After a busy Sunday, near bedtime, I realized that we had forgotten The Wreath. Then Leila's Heads Up! flitted across my Google Reader:
So I jumped from the sofa, found the plain brass ring, and set the two-year-old to tearing cellophane from candles. We turned off the lights and sang O Come Emmanuel.I think that Christian families can begin to transform the world just by celebrating this season simply and with great trust.
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Just live it, year in and year out, with all your faith and love. Don't worry about having things be just so -- it's useful to remember that young children are entranced by just about everything, especially if it involves candlelight, and that gives you time to get your act together!
It was an offkey, imperfect family moment and, dare I say it, full of wonder, too?
THIS is why I value Leila's counsel so highly. While the rest of us are crafting and planning our way into exhaustion, Like Mother, Like Daughter balances long-term goals with a dose of common sense. Frankly, we could all use more of that this season.
Advent, Day One: we did it!
