Advent

It’s that time of year—one of my most favorite times of year! In the Christian church, it is referred to as Advent. At my house, it’s the time of year I can finally listen to Christmas music without getting an eye roll. ;) Over the weekend, I pulled out my Christmas decorations—one of which is an Advent wreath. I grew up with this tradition, of lighting a candle each of the four Sundays prior to Christmas, and then the final candle on Christmas Day. So, I was caught a bit off guard when Jason asked me to explain the Advent tradition and it’s meaning.

Hmmmmm…well…

Honestly, I have to admit I was stumped. So I brought it up in conversation with several friends and family this weekend: what exactly is Advent? What do each of the candles represent? Surprisingly enough, no one I asked could explain it in full detail. My parents actually even remember not having the tradition when they were growing up, it was more or less “recognized” into the Protestant (or maybe just Christian Reformed) traditions about the time they were married thirty-five years ago.

So, I did some investigation. Here is a summary of what I learned and what I feel really kind of clarifies what Advent is:

Advent (from the Latin word advenio, meaning “to come”or “the coming of Christ our saviour”) is a holy season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Christians also believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Jesus. An Advent wreath is made from greens to symbolize continuous life and contains four candles— three purple and one rose. The candle lighting is progressive from week to week, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. The first Sunday is Hope, then Peace, the third is the pink candle representing Joy, and the fourth is Love. The wreath also has a center white candle that is then lit on Christmas Day to represent the light of Christ.

Jason & I lit our first candle yesterday and did a devotion. I’m so excited to be able to now fully verbalize what Advent is and begin this tradition with my family. May God continue to teach us new ways to honor and worship Him!

favorite musical

I had the privilege of seeing one of my most favorite musicals today…Jesus Christ Superstar. It was the third time I had seen this program, and I’m to a point that I can actually sing along with the performers. I’m not sure what draws me exactly to loving this musical as it always disappoints me at the end that they leave Jesus dead on the cross. It never surprises me, but it always disappoints me.
I know this musical stirred up a lot of controversy when it first came out—and still probably does. But, if it draws people to find out more about this man named Jesus, then it has done a service for the kingdom of his Heavenly Father.

Chicago sights

I had the opportunity to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago this past weekend. The advertisement calls it “inspiring.” After seeing it, I’m pretty sure I would not consider it inspiring, but the word interesting did come to mind frequently. As a nurse, I feel I can already appreciate the complexity of the human body—but this display truly put me in awe of how detailed our Creator was when he formed us from dust. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the human body and probably has a relatively strong stomach for things of this nature.

anyplace else...

Do you ever wish you were someplace else? You may enjoy your job, enjoy your life, enjoy your day…but aren’t there times that you just wish you were anyplace else but here? The picture above my profile is a place I wish I could be…and I’ve probably mentioned Alaska enough for anyone to realize that there is another place I wish I could be… :)

I think that those of us who live in Michigan (could be other places as well), we just get sick of winter, sick of “hibernation” mode, and about this time of year just get plain cranky with life. I’m ready to be outdoors without a jacket on, drive down the road with my sunroof open, see green grass, and maybe even go for a bike ride! I’m ready to plant flowers, have the windows in my house open, and yes, even mow the lawn!

No, I’m not crazy…probably just stir-crazy…I hope spring comes early. In the meantime, I’ll picture myself in a warm spot with lots of sunshine!

valentine's challenge

so I received my valentine's day present last night...and I have to say, by the end of receiving it...I teared up. Jason took me to see the opera version of Romeo & Juliet. It was definitely a moving experience. The entire thing was sung in French (english subtitles were shown), but just the passion and the emotion in the characters' singing and portrayal of such a tragic love story literally had me in tears at the end.

why is it that we've moved away from such passion and depth of emotion in relationships today? With the divorce rates higher than ever before and the number of single people now higher than the number of married people in the US--it saddens me to think of how few people probably ever get to experience the depth of love that Romeo & Juliet shared.

some may say I sound rather cynical, and perhaps I am...and don't get me wrong, I know this is a fictional story (blah...blah...), but I still think it could present just a small challenge to all of you who love someone: when was the last time you were passionate about the love of your life? ;)

quote for the day

I started thinking about quotes yesterday when I had to come up with my favorite for letter Q (see below). I'm not one who remembers quotes very easily--and maybe then only when the quote seems to be significant to something going on in my life at that time do I actually try to remember it! But, I heard this one about a week ago and it really hit me--hard. And maybe it's not even really an official "quote" as defined by someone famous who said something important. Rather, this is just a statement that got me to thinking about my own life and the lives of the people & family closest to me. The world in general is full of miscommunications, broken relationships, anger, bitterness, and disappointment...so it seems a large task to begin healing these things, but I feel if I can start with those closest to me, I can begin healing my own heart.

"Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for someone else to die."

what's in a name?

I wanted to take a moment to explain my blog title...some of you who know me may have already figured it out, but I wanted to be creative with the title. Everyone has a different prospective on life--which truly is a very cool thing at times. So, my hope is that by creating this blog I can share my unique prospective on life and maybe get someone to expand his or her prospective on life. I'm not trying to change peoples opinions or lessons they have learned in life, but simply to create a wider knowledge base with which to experience life.

and then there is the cool coincidence that I live on Prospect street... ;)