A time to reflect
It is always a sign of how busy the Christmas period has been when we arrive at the 23rd December and the advent candle has been burnt no further than the 12th of December!
As a family we always start off with good intentions, taking the time each evening to pause and to follow the psalmist advice of being still, but all the good intentions seem to get lost in the pace of life.
Looking back it seems to have been the same this term, September a distant memory. The first days of school and a whole term ahead. But looking at our advent candle this Christmas Eve, there has been little time to be still and to reflect on the moments that have been so special, both in school and out of school .
Maybe this is why the psalmist urges us to be still and to know. It is in the stillness, the pausing to reflect, that we have the opportunity to really value what has been. To be thankful and to remember; the laughter, the success, the new friendships, the healing, the achievements and the time spent together.
Before we launch into the sales and the celebrations of the New Year, it would be good to pause and to reflect, before this year has gone and the new one has started. Not just to reflect for ourselves but for our families too, for their moments are equally important and something that we are thankful for.
I have always been struck by the words in Luke 2:19
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The things that matter most to us are the things that we treasure and store up in our hearts. Mary remembered and at times I am sure that she will have watched the growing Christ child and reflected on those events, those special moments. So If like me, when you light the advent candle and let it burn down this Christmas Eve, may it be in remembrance and celebration of all that has been before and in hope of what is to come.
