SS December: Gratitude and Celebrations

There is always (always) so much to be grateful for. And I'm so aware of it right now, yet I feel like a massive hypocrite to write this post at the moment. The reason is that I find myself complaining constantly. It's been an autumn like no other and I guess I have burnt down my battery in processing, adjusting, handling all the emotions etc. 

But I love celebrations. I love rituals. I love gratitude practices. I love these so much because it's the most ancient way of telling God's story in the humanity and our own lives too. 

So again, this Advent we lit one candle each Advent Sunday, and we remember all the warmth, eternal hope, love and beauty of the Emmanuel, God-with-us.  We decorate our house. We even make those decorations. We prepare special dishes and drinks, we invite people over, we write special thank you notes and letters, we get some gifts for the littlest ones in the family, we decorate a pine tree and make a bonfire in the community garden and share a festive meal together. We listen to songs that tell again and again the story of the "first Christmas". We look back over the past 12 months and we see God's immense love and faithfulness in our lives and in the lives of those we love. We look at the mourning in the world and we lit a candle of peace as a prayer for the world to come. We sit still in the dim light of the candles in the darkest days of the year and remember: the day when the light over takes the darkness is here, and yet to come. Let's celebrate friends, because we have SO MUCH to celebrate!