Hey All!
It's great to be writing again. It is December 17... 8 little and hopefully wonderful days until Christmas. May your days be merry and bright!, I wish for you.
Well, Amy Grant and I just finished washing the dishes from yesterday... the day that I did my best attempt to emulate Martha Stewart. I cooked 8 dozen cookies, hosted a wrapping party for our brand new youth group, attended a cookie swap, and prepared a lovely supper, though I do say so myself!, for my boyfriend when he arrived before we went to see Four Christmases at the movie theater. I even wore an apron yesterday as I invented my own cookie. For those of you who know me well, pick up your jaw and/or stop your disbelief! The cookies were delish!! And this time, others said so, not just me. =]
Just after the youth had left, I found myself thinking as I was washing out their mugs of hot chocolate and fluff, "This has been one of the happiest days of my life." And it truly was. I was surrounded by Christmas music and people of all ages that I have known and loved and some I just met. I had the great joy of welcoming kids and adults into my house and watching them as they had a great time wrapping tons of presents to donate to a local charity. And I cooked... always an endeavor which is all at once scary, exhilarating, relaxing, and nerve-wracking, if that is a possible combination!
I mention this because I have had that thought so many days throughout this fall... "This has been one of the happiest days of my life." I am so certain it is largely because of this new job, in which I am always surrounded by music, people I know and love, meeting new people, building friendships and community around solid values, giving of all we have, and trying things which can be scary, exhilarating, relaxing, nerve-wracking, but mostly peace-filled in the midst of it all.
My faith has been deeply strengthened, and I want to share briefly with you some of what has occurred inside me in the past month. My last blog post was November 14th, sometime around the 20th, it seemed that God stopped working inside me. Instead of the easy flow of Spirit I generally experience, it was as if all communication stopped between me and God, Source, the Magnificence, whatever name you prefer. (Perhaps that would have been the appropriate time for me to reach out through this blog... ) For about 2 weeks, I felt like that. Then, everyone around me was sick with something... pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, flu, cold, snot, cough, sneeze, and complete exhaustion. Of course, I got sick. For about a week, it was the utter exhaustion I felt the most. I slept, read, and watched tv as those around me fell one-by-one to different diagnoses and medications. Finally, with a work trip coming up to Connecticut, I went to the doctor... ear infections and likely pneumonia... amoxicillin and sleep, the answer.
So, here I am, one month later, having just experience one of the happiest days of my life. What strikes me the most about that L O N G month is this, there was never a moment in which I felt alone. I knew the entire time, each second, that God was in me, with me, surrounding me and everyone else. It was just my experience of that Divine that was so different. And I think I'm understanding more of what Faith is. My Faith does not inform me that sometime in the future things will be different, better, more enjoyable, perhaps easier. Instead, it is that no matter what the circumstance, God is there and All is as it is. Good and Bad fall away, rendered un-necessary at the feet of Faith. Judgment is a huge stumbling block; Faith the dynamite that blows it away. Additionally, I am moved by the power that resides in building friendships and relationships... forming community. I feel my place in the world so strongly tied to the experiences of others, and it gives me a solid place to belong.
In short, I am deeply thankful for each of you, reading this. Clearly, you have meant something to me. You have helped define me, refine me, and open me up to Life and True Faith.
I'm off to light my advent wreath... one candle each for love, peace, and hope. It is a tradition I cherish.
Merry Christmas. Peace and Hope, Trish
