In my years as a nanny, I’ve spent a lot of time searching for Christmas and Advent activities and resources that would invite us to a place of remembrance together without feeling too rigid; activities that weren’t too expensive and that wouldn’t leave behind excessive clutter. Over the years I’ve collected the following resources and wanted to gather them all into one central location to share with you: Rob Wilson Nativity—I love the illustration style and design of this nativity. I first found it last year and we simply cut out the pieces and glued them to Cheerio boxes to make them sturdier. This year I cut them out and…
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Ephesians 3:19 | Memory Verse Collection
I’ve already made about twenty lists to organize myself and my thoughts for the Christmas season: people to see and gifts to buy and cookies to bake and ornaments to make and menus to plan and blog posts to compose and cards to send, etc. I’ve already gone to the craft store far more times than one should and have spent far more time than I’d like perusing Amazon for the perfect toddler gifts. There’s been very little quiet and stillness and it actually has nothing to do with the fact that we have a two year old in our midst. My mind just grows exceptionally chaotic this time of…
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Finding Joy Where Heaven Meets Earth
Each time I’ve sat down to reflect on joy this season, I’ve been forced to face just how disconnected I’ve become from living a joy filled life. I blame adulthood, but I know it’s much more complex than that. Perhaps it’s not so much adulthood, but the constant preoccupation that tends to accompany adulthood. The responsibilities feel never ceasing and a lack of organization has me constantly feeling that I’ve forgotten something terribly important. I do miss the carefree spirit that often accompanies childhood and that we so often perceive as joy. Children are some of the very best examples I know when it comes to presence in the moment…
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An Invitation to Peace of All Sorts
Every year when the peace week of the Advent season comes around, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for its impeccable timing. Every year, I find that I need its reminders a little bit more. The longing for peace runs deep. And what I find so comforting is that though year to year it’s different what threatens to steal away this gift of peace, the gift remains greater than our circumstance time and time again. This week I read this passage in Luke (which I always hear in the voice of Linus from the Charlie Brown Christmas special) and I meditated on what exactly was meant by this peace that the angels…
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Hope That is Greater Than Circumstance
It’s our first Advent with a little one and as such it’s meant that our Advent rhythms have had to be a little more flexible, but we have still been striving to embrace the quiet moments as they come, lighting mental candles as our arms busy themselves with snuggling this little one close. I’ve been meditating on hope, peace, joy and love this season…though not always on their “designated weeks”. They’ve each been pillars that I have needed in large doses this year. Today offered me the gift of some quiet moments, as Graham quite enjoys napping on me. While sometimes I wish I could place him in the crib…
