Well hello there blog. Long time no see! Let's see, where to start. In the past two months we uprooted from Denver, moved to Austin, bought a house, Adam started construction on his store, Emma Kate started walking, I stopped eating gluten...again, and we have taped and painted our way to making our house feel like home.
I was reading One Thousand Gifts and there was a quote in there about how "hurrying is a clear sign of an amateur".... And that I surely am. I have sweat so much in the past few weeks- not from working out. Just form hurrying! Lame. Oh well, just a little reminder that I, Amy Callaway, am a work in progress :)
I have never been a big advent celebrator. Actually, I never really understood what it was until a few years ago. I just remember watching the candles flicker in church during the sermon. This year though, for the first time, Advent feels really super important to me. Like that feeling you get when your birthday is coming up and you're hoping everyone remembers.
advent |ˈadˌvent|
I actually looked up what the word "advent" even means and the grand old dictionary informed me it means "the arrival of a notable person." I guess in the midst of a lot of change and unknown, I am deeply anticipating and celebrating the arrival of Christ in a way I haven't before, both with a rooted peace and rest that He came, redeemed and His presence is with us now; and with a knot-in-my-throat hope and anticipation that He is coming and He will redeem and we will know Him more fully.I'm thankful that I can look back and see how God has drawn people to himself and brought healing to this world, but in the brokeness and overall messed-up-ness of people, systems, creation, etc.. I also long for Him to still come and redeem and restore. During advent I'm reminded that I daily need his presence and redemption in my marriage, my parenting, my friendships, my work, my neighborhood, my city, my world.
"O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel. "
Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel, shall come to thee.....................
