By Rev. Donn Brammer :

As some of you may know, I’m pretty much a destination type of person. My idea of a trip is to get wherever you are going as fast as you can. I used to treat trips like a NASCAR race; no stops until the car needed gas, and even then it was like a pit-stop; no restaurants, no snacks, just hit the restroom and get back in the car and go.

Diana is a journey type of person. Her idea of a road trip is to enjoy the trip itself, look at the scenery, notice the sights, from landscaping to landmarks, from buildings to houses, from nature to city, she enjoys it all. She’s relaxed.

Needless to say one of us enjoys the trip a whole lot more than the other. So I’m trying to learn, and I am making some progress; I’m not as stressed and tense as I used to be, I try not to grumble or complain too much, I try to appreciate the sights she points out and adopt her relaxed and appreciative attitude. I try not to be in such a hurry and so focused on the destination that I miss the blessings of her company and the trip.

As we come into the season of Advent and Christmas we can run into the same type of situation. We focus so much on Christmas that we forget the importance of enjoying Advent. Not seeing the season of Advent as waiting in the line of the DMV to get a driver’s license, but to appreciate the sights and sounds around us, to see opportunities to help by sharing a smile, holding open a door, to say ‘thank-you’ to the people we work with or to those who have been harassed and hurried by angry, stressful people. To see Advent as a time of preparing our hearts, minds, and spirits so we will better be able to enjoy the gifts of Christmas, of God’s gift of love and grace given to us in Jesus Christ.

is that you enjoy this season of Advent, not so much as a time of getting Christmas shopping, Christmas baking and Christmas decorating done, but to enjoy Advent as its own season with its own blessings. Christmas is not a destination, it’s a gift, meant to be shared and enjoyed all year long. May you feel the blessings of God’s presence always.

God Bless,