What’s Next – Bits & Pieces of Advent

The packages are unwrapped, the paper pushed aside or put in the trash, and thoughts are turning away from Christmas to the coming new year.

When in all actuality, the season of Christmas has just begun. Advent ends on Christmas Eve. The first day of Christmastide began on Christmas Day.

Remember the “12 Days of Christmas” carol? Those 12 days start on Dec. 25 and continue until Epiphany on Jan. 6.

The commercial Christmas season may be from Black Friday to Christmas, but the traditional, call it old fashioned if you must, Christmas season has only begun.

A wise friend wrote she and her family embrace the slow nature of Christmastide. With the days leading up to Christmas chocked full of activities, she and her children spend the days after Christmas sipping cocoa, watching favorite movies, reading books and simply spending time together.

I’ll admit the last three weeks have flown by for me. Between assignments for the newspaper, activities at church and a few other projects coming due in the days leading to Christmas, my plate was full.

The Lawman and I looked at each other last night and said “what happened?” Our many Christmas plans became unfulfilled expectations. We got so busy doing, we missed being with each other.

So what’s next. Well, thanks to my friend’s post, we’ve decided to unplug a bit tomorrow to meander and go see Christmas lights in a nearby city.

This weekend, he’ll probably spend time completing a building project at home, while I finish the photos from a couple of fall weddings (sorry guys… I promise, you’ll have them by Jan. 1).

Ultimately, we’ll spend time talking and planning as we prepare to start our sixth year together (fifth married) in 2020.

By doing less, I hope, we’ll be together more. We’ll leave space to breathe and let God speak to us as individuals, and as a ‘we’.

As you count down the days to 2020, I want to encourage you to think about what your expectations are for the new year. What would you like to accomplish by Dec. 31, 2020?

I was given the gift to interview a woman who filled her promise to herself, and did some form of exercise each day since Jan. 2, 2019. (Teaser: Watch for her story next week in the Joplin Globe).

She told me something I found profound. Instead of making a Big Hairy Audacious Resolution, she chose to make a small change for 30 days.

Those 30 days led to 60, 60 led to 90 and 90 led to 120 and so on… you get the idea. She made a promise to herself and kept it, then built on the promise until she turned around and found herself exercising not out of guilt, but out of enjoyment.

So, think about the small change you can make now – and build upon during the next year. In reality, the small changes are where all big things begin.

Merry Christmas. May your days be filled with laughter, joy, friends, family and rest. May you use this time to prepare your heart for whatever 2020 has in-store.

What’s Next?

Stay tuned for more Bits & Pieces on Jan. 1, 2020

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