Advent

Normally when my ten year old daughter comes in to my room first thing in the morning she is full of beans. She wakes up happy, bright and full of anticipation. But yesterday she came in worried. "I have to write and illustrate my story by tomorrow. I forgot about it. There's too much to do. I can't do it!"

I know how she feels. We are right in the middle of Christmas preparations. In the religious calendar, this is Advent, a time of anticipating and preparing for the arrival of Christ's birth. But the way I do Christmas would be better described as Event - one every day in December! Dont get me wrong, I love Christmas, both the religious and secular festivities. The carols, the advent readings, the presents, the warm weather, the end of year breaks ups. Yet like my daughter the enjoyment and meaning can be swept away as I think "There's too much to do, I can't do it!"

So in my meditation and quietness, I listened. Here's what I heard the other voice say.

Here are 5 ways to avoid stress this advent, so you can experience Christmas fully instead of counting the days until it is over.
1. Ask for help. It's a time to experience community.
2. Don't try to impress anyone. Not with gifts, with activity or with cleverness.
3. Give generously. Time and money.
4. Take it one day at a time, each day is a gift, not a task.
5. Don't worry about forgetting things. You won't forget anything important.

Just hearing these has lifted a burden off my shoulders and already I am experiencing the day more fully.