#UUadvent

25 Days of Preparation and Spiritual Practice

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A great way to start the New Year. Keep the spiritual reflection going in 2016.

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As a close my advent practice I will leave you with my final reflection: a prayer. While I was discerning what this whole practice meant to me, I was also reading Blessed are the Crazy, by Sarah Griffith Lund. She says, “Prayer may not, in and of itself, cure disease, but it can be a balm, a comfort, and most importantly, a way to survive.” I knew, at that moment, prayer was the only way to make sense of my 25 day advent practice of letting go and giving intangible gifts: a practice that left me raw in the same way that exfoliating your skin leaves you raw and new and glowing. Prayer was like a soothing Aloe and Vitamin E lotion applied after a good cleansing.

It took me a few days to craft a prayer worthy (in my mind) of sharing with others. So here it is. Amen and blessed be.

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Day 24 Your Gratitude:

I left the 4:30 "family friendly" Christmas Eve Service at our church filled with gratitude. I felt gratitude for coworkers who make it all look seamless. I felt gratitude for congregants who share their gifts so generously. And gratitude for the fact that my kids are now 9 and 4, instead of 5 and an infant, as they were when I started this work. I also felt gratitude for the ancient followers of Jesus who wrote the story of his birth. They captured the sense of wonder and awe and hope that arrives with a healthy birth in a way that has endured millennia. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus tomorrow I want to approach the day with that same sense of wonder, awe and hope. Having a four year old makes my grasping at wonder and awe much easier.

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#uuadvent Day 22: Mittens/hats/gloves - I was feeling silly while releasing mittens, hats, gloves and scarves, so I made a person out of all of the things I am removing.

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#uuadvent Day 22: Mittens/hats/gloves - I was feeling silly while releasing mittens, hats, gloves and scarves, so I made a person out of all of the things I am removing.

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Day 21: Art Work I am going to call this art. It is one of 4 arm-knitted cowl scarves that I made for my girls' teachers. I always feel a bit vulnerable when I give handmade gifts. It is certainly more work than a Starbucks gift card, but there is no guarantee that they will like it as much. Fingers crossed.

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Day 20: Reflection

Several people who are joining me in this spiritual practice have commented on how good it feels to have more space. As I look around my living room, I am struck by how much more “space” the Christmas season occupies. There’s a tree, decorations, stockings, Nutcrackers, little ceramic snowmen and penguins, a stuffed gingerbread man that plays “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” when you press his palm, and so on. I am not a scrooge. I am not complaining about the extra things. Each piece has a story. For example, my stocking was knit by my great-grandmother when I was one year old. I love each of the extra pieces in our house that remind my family and me that this a special, sacred time. This #uuadvent practice has made me more aware the human impulse to nest, to keep nature close, and to be cozy in the darkest days of the year.

On Friday, I felt tuned-in to the rhythms of my family and our human need for space in our schedule to have down-time. Instead of bustling about collecting knickknacks, I intentionally chose to be still and remember that this spiritual practice is meant to be fun and joyful; it is meant to be held lightly. I took a break. Instead, I was the patient in the pretend doctor’s office of my four year old. I listened to my nine year old tell me the plot of the lasted 39 Clues book she is reading. I cared for my husband who had a back-ache and needed some extra TLC. The knickknacks enjoyed one last day in my home before I created more empty space in my house.

Saturday, I collected my knickknacks for the thrift store and gave away praise. I filled the empty spaces in our conversations with praise for my nine-year old. I decided to focus on showering her with praise because I know how powerful my praise can be to her right now as she finishes her time as little girl and enters into tween-hood. 

We only have five more days left to this spiritual practice. This week, I will ponder where I can make more space in my life: more space for praise, more space to grow, more space to just be.

Photo credit: http://www.whats-thesayinganswers.com/empty-space/

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Day 18 Knickknacks I decided to get rid of these super heavy book ends and the few other superfluous things I have. Next time I move, I will be very grateful I am not moving these book ends again.

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Day 17: Tools I came to the realization that I, personally, own no tools. My husband is the owner of all of our tools (how un-feminist of me - sorry Ms. Steinem.) I do, however, own cooking stuff, which (for better or worse) are MY tools. So I decided to add these two items to my Goodwill trip. Turns out, people are asking between $12 and $40 for this cake platter on EBay. So if you’ve been waiting for a sought after Andrea by Sadek cake plate and server, today is your lucky day. Just message me and it’s yours for the low low price of… Free! (P.S. I have never used it.)

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How To Make T-shirt Yarn - a Continous Strand

In this video I will show you how to make one long continuous strip of yarn from a T-shirt. T-shirt yarn can be used to replace any other chunky yarn in you ...

I know we’ve already given away our clothes and linens, but if you find that you want to release even more stuff, here’s a great way to re-purpose t-shirts (and you can do something similar with sheets. I have convinced a church member to make a rug for our religious exploration classroom out of old t-shirts. What would you make?

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Day 16: Electronics My husband even got into the cleansing spirit today and collected all of our electronics to give away while I was picking up my oldest. Now, to decide where these will be released.

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Mandala

How to make a mandala out of recycled CDs.

Day 15: CDs/DVDs

Not sure what to do with those unwanted CDs/DVDs? These mandalas make lovely Christmas tree decorations, especially if you use red and green yarn. Bulky yarn goes quicker and textured yarn looks nicer.

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#UUAdvent Day 15 cds, etc.  20! The top one illustrates what I'm giving away, mostly children's music.  A few more and I may be able to get rid of a rack too.

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Day 14 Shoes: Mom's Organic Market has a drop off box for old shoes. So these shoes will be going there in the morning. Not sure if they'll take 1 shoe... That one might have to go in the trash.

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#UUAdvent Day 14 Shoes.  I didn't have many shoes, so I added eye glasses.  And a fancy purse that's never been used.

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Day 13: Reflection

Half way through our #uuadvent spiritual practice a few thoughts have bubbled up for me.

1. I have found a new sense of awareness to the places where I have abundance in my life. I am noticing places where I have more than enough, where releasing stuff is actually like unclogging a drain. Now things can flow more freely in and out.

2. I am noticing the ways that preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, is similar to preparing for any birth or new experience. One must make room for the new life about to appear. Similarly, we must make room for the Divine to appear. If our life is clogged with stuff, there are less opportunities to have spiritual experiences.

3. Simple household tasks, done in the right frame of mind, can be spiritual. As I cleaned out my linen closet, I felt so happy and fulfilled, just by being aware of the delicious smell of linens, the soft texture of the towels, and the new orderliness I had arranged. 

4. Lastly, I have noticed that I am also letting go of other people’s expectations of what “should” happen during the holiday season. I feel less frenzied and more grounded.

What have you let go of this season?

(image credit: www.stellatesori.com)

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA)

A good two minute over view of what Advent is and isn’t. Even if you don’t identify as Christian, this is a nice a reminder of what the spirit of the holiday season is all about.