Florida Advent Wreath

Florida Advent Wreath

Advent is a time of quiet contemplation and reflection but also a time of restless expectation and journey. My favorite practices, like Advent calendars and Advent wreaths, are ones that give me day-by-day opportunities for reflection but also activate my senses. They...

Last Sunday of Advent

The weeks of Advent are far-spent, only four more days until Christmas. I have loved this Advent as I usually do, but it also has been too short. There are three meditation books I would still like to read and I have squandered my sitting-still/prayer time. But the...

Advent Wreath–It’s Not too Late

I’m a real fan of hodgepodge/homegrown Advent wreaths. Ever since I failed a couple of decades ago at weaving and wiring greenery into a metal ring in a church basement, I have given up using prefabricated frames. Now I use four random candle holders and...

Advent Calendar Week 1

Here is the first week of my Advent calendar. I love the daily discipline of praying this way–especially when I manage to get up at 5 AM and sit at the table in the dark with only the lights of the candles on the Advent wreath. Here is my friend Cindy O’s...

Advent Traditions

Advent is my favorite time of the year. I’m even somewhat of an Advent fundamentalist. I like the waiting, the preparation, the darkness, the melancholy,….I want it to last for its full twenty to twenty-four days. And then I want to celebrate with gusto...