I found Adam McHugh's reflections on Advent very interesting, largely because they are in many ways the opposite of mine. Advent was never a time of stress, rush, or noise for me. In fact, I love Advent and rejoice in it because it seems like an annual "reset": a pause in the tumbling rush of time to refresh, recharge, and remember.
The experiences of our earliest years stay with us for a lifetime. Where Adam McHugh felt alienated by a busy Advent that seemed to be the province of extroverts, I felt a sense of quiescent participation in a timeless ritual bigger than myself. Advent, unlike most other things in life, was not a weight on my shoulders. It had a magic that did not depend on me.
Read Full Article »