Advent Update

As we mentioned, the weekend got a bit crazy. It was fun but hectic, so when Monday rolled around there were some pretty tired kids in our house. I was off early to my part time job but when I checked in with home part way through the morning I learned from my wife that she had declared a rest day. I have come to appreciate the flexibility of schedule of Homeschooling which allows us to adapt to our lifestyle and ministry! So, half of the kids slept in until after ten and the rest of the day was spent just doing some tidying up around the house, trying to prevent it from becoming a disaster that would require an epic cleaning. Although this was not on our advent idea list, it struck me that perhaps it could have been. When you are trying to slow down a bit, be a bit more reflective and not let the season get away from you, sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all. It was a day of rest, a Sabbath. Rest was one of the earliest gifts given to man was it not? God paused from His work at creation to rest, leaving for us a model and example to follow. He would later command that His people do the same, and although Jesus would challenge the Pharisees about their interpretation and legalism regarding the Sabbath, He did declare that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath," (Mark 2:27) both affirming the Sabbath while reinterpreting it. Rest is an important thing; rest from the day to day grind and time to rejuvenate physically, mentally and spiritually.
We followed Monday up by again tweaking our regular schedule and carving out a few hours in the morning to go and get our Christmas tree. We were excited about the opportunity to head out to Rena's, our favourite Christmas tree farm. Bundled up in our winter warmest, and with saw in hand, we hiked out into the bush to find the perfect tree. For us, it is about more than just getting a tree, it is about a tradition of family time. We have been doing this ritual for years now, and it is a time that we all look forward to each year. We remember back to the first time when we went with friends from our small group at church and the many years that we are able to do it together when schedules permit. We remember the times that it has just been our family. We remember the years that we tried to save time and money by finding something closer to home, driving around all morning, only to make a mad dash to Rena's in the end anyway where we always find a great tree. And although we have never had a squirrel jump out of our tree after we have brought it home, we did find a hummingbird nest in our tree this year! So that was Tuesday, pancakes and tree hunting, before heading back home for school and work.
Today is another day, so we will have to see what can figure out for today.