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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 The 3rd day of Advent
The readings for today really hit home, I can tell you! Quiet and solitude don't come very easily for me; I always feel as if I should be doing something. My mind goes in so many different directions at once these days...who is left on my Christmas list? Can I possibly avoid the Mall this week? What in heaven's name will I have for dinner? Allowing ourselves some solitude amid the frenzy of this time of year is difficult, there is no getting around it. But that is what this lovely season of Advent asks of us - to be still, to be quiet, to cherish some "alone time" to listen to what God may be whispering to us.
"Lord, grant [us] a taste for solitude." Not a bad little prayer! Can we make it our own?
With love and peace to you all,
Audrey
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I was blessed to experience this solitude and I can certainly say it is worth seeking out. I believed the retreat Father Tim took us on in the spring to be a huge challenge - no cell phones, no internet, no music, limited talking.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly tell you that it is one of the best experiences I have had and still try to revert back to it occasionally (walk the dog without the phone, drive the car without the radio, sit and read).
Now I find myself watching the joy of Julia learning her script as the star angel and how excited she is to be telling people that Jesus is here.
Joanne
I can't wait to hear Julia proclaim her lines...but I also know that the joy of her announcement is already realized. It's known when her parents hear her practice, when she looks in the mirror and smiles at herself, and when she shares her role with her friends!
DeleteAlso, I want to sat a big congratulations to Audrey for her first over blog post. We'll have her tweeting soon!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Joanne, you are a dreamer!
DeleteHow wonderful that Julia is so excited to be telling people that Jesus is here! That's what it's all about!
Thanks for your post, Audrey. I'm sitting here in Becky's apartment in VT, listening to my "calm Christmas" mix on iTunes, while Quinn is sleeping peacefully. There are white lights strung around the living room and it's a bit dreary outside. There's nothing I need to do, no one to call, just sitting quietly, listening, and waiting. What a gift.
ReplyDeleteA gift indeed!
DeleteOh my goodness, Jen...that sounds truly divine!
DeleteAudrey:
ReplyDeleteWe are both learning!!! Silence has to be one of the most mudane but most important parts of our Christian spirituality. But, how can we be silent when we are anticipating the coming of the Christ, our Savior and the world's? I am learning or trying to learn how to be more contemplative during this Advent. I don't have to do anything but wait expectantly. However,it's the waiting, the silence, the expectation that calls me to hold on and to anticipate something far greater than I could possibly know and yet I know intimately through the sacraments, the word and the Word made flesh. Isn't God wonderful to have given us such a gift? Christ comes known and unknown we just have to be there...quietly with excitement like the silence in the night.
Marjorie, I love the sentence "I am learning or trying to learn how to be more contemplative..." I love the honesty of it and it totally resonates with me. I definitely have those days, those weeks, that life where sometimes the best I can do is "try to learn" rather than just learning. And the way you wrote it suggests that you give such grace to yourself...sometimes we have to start at step zero before we can even get to step one. Thanks for reminding me how okay that is and how important it is to be gentle with ourselves (especially when it comes to working on our prayer lives!).
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