in 2004 on D-Day.  Tons of rubble and remnants were pieced together and fitted with the new.  Now the beautiful spiritual centerpiece of Dresden stands as a promise fulfilled.  Christmas traditions in the city are celebrated as in few other places.  The Striezelmarkt is the oldest Christmas market in Germany and turns 575 years old this year.  Dresden celebrated by contructing the world's largest usable Christmas arch on November 26, 2009.  The red roof tiles and rustic construction of the area are a testimony of patience and determination. 

Advent and Christmas are alive and vibrant where destruction and despondence once resided.  This is the season of the promise of the wonderful.  Just wait.  It is coming.

Noticing Advent

The Season of Advent is a celebration of the small things. We live in a world in which our focus is on the big, the conspicuous and the newsworthy. The noisy and gregarious grab our attention. Advent is a reminder that the miracles are all around us. We do not wait for some spectacular presentation from God. We take time to appreciate that which we have left un-noticed. We begin to understand that the smallest things are usually the most important representations of hope. What seems to be bigger and better might not actually be so important and are usually just temporary.

It has been demonstrated time and again that God uses the little and insignificant to prove that there are no limits to our lives. There is always the expectation of the wonderful. Advent is a time to not only pay attention to the incredible amount of goodness everywhere, but to expect the announcement of miracles. Watch and listen. We are surrounded by them. The faith in this truth is the foundation of Advent. The longing that we have for deliverance and freedom from want is already answered. Light always overcomes darkness. All that we must do is find a candle.

Waiting For The Wonderful

The period of time before Christmas, known as Advent, is a time of patience, expectation and anticipation.  My life-long best friend calls it "waiting for the wonderful".  The practice of waiting for the wonderful creates an atmosphere of childlike joy in people.  Seasonal music and poems like The Night Before Christmas reminisce about visions of hope and miracles. Decorations and festive gatherings remind us that something extraordinary is coming. We know that abundance, happiness, friends and family are just around the corner. Our waiting takes on a joy of its’ own.

Our eager expectations are always fulfilled if we remain hopeful and keep our eye on the possibilities. We should have learned that good things are coming. Patience toward the waiting, and eagerness for what lies in the future set up an entirely different manner of living. There is always a reason for optimism, hope and opportunity. The dynamic of positive expectation sets up a scenario in which we simply attract great things. Abundance begins to literally fall into our laps as it never did before. Advent is here right now. We can look forward to the realization of our dreams and the coming of our salvation. There is no reason that this should be limited to a seasonal celebration in December.  It is all about waiting for the wonderful.

Black Friday

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, has come to be known as Black Friday. It is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in our country. Retailers have identified it as the day in which their operations become profitable, going from the red to the black. It is a tradition that has been growing since 1924 when The Macy’s Parade began.  The Great Recession has left many without jobs and even more of us with few discretionary dollars. Our personal and national wealth and poverty are both keenly felt on Black Friday.

The quality of our lives and the sacredness of Thanksgiving and Christmas do not hinge upon our ability to buy. What we purchase is only an illusion of real prosperity. Abundance is not a bad thing at all, but in order to fully receive it we must be grateful for what we have. Our family, our friends and our traditions are sacred. The things that are not for sale, for which no value can be assigned, are the most important. We can go forward into the shopping season with joy and anticipation when we make this spiritual truth the underpinning for our actions. We will begin to attract real abundance into our lives.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for family and friends. It elicits memories through smells and familiar surroundings. We bring out traditional items that only appear at this time of the year. We set our expectations on something wonderful. We anticipate goodness and abundance. It is a great time to write a gratitude list, call family members who are far away on the phone, and celebrate who we are. Thank you for this holiday.

Thank you for my parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts. They were such great people. It seems like everything they did had a spirit of kindness and generosity. Holidays were always fun. There was a sense of happiness in the air mixed with the aroma of roasting turkey and clinking glasses.

Thank you for my wife. She is my rock and my love. Her faith in me, abiding affection, and her good nature has given me the ability to live, serve others, and celebrate life. None of my successes would have been possible without her. There is none with a better heart.

Thank you for my children. They are a continual source of pride. We are not near one another, but I feel their presence every single day. Their life journeys are inspiring. I never get enough of them. I love all three of them more today than they will ever guess.

Thank you for my huge family. My brother and sister who are gone but remembered with great affection.  My dear cousins who gathered in Peoria this year, my nephews and niece with their children and grandchildren, all of those with whom I am in touch and those who are more distant. I cannot begin to express the happiness that they have brought to me.

Thank you for my friends. My dear loyal friends from boyhood are still a part of my life. We seem to be as connected, albeit with miles between us, as we were when we were kids. They have been another family for me. My new friends are a blessing as well. Steadfast, welcoming and accepting, my friends are always there.

Thank you for my work and for my co-workers. We engage in a difficult but rewarding vocation. Let us never forget to be equally thankful for those that we serve. The truth is that they are the rich blessing in our lives.

Thank you for this life. It is good. It is marvelous. Thank you, God.

Becoming Tolerant

The answer to achieving tolerance towards others is almost always found in self acceptance. That which we find bothersome, annoying or intolerable in people is a key to personal growth. The very defects of character that we deplore in our neighbor are often hidden within our own hearts and minds. Sometimes they are buried deeply and sometimes they lie just beneath our surface. We are often quick to judge when we see these shortcomings or excesses in others. We might criticize the person and his behavior or just shake our heads with a sense of superiority. Somewhere inside, however, we know that this is just what we fear about ourselves.

Every time we become aware of our intolerance we have an opportunity to address our own issues. We have been given the chance to improve, fine tune and change. The process of self acceptance is an ongoing adventure. There is nothing that can stand in the way if we are eager to become a better person. The spiritual path of becoming can prove to be irresistible if we see ourselves for who we really are. The goodness that is within us far outshines any little flaws that need to be overcome. Each of us is a perfect creation of God. Each of us is a part of that source from which we came. Nobody is separate from the other. We are all in this together. Understanding this truth makes it possible to be tolerant and accepting of others. It removes the heavy burden of judgment.

Birthdays

The celebration of a birthday is truly unique in the scheme of our many festivities. It is the only time that we attend to only one single human being. We do not honor groups of soldiers, mothers, fathers, the sacred or profane. We pay homage to the one person who is having his or her special day. All of the attention, gifts and activities are devoted to the one and only who is marking the occasion of birth. I believe that this hoopla is appropriate, for there has never been one like you and there will never be another. This truth is encoded in your DNA which has evolved and has been encoded by parents, grandparents and generations of great grandparents into the dawn of humanity. Your combination of genes can never be exactly reproduced in the body of another. Even twins are unique and distinct. Your fingerprints are one of a kind. The mold has been broken!

I just had a birthday of my own. Fifty-nine years have passed since my arrival on the planet in Danville, Illinois. My wife treated me to an elegant brunch, home-made chocolate cake, two great presents and on and on. My wonderful cousin in Peoria sent a beautiful gift and counted down with daily phone calls. My life-long best friend sent seven cards over a ten day period. The well wishes and calls from my son and daughter, old friends and new friends were overwhelming. My co-workers took me out for lunch. Hard to top such a celebration! I am blessed. This is the spirit of happiness that everyone should experience! We are here for a short time, really. Why not take the opportunity to pay special attention to those with whom we interact? Throw a party! Break out the band and have a ball. There is no better time to do it than on the exceptional occasion of a birthday!