drifting together

-A child turning a snowglobe over and staring with awe at its simple wonder.

-The little old man next to me in the Linenhall Library. I was there reading in the utter quiet and could hear his rhythmic deep breathing as he drifted in and out of sleep in his chair. I think he was as content as I was.

-Coming to a brief stop on the bus and looking up to see a man typing diligently through his office window, which was decorated with cheery, blinking Christmas lights. Sometimes I like to imagine what total strangers' lives are like (ala Amelie) and so as we drove on, I felt somehow connected to this person I don't know and will probably never meet.

walk on

-Getting a hilarious, very Belfast t-shirt from Tee & Toast, the quirky designer at St. George's Market. When I came to pick it up today in the middle of a crazed Christmas market, she held up the bag eagerly and said, "Oh here, Whitney!" It's of the famous Belfast landmarks the shipyard cranes lovingly called "Samson" and "Goliath," but with a bit of a rock-n-roll edge. She recommending making one for me in red, which I just love. A hug, encouraging words and a smile also came along with it, and were very welcome additions.

-Going Christmas shopping with Andrea and finding things that (hopefully) really suit loved ones.

-Singing "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" at the evening service and feeling an inexplicable but tangible closeness to my Granddaddy.

heaven is a chocolate biscuit

-Going into the church during Nightreach to find some bags of clothes for Roma families and walking back out to see a crowd of community wardens (who passed word via their radios that there were bacon sandwiches to be found and all came) and Roma women all huddled together against the middle-of-the-night cold being served warm soup, sandwiches and biscuits. Something about the image of it all made me pause for half a second and smile before returning to the table.

-Being on the phone with my mom at the exact moment that it started snowing in Texas. She suddenly drew in a breath and said, "Oh, wow. It's snowing!"

-My first day off in ten days made perfect by a good sleep-in after Nightreach, red flannel pj's, old Friends episodes, a warm cuppa tea and dark chocolate digestive biscuits. Heavenly.

song and dance

-The fun of decorating for Christmas. There was a slight argument and need for reconciliation over the fact that Jonee thinks Christmas trees should always have tinsel (which I don't) and I think they should always have white lights (he prefers colored). We met in the middle and have a lovely little white-lit, tinsel-adorned tree. Jonee's silly musical encouragement (in one fantastic outfit, I might add) in the background also added a lot.

-Dance class where there were only a handful of us, providing ample space and lively conversation.

-Wearing comfy brown leggings.

oh, i see

-Walking through the park this morning and having a moment of being completely blinded by the sun, so much so that the person who walked by me just looked like a glowing outline. As I felt the warm sun shine through huge pine trees, I felt a deep sense of pure love. It was one of those fleeting moments of sheer clarity when I realized how very much God is looking after me and all I do.

-Being in a room full of Fitzroy youthy-types and thinking about how much they all mean to me, and how intertwined our lives have become. I think back of other churches I've worked in or attended and I also feel this connection with them, even though I'm not physically there. This is something that I think is unique about the church, and probably part of why I'm drawn to it.

-Coming home to warmth.

-Making up a new word for Advent: that I'm adventurous. What a nerd I am.

festiviteats

-Tonight, Andrea, Tilmann, Catherine and I met up at the Christmas Continental Market at the city hall. Bundled up to ward off the cold weather, we meandered through stalls from several countries (Poland, Spain, Germany, France, India, and oh yes, the U.S. to name a few) amid a crowd of other festively-minded folks. I had a steaming bowl of fragrant chicken & chorizo paella, followed by mulled wine from a local winery and amazing chocolate churros that we all shared as our fingers got gooey and we laughed at the fun of it. Oh, heaven. Thanksgiving all over again. We walked, snapped pictures, ATE, laughed, made up twisted versions of Christmas songs ("Frosty the Snowman...roasting on an open fire..."), and I even bought an adorable little Christmas tree for a tenner that Tilmann graciously lugged around. That provided for even more silly antics, and we may have invented not only bizarre Christmas songs but a new winter olympic sport called "Christmas tree jousting." Then, we (and "we" includes the tree) came back to my house to watch friends and then sung Swell Season, U2 and, sigh, even Ricky Martin songs with Jonee. It was such a great night...full of grace, friendship and food. What more could you need?

dankeschön!

-Successfully cooking my first entire Thanksgiving dinner at Andrea and Tilmann's, taking one bite and sighing with joy that it tasted just like home. I made turkey, ham, cornbread dressing, cinnamon-roasted butternut squash and broccolini with pancetta and chestnuts. Yum! It's a wonderful thing to have people to cook for, and we all had a great time. A skype video call with my family was especially fun: they saw my friends, we got to catch up and my friends even hummed the national anthem in the background to be silly. It was great. (I'll try to get some pictures up soon.)

-Walking through the park on a sunny, chilly day and enjoying the bright blue sky, crisp air and music pumping through my iPod.

-A very relevant lectionary reading today.

Also, I intended to include a little Thanksgiving prayer yesterday, so I'll give it to you today. It's from the Iona community.

O God, for your love for us, warm and brooding,

which has brought us to birth and opened our eyes

to the wonder and beauty of creation,

WE GIVE YOU THANKS.

For your love for us, wild and freeing,

which has awakened us to the energy of creation:

to the sap that flows,

the blood that pulses,

the heart that sings.

WE GIVE YOU THANKS.

For your love for us, compassionate and patient,

which has carried us through our pain,

wept beside us in our sin,

and waited with us in our confusion,

WE GIVE YOU THANKS.

For your love for us, strong and challenging,

which has called us to risk for you,

asked for the best in us,

and shown us how to serve.

WE GIVE YOU THANKS.

O God we come to celebrate

that your Holy Spirit is present deep within us,

and at the heart of all life.

Forgive us when we forget your gift of love

made known to us in Jesus,

and draw us into your presence.