Destination: Peace

Advent has begun. (Don't worry; I have no idea what Advent really is about either, other than chocolate shaped like Santa, wreathes, and reindeer.) Yesterday marked the first day of the new year in the church, and as the first candle of Advent was lit, my family (although a bit coincidentally) unpacked the first of our Christmas decorations to begin our own new year. Out came the garlands and the wreathes, the stockings and the nativity figurines. The lights are my favourite.

It's a new year in the church now. We take out all the decorations we put up last year and start plugging in strands of lights to see if they still work. We find broken strands, one bad bulb making the entire string of lights useless, and we toss it into the donation pile. A plastic garland, just long enough to hang across the double doors to the dining room, has a broken ring, and it too is tossed to the pile of old decorations we'll no longer use.

This is my first real Advent. I can't tell you about the traditions of Advent or the church; it's a whole new year for me now too. But I think this is what Advent, at least for me this year, is about. Taking out the old and finding out what still works and what doesn't. Plugging last year's stuff in and seeing if it still works. It's a process of learning what's helping you out and what's not. What needs to go and what needs to stay.

I'm really excited about Advent and about this new year. I feel a little bit like I've just started a completely new life, like I'm in control. It's exhilarating.

But it's also a bit frightening. Like my priest advised in yesterday morning's sermon, I need to keep my metaphorical GPS charged and programmed (today's version of keeping your lamp trimmed and burning!), so when I make a wrong turn or don't turn when I should have turned, it can calmly say, "Recalculating," and show me the route to my destination of peace.