an extraordinary time

“The house lights go off and the footlights come on. Even the chattiest stop chattering as they wait in darkness for the curtain to rise. In the orchestra pit, the violin bows are poised. The conductor has raised his baton. In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You walk up the steps to the front door. The empty windows at either side of it tell you nothing, or almost nothing. For a second you catch a whiff of some fragrance that reminds you of a place you’ve never been and a time you have no words for. You are aware of the beating of your heart…The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.”

— Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark, pp. 2,3

This Sunday marked the first Sunday of Advent. I have grown to love the Advent season over the past few years - it has become for me a time that demands that I throw aside all things that distract (does the blog count as distraction? hhmmm), complicate, harry and hurry me and to invite in a deep silence that reveals the little good things - the real things - that actually matter.

Advent is a season of waiting in darkness for a light that will surely come; a light that has come and will come again. It is the truest, sweetest, and richest expectation and anticipation that has ever and will ever exist. And it will not last forever. This anticipation is an earthly anticipation, to be sure. When Christ comes again, the waiting will forever be over; it will be replaced with joy that I can't begin to wrap my mind around. And clearly, that's a good, good thing.

But don't you think there's something delicious about anticipation?

So because I know I won't be waiting forever, it is my goal to soak up every sweet second of Advent by stopping, being quiet, and listening significantly more than I am in the habit of doing.

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 30:18

christmas trees, elodie, crafts, and a few really good songs

It's been a really good weekend here. Besides plowing through a massive stack of essays (definitely still not finished with those) + prepping a middle school newspaper to go to press, the weekend's been filled with christmas craftiness, babies, and good music. Thought I'd share.

Even though it's ridiculously early, the tree went up this weekend. If we'd waited any longer, really, the juice wouldn't have been worth the squeeze. This is the first time I've had a BIG tree- it was actually my childhood best friend's family tree growing up.

Isn't it pretty? I'm really hoping it survives the season.

I got to keep Elodie for a bit while Kate & Will snuck off to a wedding shower downtown & loved every second of squeezing her.

Had some more time with the Grahams and some other fine individuals this afternoon over some crafting. I made this wreath from Design Sponge's tutorial and think it turned out pretty good.

It now adorns the bookcase.

I'll leave you with a few great songs that I can't stop listening to.

1. Beauty in Walking Away - Marie Digby

I still don't really know who this is, but I stumbled across this song last week and have had it on repeat ever since. Something about its lyrics just sticks with my soul. Here's a vid so you can listen...try to ignore the weird bobbing of the neck. ???

2. Flags - Brooke Fraser

I went to see Brooke Fraser at WorkPlay here in the Ham last weekend, and she was phenominal. A New Zealander who is gloriously quirky and weird, her songs are a delightful cross between Sara Groves and Sarah McLaughlin. I really love this song in particular.

3. Love is Still a Worthy Cause - Sara Groves

It's no secret that I want to BE Sara Groves. I would go so far as to say that second only to scripture itself, her music has played the most critical role in getting me through the most difficult of days over the past five years. She herself is a former English teacher, and one time after a concert I got to tell her how much her music means to me. One of my favorite conversations of ALL time. :) Enter one of my faves (and the story behind it).

Hope everyone has a great start to the week and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to an 8:30 bedtime. You read that right.

a glimpse of a Friday

If you took a peek into my classroom, here's what you might see...

Twelve year olds working feverishly on what I like to call a "literary autopsy." They like all things morbid - what can I say.

And if you were to take a peek into my classroom, here's what you might hear...

Me: "Do you know what a protagonist is?"
Student: "I think that's...isn't that...um, isn't that a person that has, you know, both private parts?"

And if you think I'm not serious, come hear for yourself. :)

Not sure about you, but I'm welcoming this weekend (and the extra hour it brings) with wide open arms.