Coming: Week 1

Festive lights peek through the trees and remind me what's coming. 

What a wild Thanksgiving weekend.

I cooked and served a full turkey dinner twice: once for the family and again for friends.
Drove more than 150 miles for teriyaki and sushi.
Ferried my daughters back and forth to the mall all times of day and night for their Black Friday shifts.
Walked my shivering dog through windstorms and cold rain.
Watched the new Gilmore Girls. Twice.
Bit my nails through several football games and suffered as my teams lost more than they won.
Washed more dishes than you could shake a stick at.

Come Sunday night, I was thankful...but worn out.

It wasn't until everyone else went to bed and I had a few moments to rest and reflect that I remembered that this day - this night - is the first Sunday of Advent.

Christmas is coming.

Not the shopping-for-gifts, pictures-with-Santa, deck-the-halls kind of Christmas. Though that season is racing toward us at breakneck speed as well.

What I remembered is that God's gift of peace, power and majesty to all the world is coming, once again, Baby Jesus in the manger is whispering to me, "I'm coming," and my heart leaps with joy.

All the busy-ness of my Thanksgiving weekend disappears in a snap, and I am

refreshed
rejuvenated
resplendently excited

for the coming of Christmas.