Happy New Year Sunday!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

For those of us following the Christian calendar, today is New Years Day!

What an opportunity to get a head start over the rest of population on our resolutions!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Advent marks the beginning of the Christian church year and today is the first Sunday of Advent.

Advent is distinct from Christmas as a church season (Christmas is from Dec. 24 in the evening to Epiphany) so this marks the beginning of my really 'out of sorts' period. I'm not only out of sorts with society (focusing on church instead of consumerism, fighting the urge to get wrapped up in the fun, secular, holiday that is also called Christmas), I'm out of sorts with our church which is taking the path of least resistance and adding carols to the service - using Advent as a sort of Christmas countdown time instead of a season of reflection. It should be treated as Lent is, and most people would be shocked if we used Lent as a countdown to Easter.

Sigh... add to all this conflict the fact that I'm also in conflict with my body and the stress is rising. I don't have time for the regular daily/weekly/zone chores, let alone catching up on all that hasn't been done over the past 4 months. Add in all that needs to be done for secular Christmas (more baking, more singing, Christmas Cards) and my stress level rises even further, making it hard to take time for the reflection I should be doing in Advent.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

BTW: I remember one minister commenting that the advantage of celebrating Advent as the New Year is that New Years Eve always falls on a Saturday. The downside was that he had to work the following morning!

[blessedw2]

[img]Wishing you a lovely sunday d kathryn!

[blessedw2]

feel better d mystery

dh is becoming a little eccentric dharriet - his temperament also is getting a little more particular and annoyed by stuff that makes him get cranky (thinking that since he is home now and hasn't got close every day friends to let go of the little things) He is very caring and funny in a corny way though. The scary thing is that the night before he gave out our credit card number etc. out to someone who confused him (night time) so I had to cancel the card. I would never have believed it except dd younger heard him. He felt bad but I couldn't be upset as it might happen to me one day

watching sunday morning and having a lovely cup of coffee.

[OKay]

Good Morning!

I'm awake late and moving slow. I didn't sleep well due to being up during the night with LO. Two times to give pain meds and 1 time because he was nauseous. However, this morning he woke up with huge smile and plenty of energy to burn. Youth = quick recovery!

Yesterday I spent 4 hours one-on-one with DGS15 and came away greatly relieved that I think he will recover and get back on track. He has always been the "good boy", never getting into trouble and making straight A's. However in the last 4 months (since his mother returned?) he has become rebellious, disrespectful and currently has an F in his favorite subject (math). Last Saturday night I got a phone call from him crying and begging me to come get him. He had ran away from home after being disrespectful to his StepMom and bowing up to his Dad. That episode ended as well as could be and he returned home, apologized and is beginning to repair the damage he caused. We talked and talked and talked yesterday. I didn't give him any wiggle room when he attempted to lay blame onto others. He seemed receptive so I am hopeful.

This morning is church so i best be getting out the door. *POOF*

[Harriet]

Happy first Sunday of Advent. Dd14 is not feeling well and called to leave a message at the church that she won't make it to SS. I hope everyone who gets to attend a service today has a meaningful time. Kathryn I will admit to you that the word "advent" surprises me by bringing "countdown" to mind, and I think it is because of advent calendars with little windows to open for doodads, that suggest anxiousness to get to the next day.

Well, HRH has always been eccentric, blessed. He was a dad-and-granddad reared child and both of them were eccentric before him, lol! Lately he is more set in his ways, disinterested in others' opinions. He has many long-time friends because he's a likable fellow with long work history in a man's world and also traveling to play in amateur golf events. But lately he has had much less to do with friends and become more of a homebody when he can. I know this is partly because we've become an eldercare household, but also he's not feeling as well, with digestive ills, plus the aches and pains earned over decades of working too hard, I guess. He says he can't enjoy golf any more and would rather just say "no" to outings than to have to ask friends to cut their time short when they assume everyone wants to play 18. So the online gaming, always fun for him, has become his "outlet" more and more. It's wholesome, but limiting. I think you're right that men's close everyday friends are good outlets for them.

((OKay's dgs15)) I hope he can see that the grades are like his gift to himself right now, offering options open in the future. Surely hormones are tough to handle and its hard to see the imperfect people around him are really on his side. What a blessing to you to get to have time talking with him. Just had a thought - has he had pain with the intense growth spurts? I remember that ds would ache through his knees and wince during his mid-teens, having a hard time keeping his temper when he had the nagging physical pain.

[blessedw2]

(((praying for your dgs15 and I know he and his ddad and dstepmom are happy to have you in their lives) d okay

hope your dd 14 feels better dharriet. and yes my dh has always been a little eccentric too about certain things. (but again he married me ) He does tend to see things his way but doesn't insist on it. We have suggested he got involved with other men in his interests.

More packing and put away done. dh is doing the dishes. I still have a headache.

[MysteryWoman]

Good morning!

Home briefly before heading to church after dd's hockey game; the girls are both having a bite to eat now. dd's team lost, but it was only a scrimmage, so it doesn't count in the standings, and dd had an assist.

Feeling a bit better than yesterday -- thanks for the well wishes! -- but definitely not 100%. It looks like dd might be coming down with this now. (DD had it first, and she had the worst of it over Thanksgiving break from school.)

I suppose it's hard for the music ministry, Kathryn, in that there's not a lot there for Advent. The only Advent hymns that come to my mind are "Soon and Very Soon," "People, Look East," and "On Jordan's Bank." I suppose a lot of this is because for so long, Advent was a time of solemn penitence. It still is in the Eastern church, complete with fasting. If I hear any other Advent hymns besides those three at church today, I'll let you know.

My first thought re OKay's DGS15 was stress over this situation with LO, but literal growing pains may well be it, Harriet, especially given OKay's reports of how fast he has been growing!

Feel better, blessed! Headaches stink.

[Twins' Mom]

I'm home from a meeting at the Sunday religious school. Stressful temple meeting this afternoon, tho it's pretty obvious at this point that the outcome will be favorable. This is the issue that I spoke about in members only way back in Aug-Sept, I think.

Giving myself a little rest - I got up earlier than I wanted this morning to be ready for both meetings.

bw2, my dh clicked on a link in an email here this weekend, right after I told him it didn't look like a real UPS email.....stupid, stupid!