Advent, Part One

The other night, I was talking to Mr. Fiddler about Advent; he told me he had never heard of it! Growing up, my family always did either an Advent Wreath or an Advent Calendar, so I thought it was a normal Christmas tradition. Doing a little research about it, I'm finding out that it's a very Catholic tradition, which struck me as funny because my family is not Catholic at all. Now that I have my own family, I don't even know where to buy an Advent Wreath, and Advent Calendars don't exactly fit in a home where kids aren't here every day [which hello, have you been on Pinterest? Advent Calendars are taking over. Next to Elf on the Shelf, which I kinda find just a little creepy.]

In a season that can so easily be derailed by business and expectations, Advent is such a beautiful way to reset your soul. Mr. Fiddler and I laid in bed the other night talking about Christmas; who was going where what day, what gifts we were buying, what dinners we were going to. It quickly escalated to tears [for me]. What eucharisteo is to my heart in the Thanksgiving season, Advent is to my heart at  Christmas. A shift in focus; from the kind of expectations that bring me to tears, to the kind of expectation that fills the soul with hope. A light is coming. 

And so for you, my friends, and for me; I'm lettering my way through the Scriptures of this year's Advent. I hope it brings to you what Advent means; expectation, hope, love and joy.