First Candle...

We lit the first candle on our advent wreath at lunch today. It's a sign of the Advent season for me - a reminder that the seasons fly by, and we've made another circle around the sun.

We usually sing the same song as the candles burn...

O Come O Come, Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lowly exile here
until the Son of God appears.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel.

It was good to begin this season with some hope and the promise that God will bring to our world, one day. Looking forward to the second Advent, celebrating the first.

Today we delivered The Johnnie to her ride back to campus... it was hard to see her go. We needed each other this weekend. We needed to be reminded of the love between us and the importance of LIFE -- even in the sucky times.

(We also had a great laugh... Apparently The Johnnie, when she was little, didn't hear the words right to our Advent wreath plainsong. She thought it was "that mourns in lonely eggs aisle here"... and was confused. She couldn't figure out why it was "lonely" in the "eggs aisle" of the grocery store...)

Reedy Girl and I put up the outdoor Christmas lights and that, too, was a celebration of life and light...

I'm just so thankful...