Prepare the way, one step at a time. by Heidi Jakoby

Didn’t we just get done preparing for the holiday of Thanksgiving? What are we preparing for now? The next set of holidays. Whether it is Chanukah, kwanza or Christmas you are preparing to celebrate. A celebration is to be joyful, so what is with all the stress? Why don’t we enjoy the days leading up to the next holiday. For me Christmas is a time to celebrate and December is also my birthday month so I like to enjoy December. For many December is a difficult time, of trying to fit everything in, achieving our own expectations, sometimes unrealistic ones?


I recently read an article called “Make room for joy!” by Cricket Cooper in the New Hampshire Episcopal News where she talks about choosing joy. Say no to some things so you can experience joy this holiday season. Find a balance in your preparation and your joyous waiting. What do you think how does one strike this balance?

Today is also World Aids Day twitter has gone red and Alisha Keys is having a special concert tonight which you can see online on YouTube live. You can actually donate to her foundation to help Hiv victims in Africa Keep A Child Alive A very big part of this season is giving, giving gifts, giving back, and offering gratitude. I have been trying to balance the media blitz of Christmas things with the expectant waiting of this Advent season. The waiting for a child, a child that will bring hope to the world, is what some of us are waiting for, and then on Dec. 25th the 12 days of Christmas begin. It is amazing to me that the real Christmas season begins with Christmas Day yet all around us the retailers and media started Christmas before Thanksgiving.

In the lesson from Luke Luke 1: 68-78 we hear about the birth of John the Baptizer who will be the one to prepare the way for Jesus. How have you prepared the way for Jesus and God in your life? Have you considered inviting Jesus and God into your life? Have you asked god to leave and go away?

This is  often called the “Season of Joy” and the lesson from Philippians Philippians1:3-11 talks about joy, how are you making sure you are finding joy this month? How do you find joy each day?

These are some of my thoughts and I look forward to meeting a few of you at Applebee’s Thursday at 7pm in North Nashua on 101A. After this conversation there will be another post with some more reflections and thoughts. I hope this has caused you to pause and take a minute to think about what you want this time to be for you.