A Season of Waiting

Advent marks the beginning of the new church year. It is the time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. It is a season of waiting.

 Two years ago at this time we were in a season of waiting. Infertility in generally is much a season of waiting. In 2010, just after Thanksgiving, we had received very strong Beta level results. Our levels were not only high but tripled during the 48 hours between Beta 1 and Beta 2. Our first ultrasound was scheduled for December 15^th. As we waited on the first ultrasound we prayed, we hoped and we wondered about the three precious embryos we had transferred. We wondered if those high numbers had resulted in two – or even  three – implantations. We worried that in spite of the blood levels that our first ultrasound could bring bad news. We were waiting and praying.

God used our time of waiting then to give me a whole new perspective on the season of Advent. I reflected a lot on how Mary must have felt waiting on the arrival of her son, of God’s Son. The magnitude of her waiting and her wondering really impacted me. For the past two years Advent has had a much deeper meaning for me and what it means to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our homes for the arrival for Christ.  

I have been planning and thinking for weeks on how to execute an Advent calendar with Leland in a meaningful, but age appropriate way. I searched online, and went to Pin*terest and Etsy for inspiration. And finally it has all come together. The first struggle was to find or make an advent calendar. All the ones I liked were too expensive and all the ones I could afford either didn’t have a big enough opening or were Santa themed. Finally, I found a beautiful wooden advent calendar with little doors for a great deal at TJ*Ma*xx (the boxes are about 2in x 2in).

 

The next challenge was to develop an age appropriate curriculum.  And to account for the fact that we will be on vacation (a cruise) from December 17-22. I saw these nativity stickers at the store this weekend and was finally inspired. I am cutting them up and putting a sticker in each day. I have also copied pages out of a daily Advent devotional (each devotional is really short with two Bible verses and a short paragraph) I got from church. I will tuck the copied pages (I shrunk them a bit) into the boxes as well. Finally, in addition the short devotional and talking about the new sticker as we add it to our nativity scene I hope to read a Christmas themed book each day at bed time.

My plan is to do this for two week before going on vacation and then pick back up on December 24^th & 25^th with stickers of baby Jesus and the star.