Advent 2013: Helen Keller quote (not joke)

When all else fails (ahem, my "travel blog"), I will remain true to my annual Advent blog. After all, I can't be a complete failure in the blogging world. 

At any rate, I have been contemplating the last year, this coming season of Advent, and my past writings on the topic. This year presented some unique challenges and, I'll be the first to admit that I was... less than hopeful, to put it mildly. Helen Keller once said (or wrote? or signed?), "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which as been opened for us."

I think she forgot that, often times, there is some serious lag time between closings and openings, endings and beginnings. It isn't like a door slams shut, and miraculously, there is another door or window open with sunlight streaming through. More likely, we are thrust into an intense storm of sorrow, anger, fear, and hopelessness before there is even a sliver of warmth in our lives again. It's not that we aren't looking for happiness, while all the while we are mourning the loss of joy. It's not like we are forgetting that we have blessings in our lives.

Here are some relevant facts:
 
We are not one-dimensional creatures. We can not shift gears in a day, experiencing pain one moment, and rapidly dancing in the moonlight the next.

In sorrow, we are developing substance of soul and solidness of character.

God's timing isn't our timing. 

The season of Advent, the Christmas season, is intensely painful for many. During the rest of the year, we can sweep a lot of pain under the rug and distract ourselves with skin deep hopes and busy schedules. Then, the holidays begin, and we are face to face with crushed ideals and broken dreams. 

But, here we are, right? Another year wiser; another year ALIVE; another year for another chance. 

During Advent, experience your life in a different frame. It is one of hope in the future, in the ultimate goodness of God, and in the knowledge that all storms eventually come to an end. Christ was born alive and healthy, and the Wise Men found their way to the barn. Miracles.

I have a ritual on the first day of Advent. December 1st is a very bittersweet day for me, as it was the day I got married 12 years ago. The marriage lasted 10 years, and each year on the morning of December 1st, I grapple with all kinds of emotions. So... the ritual...

I get up before the sun, light a candle, grab my coffee, and I write. Sometimes it's a blog, most times its a journal entry. This ritual anchors me, and refreshes me. If my writing is sorrow-filled, it's all effectively spewed onto paper. If I happen to be hopeful when I sit down, I can meditate on those words throughout the Advent season. Either way, the ritual, as rituals do, helps me find solid footing during a season of mixed emotions.Helen Keller had a point, but the reality of it all is not so neatly packaged with a beautiful red bow.

This Advent, indulge your Hope. There is a reason you are here.