The last month has flown by! I was busy raking leaves and preparing my yard for the upcoming winter snow. Our days are shorter and more grey as there is often rain and clouds. There has sometimes been some snow but we have no accumulation of the white snow. My yard is a dull green as the grass has gone dormant but is not brown.
In mid November, I was filled with joy as Hubby and I made the trip to Southwestern Ontario to congregate with my side of the extended family for our early Christmas celebration. There are only three people who will never make it. This includes my grandparents and my father. However, as a group, we feel they are with us in spirit. I always love getting together with my siblings, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and their children. It is always a loud, rambunctious and chaotic get together filled with fun and laughter. I was reconnected with my two children which I deeply appreciated. I miss them as they have both moved to two different areas of the province and are beginning their careers and lives.
Unfortunately, I caught a cold at my family reunion and it continues to linger and knock me down. Just when I think I am improving, I have a day of dizziness, congestion and exhaustion. So I listen to my body and cut back on what I want to do. Despite the inconvenience and less energy, I have managed to get my Christmas decorations up. Christmas is my favourite time of year. I love the music, the fellowship, the food and the "season". I have always had just a modest amount of decorations as I like to keep things simple. I have managed to get my baking done and frozen. My children will not be able to home together for Christmas day, so Hubby and I will celebrate Christmas and birthday with my daughter on the 12th. We will have a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and treat that day like Christmas Day. Then we will do it again with another full turkey dinner and all the trimmings on Dec. 25 when my son will be able to make it home for the holidays. I'm really looking forward to seeing my children and it doesn't matter that we will do two dinners. I love turkey. The more, the better.
This morning, as I write this post, I have my hot cup of coffee on the table beside me. The first Advent candle of my Advent Wreath is lit. This signifies HOPE. For me, there is HOPE that my cold is getting better and my immune system will succeed in fighting it. There is HOPE that the lymphoma is still in remission as I will have my next Rituxan treatment on Thursday. This morning, as I lit the HOPE candle, I thought about our world.
I pray and have HOPE that Canadian dairy farmers will prosper despite the political climate and changes to the various trade pacts. This is a real concern for me and I pray daily for the farmers. My brother runs a first generation small dairy farm. He has been a successful business owner as he has developed the farm for the last 27 years. There are many farms like his in Canada that are not large corporations. Just small business (family farms) that provide for the family and contribute to the community. So I pray and have HOPE that Canadian farms will survive. In an effort to help support the dairy sector whenever I can, I use my money to buy dairy products that support dairy cooperatives such as Gay Lea. I recently was in my local grocery store doing my grocery shopping. I needed to buy more yogurt and I saw a sales rep with the big square logo on his jacked that says Dairy Farmers of Canada. I asked him about which yogurt uses Canadian milk. He did mention some of the big corporate logos that were on the shelf but then he pointed out IOGO yogurt. It is made by a dairy cooperative. This means the money filters down to the dairy farmers who are part of the co-op. It's like they all have shares in the business. I chose to provide HOPE to the dairy sector by using my money to support a dairy cooperative when I buy yogurt from now on.
HOPE. It is such an abstract and intangible word and concept. HOPE can be given concrete meaning when it is followed up with actions. In some ways, I can't make a difference in the political world. So when I can't make a difference, I pray. I pray for world leaders and governments. I get discouraged when I see what is going on in the world. There is spying, murder, world human rights injustices, bullies who are world leaders, and world political organizations such as The United Nations that seem to be ineffective in keeping our world safe and peaceful. So I give myself HOPE and I pray.
This first week of the Christmas Advent season is a week to concentrate and focus on HOPE. In the Christian tradition, it is HOPE of the coming birth of Jesus Christ and our world's salvation. It is also a week to HOPE for the wonderful warmth of family getting together. The HOPE of life being better. HOPE that friends and family who are ill will get better. HOPE that world strife and turmoil will improve. Whether I call my prayer time or meditation or quiet time, it doesn't matter what it is called. For me, I am focusing on HOPE. If nothing else, I achieve the HOPE of a more peaceful and calm inner self by setting aside time for my prayer/advent reflection/meditation (or whatever you want to call it).
My HOPE for today is to do some mundane chores, maybe go for a walk in the afternoon when the rain stops and enjoy a quiet evening with Hubby after we've been to the chiropractor for our "tune-up".
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