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As the days grow shorter towards the end of fall, on occasion I will find myself in a pasture with the sheep and cattle when the sun hovers just above the horizon. If the clouds are configured just right, a brilliance of color paints the sky and stops me in my tracks, awed by the magnificent sight. Sometimes a chilled breeze softly brushes my face. A silence complemented by the quiet chewing of the cows or slow whisper of a passing jet thousands of feet overhead sends a shiver down my neck. A veritable treat for the senses. For those of us who live a spiritual life, this tableau of beauty is an undeniable example of God’s majesty. In the busyness of our daily lives and all that accompanies Advent and the typical preparations for the end of the year, it is easy to overlook these moments that remind us that we are not alone.
For most of us, the days of Advent leading to Christmas were at one point a magical time. A break from the mundane, a succession of cheerful gatherings, and a discovery of many wonders. Somewhere in our childhood, that reverence for the magic was supplanted and overtaken by our more humanist and pragmatic selves. We no longer experience the excitement of the season in the same manner, and some may even feel dread for all the work that needs to be done to make the occasion special for everyone else. But there are subtle reminders of that once-treasured magic still around us, those small blessings of God’s beauty just waiting to be discovered. Simple things like the twinkle of firelight shimmering off a tree ornament, a favorite holiday song stuck in your head, the exhausting yet familiarly endearing energy of a young child teeming with anticipation, laughter of loved ones gathered together again.
That magic we knew as children still resides within. God will draw it out if you open your heart to it. Seize it! And get excited, for our Lord is coming!
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